Why bother with stregth training

LOggging the strength in the case will only be for your personal records. I log strength under the cardio tab that MFP has in the database but I do tons of cardio so whatever the number mfp gives me i don't care too much. (I personally do that to keep track that i did strength this and that day. ) Also I do not suggest using a HRM monitor doing weights. I did that one day and it said I burned 400 some calories in about 30mins which i found really ODD because thats about how much i burn in 30 mins of spin class and my heart is normal sky high for that workout where as my heart rate was pretty low for the strength training. also if u want to take the time to read it, read wht i copied and pasted:




A HRM won't give you an accurate idea of how many calories you burn during strength training, because the relationship between heart rate and calorie expenditure is not the same during strength training as during cardio exercise, which is what the HRM's estimate is based on. Unless your weight training is very vigorous circuit training, the heart rate monitor will be overestimating your calorie burn by a fair amount.

The problem is a technical one. Calorie burning isn't determined by heart rate, it's determined by the number of muscle cells that are activated to perform a given activity. It's the working cells that actually use the energy (calories) and consume oxygen. When working muscle cells need more energy and oxygen, your heart rate goes up to deliver these things to the cells via the blood stream.

Any muscle that performs a high intensity or maximum effort (strength training) will trigger an increase in heart rate and blood flow. But if only a single muscle group is on the receiving end to utilize that extra oxygen (doing a strength exercise that isolates your biceps, for example), only a relatively small amount of oxygen (and calories) will actually be consumed.

So while a series of strength training exercises may elevate your heart rate like aerobic exercise does, you're not actually using as much oxygen and burning as many calories as you would be if you were steadily using several large muscles all at once, as when walking, running, swimming, or doing aerobics for example.

The heart rate monitor doesn’t know whether your increase in heart rate is due to several large muscle groups working (cardio), an isolated muscle group lifting a weight (strength training), or even if adrenaline or excitement is increasing your heart rate. It just knows your heart rate, and the formulas it uses to estimate calories are based on studies of aerobic exercise, not other activities. So, it's going to overestimate your calorie expenditure when the rise in heart rate is stimulated by using isolated muscles at maximum intensity, which is what occurs during strength training.

There's a strength training entry in the cardio section. It's just a ballpark, but it gives me about 89 calories per half hour.

So you can have abs like LorinaLynn.

Simple - strength training increases muscle mass - increased muscle mass = increased metabolism - increased metabolism = greater weight loss for the same amount of calories consumed/cardio output

Simple - strength training increases muscle mass - increased muscle mass = increased metabolism - increased metabolism = greater weight loss for the same amount of calories consumed/cardio output

Not to be critical in any way but just for clarity. The "increased muscle mass = increased metabolism" is true. But it is negligible. Most recent research puts the increased burn at about 6 to 11 calories per lb of lean muscle. So assuming one increases lean muscle by 10 pounds, that is only 60 to 110 calories per day more. It is an increase. But not one that is going to make a major difference. There are so many other fabulous reasons for strength training and I am a huge proponent. This is one but not a major one.

Deep breaths brother! Deeeeeppp breaths! I am in complete agreement with your accurate and scientific post.

Sorry, I haven't had carbs in a while... I've been apologizing left and right to people for being moody. LOL. 2 more days... sigh.

MFP doesn't factor in how many MORE calories you're burning at rest when you pack on the muscle. Look at my before and after pics...that's the point of strength training! MUSCLE BURNS FAT!!

I like sexy muscles.

Strength training = sexy muscles.

Thats why.

I've found the Livestrong website to be a good resource for estimating calories burned doing different types of strength training.

This is where a Heart Rate Monitor comes in handy.

From what I understand HRM's aren't really accurate for lifting and strength training. They tend to over estimate from what I've been told and research I've done has confirmed that. Just a warning! I don't actually log calories burnt during strength training because I haven't found an accurate way to do so.

You enter it in but it doesnt affect calories and doesnt tell u anything but what u did. Adding in cardio shows calories burned why doesnt stregth????????

Are you trying to say that MFP's exercise calories are accurate and strength training accomplishes nothing so why bother? I want to come up with analogy for why this is so absolutely ridiculous but I think it'll just cause an aneurysm.

OK, to stop being rash and move to informative:
First and foremost, resistance training burns more energy that cardio. Period. This is not debatable.
Second, calories burned during cardio begin and end with exercise. On the other hand strenght training is a continual metabolic process of 3 phases durating anywhere from 6-48 hours. The inital workout burns massive amounts of energy then the rebuilding/recovery process also utilizes calories, now that you've increased lean muscle tissue either in size, density or shape you will require MORE energy to maintain this lean body mass.
Third, endocrine function in regards to resistance training also support the processes of fatty acid oxidation through release of important anabolic hormones such as testosterone, glucagoan, epinepherine, norepinepherine, IGF, seretonin, and the suppression of things like ghrelin. Other cell signals such as AMPK, GLUT4, and cAMP are also increased during resistance training and peak in a post-workout phase where somatic muscle tissue is in a state of insulin sensitivity and enabeling storage of nutrients into the liver and muscle instead of hanging around the blood stream or depositing into adipose tissue.

I could go on and on but why bother?

Deep breaths brother! Deeeeeppp breaths! I am in complete agreement with your accurate and scientific post.

:laugh:

Strength training is important as this adds more muscle enabling you to burn more calories.