Does strength training burn calories?

marci74
marci74 Posts: 5
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
Unless I am missing a step on MFP, when I enter my strength training exercises, it doesn't list any calories burned? The only calories MFP seems to account for are from my cardio. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Replies

  • omid990
    omid990 Posts: 785 Member
    yes lifting does burn calories. if you want mfp to give you a calorie count for that, you'll have to enter it under cardio.

    as always though, an HRM is the most accurate method to determine calories burned.
  • metalpalace
    metalpalace Posts: 576
    I don't know how MFP works but muscle burns fat strength training over all burns more calories than just cardio. Strength training is the key to easier weight management while diet controls weight loss or gain
  • marci74
    marci74 Posts: 5
    Sorry for my ignorance here, what is HRM?
  • sarahembree50
    sarahembree50 Posts: 4 Member
    I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing it's heart rate monitor.....??
  • hiddensecant
    hiddensecant Posts: 2,446 Member
    Under cardio, you can type in strength training and it will give you a calorie burn after you enter in the minutes.

    But yeah, best get a heart rate monitor to track it more accurately.
  • smae1980
    smae1980 Posts: 794 Member
    I don't know how MFP works but muscle burns fat strength training over all burns more calories than just cardio. Strength training is the key to easier weight management while diet controls weight loss or gain


    I don't want to nit pick here, but it sounds like you are saying that strength training burns more calories than cardio, which is not true. Did you mean that you also need to incorporate strength training to build muscle because a higher percentage of lean tissue burns more calories when active than a higher percentage of fat? I think that's what you meant because that is more accurate than what you said before. An HRM is a heart rate monitor which keeps track of your heart rate while exercising and helps estimate a more accurate number of calories burned during activity
  • sniffles
    sniffles Posts: 295
    I don't know how MFP works but muscle burns fat strength training over all burns more calories than just cardio. Strength training is the key to easier weight management while diet controls weight loss or gain


    I don't want to nit pick here, but it sounds like you are saying that strength training burns more calories than cardio, which is not true. Did you mean that you also need to incorporate strength training to build muscle because a higher percentage of lean tissue burns more calories when active than a higher percentage of fat? I think that's what you meant because that is more accurate than what you said before. An HRM is a heart rate monitor which keeps track of your heart rate while exercising and helps estimate a more accurate number of calories burned during activity

    I remember reading once that a HRM cannot accurately measure the amount of calories burned during weight training... I forget the science behind it but yeah... calorie burnage when strength training is a difficult thing to measure.

    When I was heavy duty weight training my HRM claimed I was burning just 50 calories in 30 minute sessions but I was sweating up a STORM and would have sore muscles for days so... I KNOW I worked hard, it just didn't register as anything with the HRM.
  • metalpalace
    metalpalace Posts: 576
    I don't know how MFP works but muscle burns fat strength training over all burns more calories than just cardio. Strength training is the key to easier weight management while diet controls weight loss or gain


    I don't want to nit pick here, but it sounds like you are saying that strength training burns more calories than cardio, which is not true. Did you mean that you also need to incorporate strength training to build muscle because a higher percentage of lean tissue burns more calories when active than a higher percentage of fat? I think that's what you meant because that is more accurate than what you said before. An HRM is a heart rate monitor which keeps track of your heart rate while exercising and helps estimate a more accurate number of calories burned during activity

    Ok i'll be more specific.

    Anything anaerobic is always going to burn more calories than anything aerobic. Using phrases or words like cardio training and strength training has different meanings depending on context.
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