I created an exercise called 'CrossFit' and I wear a heart rate monitor, so I use the calories burned from that when I log. I usually make note of the strength/skill we worked on plus the WOD in my notes.

I think this is a great question - I know that each WOD is different and that I can't be completely accurate, but a general idea would be nice. I have been logging it as Circuit Training, general.

Circuit training and calisthenics both come up with similar calorie totals

I wear a HR monitor to Crossfit and for the hour (usually warm up, strength activity of some sort, then WOD), I burn between 450-600 calories. On insane days, I have burned 700. My average heart rate is usually between 135 and 150 for the whole hour.

I wear a HRM and lot calories burned during the warm up, WOD, and cool down/skill building. When we did Karen a few days ago my HR hit 191 and I burned 760 calories during an hour workout. insane. today we did 4 rounds of pullups, pushups, situps and double unders I burned 575. Our coaches make our warm ups hard though, lol.

Great Idea,
I was having trouble figuring out how to calculate calories burned for a CF workout as well. Was wondering what kind of heart rate monitor you have and would you suggest it as something you love and would buy again?
Theresa

I have had the polar FT7 for 3 years and it's fabulous. Any Polar brand one is good, none of the other brands are as accurate.

I created a "CrossFit" exercise, and I have a Polar FT4 that I wear. My burns vary from a few hundred to over 700, depending on the level of *kitten* kicking. LOL! I don't log my food anymore, but continue to log my burns. I like to look back and see my progress throughout my history.

I created a "CrossFit" exercise, and I have a Polar FT4 that I wear. My burns vary from a few hundred to over 700, depending on the level of *kitten* kicking. LOL! I don't log my food anymore, but continue to log my burns. I like to look back and see my progress throughout my history.

Assuming you do a typical CF workout of 60 minutes... well, I hate to break it to you but you aren't burning over 700 calories in that time. Weighlifting for 30 minutes burns roughly 100 calories, like I explained above.

Typical CF session at all boxes I've been to:
5-10 min warm up - up to 50 calories
5 min mobility - 25 calories
15-20 min strength work - 75 calories
15-30 min WOD - 200-300 calories
5 min cash out/stretching - 25-50 calories
500 cals burned on a good day

People tend to overestimate their caloric burns during any exercise. I thought I was burning a lot more during CF than I actually was, hence why I saw hardly any changes in body composition and weightloss while I thought I was eating at a deficit. WHICH is why I suggest not using an HRM because they aren't accurate for anything other than steady state cardio. And also why I suggested using TDEE calculators and then monitoring progress. If calories are logged accurately, it doesn't take very long for someone to tweak what a TDEE calculator spits out to actually fit what their body is doing.

Any person who does a little research knows that weightlifting with moderate cardio will improve body composition way more than cranking out hours on an elliptical.

I log as circuit training.

On the day we did karen my HR got up up to 191, with the warmup and cool down that day I burned over 600. If it's strictly a lifting day, of course my burns are much lower but you'd be surprised, I burned 500 on friday and we did grace. Yes it's just lifting but your HR gets pretty high when you are going as fast as possible and exerting yourself.

Worthwhile read: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/normal-weight-men-and-women-overestimate-energy-expenditure-research-review.html

Why does the CF community dislike people wearing HRMs?????

Great question. One reason is that there are variables other than activity that can cause changes in heart rate such as anxiety and adrenaline. Also, there is a lot to be said about relying on perceived exertion. The other day I had someone in class that was busting out the WOD then looked down at her HRM and made a comment about her heart rate being too high and took a rest. It makes me think she was selling herself short. Secondly, I think that going by the numbers can be deceiving and discouraging. I would be willing to bet that an hour on the treadmill, bike or elliptical would show more calories burned in an hour than wearing an HRM for an hour long Crossfit class. But would you really be changing your body composition faster or to the degree that Crossfit does? Not from what I have seen. We get runners and cyclist with thick bellies in our gym all the time and after years and years of lots of cardio, a few months in the Crossfit gym and they are leaner than ever with some muscles too. There is a big hole missing in the technology of HRM training for calorie burn. It does not account for the increased metabolism that occurs around the clock from adding more lean muscle mass. Nor does it take into account the hormonal changes like increases in testosterone and human growth hormone that come about from Crossfit training.

That is part of the reason but I think that bigger reason is cultural. Crossfit exploded because of a world of fitness and nutrition that didn't work. Crossfit went viral because there was a gaping vacuum. The typical fitness paradigms have been body building with isolation equipment and steady state cardio. It's been like that for decades. Crossfit initially rebelled hard against those worlds of fitness with harsh statements and tee shirts like the one with the woman on the elliptical that says "fail" and has a woman with a barbell on the front that says "win". There was a lot of intolerance and Crossfit elitism especially in the early years but it now seems to be tempered somewhat. HRM's are another symbol of that universe of fitness that wasn't working. I am not saying I agree, I am just giving a little Crossfit history from my perspective.

As for logging, seeing that most people fail to burn off fat because they overestimate activity and underestimate how much they eat, I just enter my WODs as circuit training which does not give many calories. My body composition keeps moving in the desired direction and all is well.

I wear a HRM and just put it under strength training

I didn't know about Strength Training under the cardio tab. Thanks!