Working out your calories burned

brydo86
brydo86 Posts: 47 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How does everyone work out how many calories they burn per excercise?

I purchased a HRM yesterday and used it during a 40 min, I used a website calculator which said that I had burned 747 calories? Thats very high is it not?

Thanks for any help.
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Replies

  • Shock_Wave
    Shock_Wave Posts: 1,573 Member
    How does everyone work out how many calories they burn per excercise?

    I purchased a HRM yesterday and used it during a 40 min, I used a website calculator which said that I had burned 747 calories? Thats very high is it not?

    Thanks for any help.

    Nah some people can burn up to 1000 cals an hour(HIIT). Just stick with your HRM its going to be WAY more accurate then a guesstimate on a website calculator.
  • Thinspirational_Me
    Thinspirational_Me Posts: 94
    Its probably fairly close. I take it from your ticker and the mention of 40 mins that this was an Insanity workout? Did you use your max heart rate or an average? Bear in mind that even though Insanity is very full-on, there will have been periods where your heart rate was lower (the stretches at the start and end, the water breaks, for example)

    All that being said, perhaps round it down to maybe 700?

    For me, I'm 240lbs and I use a figure of about 400-600 cals for an Insanity workout, depending if its one of the less intense ones like Cardio Recovery, or more intense like Pure Cardio
  • MizSaz
    MizSaz Posts: 445 Member
    An HRM will give you a WAY more accurate read than MFP's generic settings, or the counters on a treadmill would. However, the only way to get a a bang-on read is basically in a lab setting with machines hooked up to you while you work out. Your HRM is more than likely very close though.
  • PurpleTina
    PurpleTina Posts: 390 Member
    Doesn't seem that high if it's reasonably high intensity cardio. I ran for just over an hour last night and burned about 850 calories.
  • brydo86
    brydo86 Posts: 47 Member
    Its probably fairly close. I take it from your ticker and the mention of 40 mins that this was an Insanity workout? Did you use your max heart rate or an average? Bear in mind that even though Insanity is very full-on, there will have been periods where your heart rate was lower (the stretches at the start and end, the water breaks, for example)

    All that being said, perhaps round it down to maybe 700?

    For me, I'm 240lbs and I use a figure of about 400-600 cals for an Insanity workout, depending if its one of the less intense ones like Cardio Recovery, or more intense like Pure Cardio

    Yeah, cardio power and resistance. I used an average heart rate.

    Yeah, 700 give or take. Im 230 lbs but pretty unfit.

    Thanks for all the reply guys.
  • kiangel
    kiangel Posts: 246 Member
    Hi can you tell me website calculator you used please ? Husband just bought me a HRM and it doesn't tell me calories burned , so need to work it out myself :(
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    If I'm logging cals burned, it's almost always based on my HRM. I have a few activities that I can't wear my HRM during (basketball and swimming), so I guesstimate based on perceived effort (which is hugely inaccurate, I know... but it gives me a reasonable number based on what I know about myself).
  • Andrew_peter
    Andrew_peter Posts: 94 Member
    Can get around 600 calories burned at around 30 min here, but it's def high intensity to achieve that, so your numbers don't sound off.

    Just make sure your HRM is setup correctly with your details and use that. Also, you can subtract your BMR during during your workout time from the total if you want to get really picky too, but most don't bother.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    How does everyone work out how many calories they burn per excercise?

    I purchased a HRM yesterday and used it during a 40 min, I used a website calculator which said that I had burned 747 calories? Thats very high is it not?

    Thanks for any help.

    Most people is reasonably decent shape will burn around 10cals per minute doing a good, hard cardio workout. 15cals per minute is achievable during short bursts, but most people can't sustain it for a full workout. Going by that as your guide, I think 747cals in 40 minutes is really high. I'd guess closer to 5 or 600 depending on your level of fitness.
  • jld0411
    jld0411 Posts: 29 Member
    HRMs are pretty accurate. Websites and other calculators use the "average" person's burn, which is obviously going to be all over the place. The HRM that go on your wrist are fairly accurate, especially if it's one you can customize with your weight, height, gender etc. If you want even better accuracy, go for a HRM with a chest strap. I have the chest strap and mine is often waaaaay different than any online calculators.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Every time I hear people tell me about their burns measured by HRMs, they seem wildly overestimating. I think the concept of an HRM is flawed because it's missing too many variables. That's JMO though.
  • emmaroid1981
    emmaroid1981 Posts: 45 Member
    I do Insanity and my HRM tells me Im burning around the 274 mark for 40 minutes of Pure Cardio.

    I am 140lb and 5ft 7. The more weight I have lost, the fitter I have got, the less calories I burn. I also worked out my Vo2 max which I input into my HRM to be more accurate.

    I think it all depends on your fitness level & weight everyone is different.
  • aas1277
    aas1277 Posts: 67
    I like using the HRM because it takes the guesswork out. I have the Polar FT4 chest strap HRM and it takes into consideration not only your weight and height but your age and gender. I just took a High Intensity Bokwa class for 50 minutes and it says I burned around 286 calories....The instructor was wearing a wrist HRM and half way through the class hers said she had already burned 300 calories.....
  • Just2Bhappy
    Just2Bhappy Posts: 113 Member
    I need a HRM. I use the number the treadmill or elliptical gives me. As for weights and yoga I just go wit what MFP list.
  • beatleschic87
    beatleschic87 Posts: 260 Member
    I always make sure I at least eat my goal for the day.
    I have protein when I'm done working out like a chicken breast, an egg or a hand full of almonds.
    I work out at night too so it's usually too late for a meal but my body needs something for that recovery.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I need a HRM. I use the number the treadmill or elliptical gives me. As for weights and yoga I just go wit what MFP list.

    Treadmill will likely be more accurate than an HRM, just FYI. Weights... an HRM is probably about as inaccurate as anything. Probably the same for yoga.

    HRMs are NOT miracle workers.
  • STrooper
    STrooper Posts: 659 Member
    I find that the HRM gives me lower calories expended (compared to the MFP website) when walking, even at a moderate pace. However, compared to my treadmill, my HRM reads higher by a good 30%. For some programs I use (like Map My Hike when I'm carrying a pack) the HRM and program values from the phone (or website) are about online. I am generally using my HRM for my activity specific values. I use a Fitbit for stepcount and typical daily, non-specific activities.

    The HRM is particularly good for weight training or combined cardio-weight training.

    Now its time for me to go use mine during lunch.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I find that the HRM gives me lower calories expended (compared to the MFP website) when walking, even at a moderate pace. However, compared to my treadmill, my HRM reads higher by a good 30%. For some programs I use (like Map My Hike when I'm carrying a pack) the HRM and program values from the phone (or website) are about online. I am generally using my HRM for my activity specific values. I use a Fitbit for stepcount and typical daily, non-specific activities.

    The HRM is particularly good for weight training or combined cardio-weight training.

    Now its time for me to go use mine during lunch.

    It's actually particularly BAD for weight training. HRMs are most effective for steady state cardio exercises. Weigh training is neither steady state nor cardio.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    HRMs can be very accurate if you have set them up to be so.

    a good HRM will need to take your resting hart rate and V02 max levels into account when estimating your calories burned, so you cant automatically go just by your age. for instance take 2 40 year old people of similar weight. one might be dying at 135 beats per minute while other considers it easy. they arent going to be burning the same amount of calories
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    HRM by its nature overestimates during weight training. Your body doesn't use nearly as many calories at a given heart rate while lifting as it does during cardio.

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