strength training doesnt show the number of calories burned

venetianz
venetianz Posts: 78 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I noticed that when you record your exercises in the cardio section it shows calories burned but in the strength training section it doesnt. But strength training burns more calories. It only shows reps and sets. How do i record calories for strength training?
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Replies

  • whiskeycharged
    whiskeycharged Posts: 400 Member
    I noticed that when you record your exercises in the cardio section it shows calories burned but in the strength training section it doesnt. But strength training burns more calories. It only shows reps and sets. How do i record calories for strength training?

    Search 'Strength training' under the Cardiovascular category and just add in the # of minutes you worked out for. MFP will calculate the calories burned and your done. :bigsmile:
  • MDWilliams1857
    MDWilliams1857 Posts: 315 Member
    Yea, I wear a HR monitor and list all my weight training as cardio so I can put in calories burned.
  • esurgeon
    esurgeon Posts: 1
    Apparently Heart Rate Monitors will only give you accurate measurements of calories burned for cardio work outs, not strength work outs.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Apparently Heart Rate Monitors will only give you accurate measurements of calories burned for cardio work outs, not strength work outs.

    Correct.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I noticed that when you record your exercises in the cardio section it shows calories burned but in the strength training section it doesnt. But strength training burns more calories. It only shows reps and sets. How do i record calories for strength training?

    Not exactly answering your question, but IMO, if you want to burn calories, do cardio work and log the cals. If you want to change how you look or get stronger, lift and focus on technique and consistency, not calorie burns.

    JMO.
  • LMPMOM4
    LMPMOM4 Posts: 75
    I wear my Polar hrm when I lift and I always get about 300 calories. I lift for an hour and I work hard and I'm sweating hard. Should I not count those calories? I also walk and count those cals my hrm tracks.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I wear my Polar hrm when I lift and I always get about 300 calories. I lift for an hour and I work hard and I'm sweating hard. Should I not count those calories? I also walk and count those cals my hrm tracks.

    IMO (and this is a highly debated topic on MFP), no you shouldn't. First of all, you didn't burn nearly that many calories. Second, HRMs are not effective measure of calories burned during weight training. Weight training has a minimal increase in oxygen uptake, which is what calorie burns are based on. Calculated calorie burns (be it from HRMs, machines, etc) are based on that increase in in oxygen.
  • LMPMOM4
    LMPMOM4 Posts: 75
    I wear my Polar hrm when I lift and I always get about 300 calories. I lift for an hour and I work hard and I'm sweating hard. Should I not count those calories? I also walk and count those cals my hrm tracks.

    IMO (and this is a highly debated topic on MFP), no you shouldn't. First of all, you didn't burn nearly that many calories. Second, HRMs are not effective measure of calories burned during weight training. Weight training has a minimal increase in oxygen uptake, which is what calorie burns are based on. Calculated calorie burns (be it from HRMs, machines, etc) are based on that increase in in oxygen.

    Wow.. I had absolutely no idea. I can try it and see what happens. I'm new here and I'm trying to eat as many calories as I can because I've been severely dieting for about ten years. I'm ok with not losing for several months. If anything it'll give me more motivation to walk and ride my bike more to get that cardio in.
  • nothing1994
    nothing1994 Posts: 1,936 Member
    So if hrm dosent do it how do u calculate calories burned ???


    Mfp over does it ... with the calories burned
  • ggcat
    ggcat Posts: 313 Member
    Yea, I wear a HR monitor and list all my weight training as cardio so I can put in calories burned.


    ^this!
  • LNZimmer
    LNZimmer Posts: 94
    So if hrm dosent do it how do u calculate calories burned ???


    Mfp over does it ... with the calories burned

    AGREED. It does. (Overdoes it way too much for my liking.) I think it's very misleading to a lot of people too who log it and it gives them like 600 calories for 30 minutes of walking.
  • LMPMOM4
    LMPMOM4 Posts: 75
    From what I'm understandding you don't count any strength training. Just the cals from cardio.
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    I wear my Polar hrm when I lift and I always get about 300 calories. I lift for an hour and I work hard and I'm sweating hard. Should I not count those calories? I also walk and count those cals my hrm tracks.

