How to increase my burn in the gym?

kaylakaminski
kaylakaminski Posts: 34
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone! I need some advice. I'm new to weight training and I am finding that I am not burning a lot of calories in the gym. I see some people burn 300+ and I can't do that unless I run for a while. I literally burn like 60 cals for half an hour of weights (unless it's leg day where I burn higher). I know calorie burn isn't the most important aspect of weights. It's to recomposition my body and burn more calories when I'm at rest. But I obviously need to create a deficit for myself as I want to lose weight!

Any ideas? I am lifting as heavy as I can right now for 3 sets of 12-15. And my heart rate just doesn't get up. Let me know how to get that heart pumping!
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Replies

  • ValerieMomof2
    ValerieMomof2 Posts: 530 Member
    High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) will up the heart rate.
    Here is an example. It has cardio HIIT and strength:
    http://www.coachcalorie.com/hiit-training/
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
    your heartrate has zero bearing on calories burned while doing resistance training. so don't worry about it. it's a meaninglewss number for lifting.

    there is no real way to calculate, but there is a general rule of the more you lift and the more compound the movement is, the more calorie burn. so doing push ups > doing bi curls. That sort of thing. Avoid machines, avoid isolation movements like bi curl, tri extensions, calf raises, crunches, etc.. and do big heavy weighted compound movements where you push to failure as a focus.
  • kaylakaminski
    kaylakaminski Posts: 34
    your heartrate has zero bearing on calories burned while doing resistance training. so don't worry about it. it's a meaninglewss number for lifting.

    there is no real way to calculate, but there is a general rule of the more you lift and the more compound the movement is, the more calorie burn. so doing push ups > doing bi curls. That sort of thing. Avoid machines, avoid isolation movements like bi curl, tri extensions, calf raises, crunches, etc.. and do big heavy weighted compound movements where you push to failure as a focus.

    Yeah. Frankly I know most of the benefits of lifting actually happens out of the gym and in the process where my body has to repair muscles that have been broken down. I just wish I could see higher burn so I knew I am taking in the right amount of calories, etx. But the more I train, the less I care about numbers and the more I'm seeing a need to just fuel my body with the right foods and be active.
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    your heartrate has zero bearing on calories burned while doing resistance training. so don't worry about it. it's a meaninglewss number for lifting.

    there is no real way to calculate, but there is a general rule of the more you lift and the more compound the movement is, the more calorie burn. so doing push ups > doing bi curls. That sort of thing. Avoid machines, avoid isolation movements like bi curl, tri extensions, calf raises, crunches, etc.. and do big heavy weighted compound movements where you push to failure as a focus.

    Yeah. Frankly I know most of the benefits of lifting actually happens out of the gym and in the process where my body has to repair muscles that have been broken down. I just wish I could see higher burn so I knew I am taking in the right amount of calories, etx. But the more I train, the less I care about numbers and the more I'm seeing a need to just fuel my body with the right foods and be active.

    Sounds like you are already winning!
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    HIIT/ interval work, elliptical machine will all elevate your heart rate and yield you more calories burnt...as would increasing the duration and intensity of your workouts.
  • mmuzzatti
    mmuzzatti Posts: 704 Member
    I like to keep my heart rate up while lifting so I go and do my sets then get on the rowing machine as hard as I can for 1 minute. So after every set I get a drink a water take a few seconds to recover and then row and so on. Helped me.
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
    your heartrate has zero bearing on calories burned while doing resistance training. so don't worry about it. it's a meaninglewss number for lifting.

    there is no real way to calculate, but there is a general rule of the more you lift and the more compound the movement is, the more calorie burn. so doing push ups > doing bi curls. That sort of thing. Avoid machines, avoid isolation movements like bi curl, tri extensions, calf raises, crunches, etc.. and do big heavy weighted compound movements where you push to failure as a focus.

    Yeah. Frankly I know most of the benefits of lifting actually happens out of the gym and in the process where my body has to repair muscles that have been broken down. I just wish I could see higher burn so I knew I am taking in the right amount of calories, etx. But the more I train, the less I care about numbers and the more I'm seeing a need to just fuel my body with the right foods and be active.
    I understand the desire to, but there is zero way to calculate it. it's like using your speedometer to calculate fuel consumption on your car. there just is no metric of the one that relates to the other in any quantifiable way. Your heartrate is used to calculate calorie burn during cardio only because the heart somewhat correlates to oxygen per beat, which with your VO2 MAX you can calculate oxygen usage of the muscles, thus rough calorie usage.

    Lifting does NOT use oxygen to do work. No oxygen mean heartrate has zero bearing.

    Once you're about to get into the intermediate level of strength and pushing yourself hard at that, consider weights about the same as cardio for calorie burn. Till then, just use some arbitrary number. thats close to cardio and it should be fine.

