How many burnt calories make a great workout?
slepygrl
Posts: 249 Member
I don't really know how to ask this question. Please stick with me. I want to know how may calories should I burn during an average work out? If I burn off say 500 does that make for a great workout? My goal is to not walk out of the gym before I workout off 500. But is that really necessary?
Does any of this make sense? Do I sound like a crackhead?
Does any of this make sense? Do I sound like a crackhead?
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Replies
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Yes, this makes you sound like a person who is addicted to crack cocaine. Good one.0
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As many that gets me to my net goal with the food i want to eat!0
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I totally get what your saying xD I say that generally i try to burn anywhere from 400-700 calories at the gym before i leave, but thats just me. I can really push it, but i hardly ever burn up to 700(: Just set a personal goal for what you can handle. (:0
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push yourself! just workout hard until you hit the wall then push yourself a little farther no "calorie limit" for a good workout0
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I like to get to 300-600 to consider it a good workout. I can get 300 by walking for an hour at 4.0. I can get 500+ doing bodycombat class (average hr for the hour=~160).
So I think 500 is a great workout.0 -
It really depends what results you are looking for. Weight loss, fitness, endurance, strength, power, muscle gain. Some thing that don't have high calorie burns at the time such as weight lifting are still worth doing for overall fitness and weight loss because they help retain lean muscle mass. I would never even get close to burning 500 calories in a weight session. Consider the intensity of your workout also. I think a 20 minute sprint session that has me stuffed at the end much better than plodding away on the elliptical for 2 hours. Then again I go to the gym for FITNESS not weight loss. Calorie burn is not the only thing to think about - are you getting the results you want from your workouts? Are you getting stronger, faster, fitter, better (and yes losing weight and improving body comp too)? I think one of the best ways to approach training is to set yourself fitness goals and then work towards them. Tailor your training to meet this goal. Set benchmarks that you can strive to beat. Diet for weight loss but workout for fitness0
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I think its good to have an aim and 500 calories sounds like a good burn, I'm always disappointed if its less. It gives you a good goal to work towards
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I know if I got a good workout if I am exhausted and drenched in sweat, no matter what the calorie count is. However, I would look at it like this: you are working out. Any calorie burn is better than none. As long as you know you are doing your best and not sitting on the couch eating Twinkies (R.I.P) then you are doing better than a lot of people out there.0
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Why people obsess about calories like this just mind boggles me.
Make your workout about improving it. run longer, lift more, run farther, etc. Otherwise you get caught up in the stasis trap.0 -
All depends on what you need to feel better or what you need to be in your daily calorie goal, I feel best at 1200 a day or more to burn off the day's stress, I feel like I've cheated myself if under 800.0
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Hmmm...I don't ever count my calories while I'm at the gym. Doesn't seem like it would be fun if I did.0
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Exercise calorie burns are irrelevant, only useful for planning out how many calories to eat. They have absolutely no bearing on how effective a workout is for improving fitness and body composition.
Workouts should be measured in pounds or kg lifted, miles (or km) run or cycled, or time spent. Calories burned should be the last thing used to determine whether you had a good workout or not.0 -
I miss when I was a lot heavier cause hitting those high calorie marks was much easier :-P
But I do cardio days were I end up with 2k +0 -
push yourself! just workout hard until you hit the wall then push yourself a little farther no "calorie limit" for a good workout
This is great advice - intensity is key. The more intense, the greater the afterburn. I can get a great strength and conditioning workout done in an hour.0 -
Zero. 0.00. Nada. I don't work out to get a "great burn". I don't work out so that I can eat more food.
I work out to accomplish a fitness goal. To lift a certain weight a certain number of times. To run a certain distance. To do something in a shorter amount of time that I did it before. To do more reps in a set amount of time.
Did I do one or more of those things? Yes? Then I had a great workout0 -
Zero. 0.00. Nada. I don't work out to get a "great burn". I don't work out so that I can eat more food.
I work out to accomplish a fitness goal. To lift a certain weight a certain number of times. To run a certain distance. To do something in a shorter amount of time that I did it before. To do more reps in a set amount of time.
Did I do one or more of those things? Yes? Then I had a great workout
^^^ Ditto this! I work out to be a fit & healthy person. And, because I honestly enjoy it, it's a stress reliever and my 'therapy'. the weight loss, body composition change, calorie burn and extra food are all just bonuses!0 -
Zero. 0.00. Nada. I don't work out to get a "great burn". I don't work out so that I can eat more food.
