push ups

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Ericsawicki
Ericsawicki Posts: 75 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've recently added push-ups to my routine, but I notice that they don't seem to count toward calories burned. I'm only able to do 2 or sets of 10 right now (depending on the day and my soreness), but shouldn't they count too?

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  • Annetinkerbell
    Annetinkerbell Posts: 36 Member
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    Put it in as calisthenics
  • mollylookalike
    mollylookalike Posts: 60 Member
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    use a heart rate monitor - here's the one I have:
    http://www.amazon.com/60beat-BLUE-Heart-Monitor-iPhone/dp/B0096DM3ES/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1359753703&sr=8-12&keywords=bluetooth+hrm
  • mandiam
    mandiam Posts: 109
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    heart rate monitor-- all the way
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    not a whole lot.

    i'm not so sure an HRM is going to very accurate here, but even thats probably going to register pretty low.

    I'd just do it as calestenics or weight lifting and time how long it takes you to do it. which i'm guessing is under 5min
  • Mailboxhead1
    Mailboxhead1 Posts: 18
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    I'll be a slightly dissenting voice here and say that I'm not sure if a heart rate monitor will give you the whole picture. Especially just starting out, push ups will probably have effects closer to weight lifting than aerobics. I've often read that the bigger calorie burn from lifting is in the bodies repair process, not in just the energy expended during the exercise itself.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
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    Log it under the "Cardio" tab and use "strength training" from the database.

    You don't burn as many calories doing strength training when compared to cardio, BUT it is essential that you include it in your fitness routine.

    Contrary to other posters' replies, heart rate monitors ARE NOT ACCURATE when trying to determine calories burned from strength training.
  • MrsSki
    MrsSki Posts: 196
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    Strength Training doesn't calculate calories, it's really just a place to log what you've done. You will have to log them separately under the Cardio, they have a bucket for strength training there that will count toward calories.
  • Troublemonster
    Troublemonster Posts: 223 Member
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    Log it under the "Cardio" tab and use "strength training" from the database.

    ^^^This is how I roll and i works very well for me.
  • baldzach
    baldzach Posts: 1,841 Member
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    2 sets of 10 push ups will burn about 25 calories if that's all you're doing. I wouldn't bother logging that.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
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    I agree, don't bother. It's probably the about the same calories as a half an apple but keep doing the pushups.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    2 sets of 10 push ups will burn about 25 calories if that's all you're doing. I wouldn't bother logging that.

    ... true, but if you are doing 2 sets of 10 pushups, 2 sets of chair dips, 2 sets of pullups (or easier variation), 2 sets of bodyweight squats or lunges etc then you have a complete bodyweight workout that you can log for probably about 200 calories - whiich is worth logging.

    Grab a copy of You Are your Own Gym or Convict Conditioning for a whole bodyweight workout that will build real strength and log it as calisthenics in Cardio Exercise
  • zoukeira
    zoukeira Posts: 313 Member
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    Agreed you can definitely log it under calisthenics, but disagreed that that's any better than using a HRM - they're similar reads - they're both considered 'incorrect' or 'unreliable' because they only show what you burn WHILE you're doing strength training. A decent bout of strength training will increase your calorie burn for an extra 6-9 hours, but it's near impossible to track so forget it and think of it as a bonus.

    Anyway - like another poster said 20 pushups on their own won't burn a heck of a lot of calories, it's probably not worth logging - 1 minute of calisthentics for me only burns 8 calories!
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    agreed - but surely nobody just does 20 push-ups on their own; they'll be part of a bigger workout which then IS worth logging. The OP said they have incorporated pushups into their routine, so they are worth logging as part of a whole.
  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
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    agreed - but surely nobody just does 20 push-ups on their own; they'll be part of a bigger workout which then IS worth logging. The OP said they have incorporated pushups into their routine, so they are worth logging as part of a whole.

    I do them randomly during the day for no reason. Kinda habit I picked up from basic training I guess. Getting randomly told to do pushups for no reason other than to have you do em.

    I wouldnt log them though
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    But that's because they are easy for you - maybe get a buzz out of dropping and pushing out 20 or so and that's fine. But the OP has only just added them into his routine so I would add those calories into a whole bodyweight workout.

    Only about 5 months ago, I couldn't push out more than 3 x 1 or 2 push-ups, but I am doing sets of diamond close pushups now and I do add those calories into a full workout because they are part of a full progressive calisthenic workout and I sugest it is a similar situation for the OP - who seems to have left the thread!

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