    By far and away though, the important part is always trying to push yourself hard.
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
    HIIT/ interval work, elliptical machine will all elevate your heart rate and yield you more calories burnt...as would increasing the duration and intensity of your workouts.
    great. shes not asking about doing cardio though....
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
    I like to keep my heart rate up while lifting so I go and do my sets then get on the rowing machine as hard as I can for 1 minute. So after every set I get a drink a water take a few seconds to recover and then row and so on. Helped me.
    that seems counter productive? Why not just do cardio after and actually use the rest portions as rest so you're not tiring yourself out for the next set?
  • lhourin
    lhourin Posts: 144 Member
    I burn more calories "in the gym" (quotes because most workouts lately are at home) than doing cardio by doing HIIT, as a previous poster suggested. I don't even really do cardio anymore. Google ZWOW and check out her workouts. Not heavy lifting but very difficult, intesnse workouts that will likely leave you as sore as heavy lifting (and they're fun and quick).
    I have better results doing those short, intense workouts than I ever did with heavy lifting. Don't underestimate them! And they burn a sh*tload of calories, if that's what you're looking for.

    (And calories burnt lifting weight DO count...I've seen people saying the opposite on here and it always seems strange. And your HR does go up with heavy lifting/exertion...it all counts).
  • kjbristol
    kjbristol Posts: 22 Member
    I do three lifting exercises and then I do three minutes on the rowing machine (as fast as I can). This raises my heart rate in between sets, and I see myself burning more calories on my lifting days.
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
    Hi everyone! I need some advice. I'm new to weight training and I am finding that I am not burning a lot of calories in the gym. I see some people burn 300+ and I can't do that unless I run for a while. I literally burn like 60 cals for half an hour of weights (unless it's leg day where I burn higher). I know calorie burn isn't the most important aspect of weights. It's to recomposition my body and burn more calories when I'm at rest. But I obviously need to create a deficit for myself as I want to lose weight!

    Any ideas? I am lifting as heavy as I can right now for 3 sets of 12-15. And my heart rate just doesn't get up. Let me know how to get that heart pumping!

    New Rules of Lifting for Women explains it beautifully. You may be burning less in that 30 minutes than cardio, but muscle burns more calories over the long term, which results in a larger calorie burn overall.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    fewer reps heavier weight. try a warm up set with 1/4 of your starting weight, 1/2 starting weight
    and 2 working sets. 8 reps, in my routine the reps increase each week, but you'll be able to
    do heavier weights with less reps, therefore bringing up the intensity

    but you're already a healthy range weight, so all your calorie burns will be low.
    just try to build as much muscle as you can with up to 2 days of hiit
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    if you are doing sets of 12-15 you are not lifting as heavy as you can ..

    You might benefit from increasing the weight and getting into the 6-8 rep range...

    I work out in that range and did my upper routine today and burned about 500 cals according to my body fit media...
  • angelsingin4jc
    angelsingin4jc Posts: 34
    I didn't read everything that everyone else said, so forgive me if this was already said.

    My dad has always told me that doing 15-30 minutes of cardio before strength training actually helps you burn more calories while you lift. You also have to lift as much as you're able that gives you a challenge, but doesn't strain your muscles. I use a machine, not free weights, and I lift 50 for most things and 30 for a couple. My upper body strength is kinda lacking, but I just got back into it all, so this is just me starting off! I usually go through a pre-programmed elliptical workout that lasts about 30 minutes, including cool down. That way my heart rate is going and my body is in burning mode. Then I lift for about 20 minutes, depending on what my target is for that day. I am no expert in this, but my dad played football in college and such and had a trainer while doing so. That's what his trainer had him do. It worked really well for him! I hope this helps!
  • OneEyeUp
    OneEyeUp Posts: 373 Member
    stop watching the tv , pretty much.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    I didn't read everything that everyone else said, so forgive me if this was already said.

    My dad has always told me that doing 15-30 minutes of cardio before strength training actually helps you burn more calories while you lift. You also have to lift as much as you're able that gives you a challenge, but doesn't strain your muscles. I use a machine, not free weights, and I lift 50 for most things and 30 for a couple. My upper body strength is kinda lacking, but I just got back into it all, so this is just me starting off! I usually go through a pre-programmed elliptical workout that lasts about 30 minutes, including cool down. That way my heart rate is going and my body is in burning mode. Then I lift for about 20 minutes, depending on what my target is for that day. I am no expert in this, but my dad played football in college and such and had a trainer while doing so. That's what his trainer had him do. It worked really well for him! I hope this helps!

    if you do this then you'll be too tired to lift heavy, unless it's just light like walking, but i doubt it makes you burn more calories,
    like it was already said, the calorie burning is in the muscle burning 24/7
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
    I didn't read everything that everyone else said, so forgive me if this was already said.