    IMO (and this is a highly debated topic on MFP), no you shouldn't. First of all, you didn't burn nearly that many calories. Second, HRMs are not effective measure of calories burned during weight training. Weight training has a minimal increase in oxygen uptake, which is what calorie burns are based on. Calculated calorie burns (be it from HRMs, machines, etc) are based on that increase in in oxygen.

    This!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    So if hrm dosent do it how do u calculate calories burned ???


    Mfp over does it ... with the calories burned

    You don't. As I said above... if your goal is to burn cals (so you can eat more), do cardio. If your goal is to get stronger and change how you look, then lift.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    So if hrm dosent do it how do u calculate calories burned ???


    Mfp over does it ... with the calories burned

    AGREED. It does. (Overdoes it way too much for my liking.) I think it's very misleading to a lot of people too who log it and it gives them like 600 calories for 30 minutes of walking.

    Be aware... it's an estimate, and estimates will be right for some people, not right for others. Blanket statements like that don't always work, but I understand the sentiment.
  • nothing1994
    nothing1994 Posts: 1,936 Member
    So if hrm dosent do it how do u calculate calories burned ???


    Mfp over does it ... with the calories burned

    You don't. As I said above... if your goal is to burn cals (so you can eat more), do cardio. If your goal is to get stronger and change how you look, then lift.



    Ohhh thank u very much :)
  • chinmayj
    chinmayj Posts: 1 Member
    Gosh I had no idea... HRMs don't work for strength training. Glad i know now.
  • HWeatherholt
    HWeatherholt Posts: 283 Member
    In the book New Rules of Lifting for Women, it gives you a formula to calculate the calories you need for every day and the calories you need for days that you lift. Of course your numbers probably are different, but mine come out to be just under 300 "extra" for days I lift.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    So if hrm dosent do it how do u calculate calories burned ???


    Mfp over does it ... with the calories burned

    You don't. As I said above... if your goal is to burn cals (so you can eat more), do cardio. If your goal is to get stronger and change how you look, then lift.

    The only thing I will add to this is that if you are strength training for 3+ days/week you may want to change your activity level from sedentary to light active to account for them that way. As lifting will require energy, some burned during, most from the 24-48 hours following. This will give you a few extra cals for that reason, and when in a deficit will provide a little more energy for your lifting sessions.
  • brian_haberman
    brian_haberman Posts: 2
    I don't know if I agree with this view (not yours, but the correlation between calorie burn and oxygen consumption). Numerous studies have shown that resistance training elevates caloric burn for five to six hours after leaving the gym, whereas pure cardio workouts show a return to normal calorie burn rates within 30 minutes of leaving the gym. The implication here is that anaerobic exercise can't be counted on, or at least accurately estimated, to burn calories because of the lack of oxygen consumed. I think the research shows that anaerobic exercise has as much, or more, to do with calorie burn as aerobic activity. Of course, they must be used in combination for peak performance and fitness, but to just discount resistance training as a zero-calorie effort would be a huge mistake. Somewhere, there must be a reasonably accurate estimate. Sorry I don't have it, just pointing out an issue that creates a cognitive dissonance in my skull...
  • sammniamii
    sammniamii Posts: 669 Member
    If you really want to figure out a close calorie count, you can use this

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/338469-how-to-calculate-calories-burned-weight-lifting/

    I used to do that, but now I just let my BM Link track crap. I understand Lifting isn't where the calories are burnt, it's the continuing burn after, that's what I aim for (IE: i do cardio after or on my off days).
  • suburbanator
    suburbanator Posts: 5 Member
    Hey... I don't count my weight lifting towards my cals, however I use a bodymedia link device and it does register "moderate" and "Vigorous" activity during my workout, it reports anywhere from 250-450 calories burned depending what I am doing, for some reason a heavy legs or back day with squats etc seems to trigger the most.