I work out to accomplish a fitness goal. To lift a certain weight a certain number of times. To run a certain distance. To do something in a shorter amount of time that I did it before. To do more reps in a set amount of time.
Did I do one or more of those things? Yes? Then I had a great workout
Yup ^^^^^ this!
Diet for weight control and nutrition, exercise for fitness.0 -
I gotcha. I'm really strapped for time during the week so I try to get as high a calorie burn as I can in like 30 minutes, which is usually around 300-350. As long as I'm huffing and puffing and dripping with sweat for a while I feel like I got a good workout. During the weekends I have more time so I try to go for 600-700 and add more variety.0
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Anywhere from 300 calories and above is a good work out for me. I am at goal weight and a very small person, so what is good for me may not be necessarily the right thing for you. 500 calories is an amazing work out!0
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You burn less calories lifting heavy weights for an hour compared to doing cardio at 85% for an hour. What matters is that you stimulated your muscles and that you're within calorie deficit restrictions.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Release yourself from this kind of thinking. A good workout has nothing to do with calories.0
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A "good" workout in my opinion is one that is intelligently designed to meet your goals.0
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Zero. 0.00. Nada. I don't work out to get a "great burn". I don't work out so that I can eat more food.
I work out to accomplish a fitness goal. To lift a certain weight a certain number of times. To run a certain distance. To do something in a shorter amount of time that I did it before. To do more reps in a set amount of time.
Did I do one or more of those things? Yes? Then I had a great workout
^^^ Ditto this! I work out to be a fit & healthy person. And, because I honestly enjoy it, it's a stress reliever and my 'therapy'. the weight loss, body composition change, calorie burn and extra food are all just bonuses!
^^^Ditto, ditto!! Exercise is my therapy!!! :happy:0 -
Are you going to obsess about calories for the next 30-50 years .. or however long you are going to live?
I don't think so. I'm hoping you are planning on reaching a point in life where you don't obsessively count calories, but where you generally eat healthy, workout regularly, and make smart choices.
Most mainstream health experts say you need to work out for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. If you want to lose weight, you have to do more than that and that you should be trying to do 30-60 minutes of cardio several days a week.
Here is the Harvard School of Public Health's brief take on activity: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/staying-active/index.html0 -
Honestly I only burn about 200-400 (on a good day!) and that feels like enough for me. Personally I think that as long as I'm burning SOMETHING and MOVING then I don't mind if I burn 100 or 1,000 calories. Working out just makes me feel good, but I really concentrate my weight loss efforts in the kitchen.0
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I must join in with many others. Calories burned has nothing to do with how "great" my workout was. Come to think of it, your definition of "great" seems deeply entrenched in "average", or "everyday". Every workout isn't great. Few are. Most workouts are, you know, workouts. "Great" ones need a reason for that designation. Like say for instance, it's race day. Or I just realllllllly want to hammer those hills. So in that sense, the "great" workouts are few and far between. When they DO happen, the usually end up being anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 calories.
But, again, the actual calorie count is meaningless to the "great" designation.0 -
Zero. 0.00. Nada. I don't work out to get a "great burn". I don't work out so that I can eat more food.
I work out to accomplish a fitness goal. To lift a certain weight a certain number of times. To run a certain distance. To do something in a shorter amount of time that I did it before. To do more reps in a set amount of time.
Did I do one or more of those things? Yes? Then I had a great workout
This. Calories are a measure of energy, not a measure of effort or intensity. Some of my best work outs I bet I didn't burn more than 200 k/cal. You know the ones where you can barely walk and have trouble driving home from the gym.0 -
To me, any workout is a good work out. As long as you have a little sweat, you are trying hard and you are being active it's good. For me, if I go to the gym for an hour it's about 600+ cals burned, but if I stay home and place Just Dance or do an OnDemand Fitness video, it's more like 150-300 and to me, that 150-300 is certainly better than nothing.0
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Have you tried reading, researching and learning on your own before asking us to figure it out for you first? just curious.0
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Exercise calorie burns are irrelevant, only useful for planning out how many calories to eat. They have absolutely no bearing on how effective a workout is for improving fitness and body composition.
Workouts should be measured in pounds or kg lifted, miles (or km) run or cycled, or time spent. Calories burned should be the last thing used to determine whether you had a good workout or not.
^^ This
It is very rare that I've burned 500 calories in one day. But it's rare that I do more than 30 minutes of exercise too, except for walking.0
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