    My dad has always told me that doing 15-30 minutes of cardio before strength training actually helps you burn more calories while you lift. You also have to lift as much as you're able that gives you a challenge, but doesn't strain your muscles. I use a machine, not free weights, and I lift 50 for most things and 30 for a couple. My upper body strength is kinda lacking, but I just got back into it all, so this is just me starting off! I usually go through a pre-programmed elliptical workout that lasts about 30 minutes, including cool down. That way my heart rate is going and my body is in burning mode. Then I lift for about 20 minutes, depending on what my target is for that day. I am no expert in this, but my dad played football in college and such and had a trainer while doing so. That's what his trainer had him do. It worked really well for him! I hope this helps!
    having a high heartrate does not mean you're burning more calories. You can't make that connection at ALL. Same to the other posters trying to suggest doing a bit of cardio between sets to get your heartrate up. The body does NOT work that way. Soon as you stop doing the cardio, your bodies calories being burned drop right to normal. Heartrate being high, or not. So it's pointless to even bother trying for a high heartrate while lifting.

    Work burns calories. Not heartrate. Heartrate is just an indicator of work in a very specific setting.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    stop watching the tv , pretty much.

    bahahahahahahahaha
  • meggyshae
    meggyshae Posts: 357 Member
    I wear a Garmin fitness watch and it has totally taken me to the next level in fitness! It definitely is a numbers game and paying attention to the heart rate zone you need to be in for fat burning..versus just exercising your heart. I have it down to an exact science!
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    fat burning zone is bs
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
    In a way they're kind of right. It's always good to do at least 10 minutes of a warm up/ cardio before strength, to prepare the muscles & get oxygen flowing to them.
  • Noflexing
    Noflexing Posts: 60 Member
    if you are doing sets of 12-15 you are not lifting as heavy as you can ..

    You might benefit from increasing the weight and getting into the 6-8 rep range...

    I work out in that range and did my upper routine today and burned about 500 cals according to my body fit media...

    yup hes right. If I could do more than 10 reps with good form i always up the weight and always try to hit no lower than 7 reps. i usually do 8-9. Never sacrifice good form for heavier weight. the form will build the muscles and burn more calories. just stay at a deficit and you won't need cardio.
  • meggyshae
    meggyshae Posts: 357 Member
    Fat burning zone is actually NOT bs at all...
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
    Fat burning zone is actually NOT bs at all...
    it's not bs in that it exists. it is bs in that it should be a target zone to train in if your goal is fat loss..

    here's why. do you know if you sit on your *kitten* all day and bum around, your body will burn NOTHING but fat? Thats right, if the fuel source of activity mattered at all, then the sit around on your *kitten* all day exercise program should be the best one ever since it does nothing but burn through your fat stores.

    So why does the zone not matter? So you spend a good amount of time trying to stay in your fat burning zone. Good for you. Then you eat anything, and it goes right back into filling those same fat stores.

    This is why the fuel source of exercise means squat. And why the goal is to be burning as many calories as possible. The better you can make a deficit, the better your fat loss will be.
  • meggyshae
    meggyshae Posts: 357 Member
    Fat burning zone is actually NOT bs at all...
    it's not bs in that it exists. it is bs in that it should be a target zone to train in if your goal is fat loss..

    here's why. do you know if you sit on your *kitten* all day and bum around, your body will burn NOTHING but fat? Thats right, if the fuel source of activity mattered at all, then the sit around on your *kitten* all day exercise program should be the best one ever since it does nothing but burn through your fat stores.

    Ummm...LOL thanks but no thanks for your advice...I've managed to burn over 2,000-3,000 calories a day on my own at the gym and have lost over 88 lbs in 7 months so it doesn't matter what anyone else tells me! I'm in nursing school and have learned a lot about the body and my own body and KNOW how to burn the goo the right way ;) so thanks..but NO thanks! ;)

  • MiamiKid305
    MiamiKid305 Posts: 357
    Drop sets, supersets, accelerated cardio
  • meggyshae
    meggyshae Posts: 357 Member
    Fat burning zone is actually NOT bs at all...
    it's not bs in that it exists. it is bs in that it should be a target zone to train in if your goal is fat loss..

    here's why. do you know if you sit on your *kitten* all day and bum around, your body will burn NOTHING but fat? Thats right, if the fuel source of activity mattered at all, then the sit around on your *kitten* all day exercise program should be the best one ever since it does nothing but burn through your fat stores.

    So why does the zone not matter? So you spend a good amount of time trying to stay in your fat burning zone. Good for you. Then you eat anything, and it goes right back into filling those same fat stores.

    This is why the fuel source of exercise means squat. And why the goal is to be burning as many calories as possible. The better you can make a deficit, the better your fat loss will be.

    LOL this really means nothing to me...since I've managed to lose over 88 lbs on my own...your advice is ridiculous! the zone absolutely matters!
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  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Calorie burn should not be the focus of weight lifting. Weight lifting is done for body composition purposes - to maintain LBM, or when at a surplus, to gain LBM. Whatever calorie burn you get is a 'bonus'.

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