    I don't log the strength training cals mainly because I use that to offset any inaccuracies in my food logging (Ie: measurements).... I figure it all balances out in the end and am on track so far.

    Chad
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    strength training burns more calories.

    No it doesn't.
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
    I noticed that when you record your exercises in the cardio section it shows calories burned but in the strength training section it doesnt. But strength training burns more calories. It only shows reps and sets. How do i record calories for strength training?

    Not exactly answering your question, but IMO, if you want to burn calories, do cardio work and log the cals. If you want to change how you look or get stronger, lift and focus on technique and consistency, not calorie burns.

    JMO.

    I am always amused by this line of logic, after watching all the folks at the gym with their carefully calculated pre & post workout drinks, designed to get the body the calories it needs. By your line of thinking, those are not needed in any way, and that all those professional body builders, power lifters, football players, etc, are wrong in thinking that strength training burns calories?
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Numerous studies have shown that resistance training elevates caloric burn for five to six hours after leaving the gym, whereas pure cardio workouts show a return to normal calorie burn rates within 30 minutes of leaving the gym.
    Upto 39 hours or so I think - so very hard to properly work out and without being hooked up to a machine analysing your breath every hour, you're not going to get even close, I suspect.

    So, I wouldn't worry about it too much :).
  • frood
    frood Posts: 295 Member
    The only thing I will add to this is that if you are strength training for 3+ days/week you may want to change your activity level from sedentary to light active to account for them that way. As lifting will require energy, some burned during, most from the 24-48 hours following. This will give you a few extra cals for that reason, and when in a deficit will provide a little more energy for your lifting sessions.
    +1
  • timbrom
    timbrom Posts: 303 Member
    What I like doing is using the TDEE - X% option for strength training (search the forums for "in place of a road map" if you don't know what that means). You eat the same number of calories every day whether you train or not, and exercise is already counted in your calorie goals for the day so there is no "eating back" exercise calories using this method since you are already eating them.

    I think it makes it a lot simpler for weight training.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I noticed that when you record your exercises in the cardio section it shows calories burned but in the strength training section it doesnt. But strength training burns more calories. It only shows reps and sets. How do i record calories for strength training?

    Not exactly answering your question, but IMO, if you want to burn calories, do cardio work and log the cals. If you want to change how you look or get stronger, lift and focus on technique and consistency, not calorie burns.

    JMO.

    I am always amused by this line of logic, after watching all the folks at the gym with their carefully calculated pre & post workout drinks, designed to get the body the calories it needs. By your line of thinking, those are not needed in any way, and that all those professional body builders, power lifters, football players, etc, are wrong in thinking that strength training burns calories?

    They don't lift for the purpose of the calories burned is what he is trying to say. may be a byproduct of lifting, but should not be the reason for lifting and if you get enough cals and protein during the day the extra 100 or so from lifting wont make much of a difference, unless your deficit is already too large.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    I noticed that when you record your exercises in the cardio section it shows calories burned but in the strength training section it doesnt. But strength training burns more calories. It only shows reps and sets. How do i record calories for strength training?

    Not exactly answering your question, but IMO, if you want to burn calories, do cardio work and log the cals. If you want to change how you look or get stronger, lift and focus on technique and consistency, not calorie burns.

    JMO.

    I am always amused by this line of logic, after watching all the folks at the gym with their carefully calculated pre & post workout drinks, designed to get the body the calories it needs. By your line of thinking, those are not needed in any way, and that all those professional body builders, power lifters, football players, etc, are wrong in thinking that strength training burns calories?

    No one is arguing that it doesn't burn calories. It's just not very much, and it's extremely difficult to pinpoint an exact burn. People that do strictly weightlifting usually count calories based on the TDEE method because of this.

    Since I weight train only once or twice a week, I simply eat at maintenance or slightly below that on those days. I'm of the mind that strength training is for body composition, not weight loss. My opinion, though.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Subscribed.

    I go with the TDEE plan as well. Makes life much easier I think.

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