anyone know how to calculate weightlifting calories etc?

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Winston1717
Winston1717 Posts: 184
in Introduce Yourself
New to this and wanted to get help with exercise calculatuons thanks

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  • natasa26ca
    natasa26ca Posts: 107 Member
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    Yes i need help with this too.
    I do strenght training with my personal trainer who makes me sweat buckets and pant like a dog during my 30 min work out but MFP says that results in only 90 calories lost.

    too me that makes no sense.

    Also if u put each exercise manually in exercise tab it doesnt show calories lost :(
  • animalgurl000
    animalgurl000 Posts: 27 Member
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    Bump
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
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    Strength training can be found under Cardiovascular, strangely enough. Just go to your Exercise tab & search on "strength":

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/exercise/add_to_diary?type=cardio

    If you're into geeky spreadsheets, I've put together a Google Docs spreadsheet of the Compendium of Physical Activities that you can use to calculate calorie burn estimates for a bunch of stuff, including weight lifting. You can find it here:

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Al5RZKHzjd6wdG5pTWVVNXV6MnZMZVVlQUNSenFDWkE&usp=sharing

    Just put your height, weight, etc. into the 3rd tab (at the bottom).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Honestly, you don't burn a ton of calories doing strength training. There are just so many variables that it is very difficult to say...most data bases are going to be wildly off.

    The formula's here are reasonable, but still a big time estimate...

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/76934-calories-burned-lifting-weights/

    I always just estimated around 150 calories burned during a 30-45 minute session

    The real burn comes in the ensuing 48 hours afterwards while your muscles repair...impossible really to determine what that burn is.
  • BobMcCloskey
    BobMcCloskey Posts: 117
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    Get yourself an inexpensive cardio monitor and data watch. http://www.polar.com/en Program it with your personal data, then wear it while you lift. Start it immediately as you lift, and give yourself a 5 minute cool down when you are done. That's how I do it.
  • master_chief88
    master_chief88 Posts: 11
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    I use a heart rate monitor, which in of itself isn't entirely accurate, I usually burn 350 to 500 kcal depending on what I'm training.
  • natasa26ca
    natasa26ca Posts: 107 Member
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    Ok i think i might get me one of those monitors.

    Thanks for advice.
  • RepsnSets
    RepsnSets Posts: 805 Member
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    I use my HRM even though I know its not very accurate when it comes to lifting but it gives me a base to work from.
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
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    (As a few folks have noted), unfortunately, an HRM's unlikely to be accurate unless you're doing a blended cardio / circuit-type routine with relatively little rest between sets.

    I gather that strength training / lifting gets you post-exercise calorie burn benefit that lasts longer than for typical cardio exercise, so I guess the high-estimates from the HRM may be slightly off-set, but I haven't had the patience to dig through all of the research enough to hazard a guess as to the extent of that effect. :)

    But yeah, traditional lifting where you're doing X sets of Y reps with 1-2m rest in between sets for 30-60m isn't going to burn nearly as many calories as a 30-60m run or even vigorous walk.

    Edit: the HRM can be useful for blended cardio/resistance where you try to target & maintain a given heart rate... It's just that, once you mix in rest time, the accuracy drops since HRMs really work based on a model of consistently elevated heart rate & oxygen burn.
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
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    on mfp, log it as cardio. type weightlifting or strength and it will show up.
  • jella416
    jella416 Posts: 3
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    Aside from the weightlifing under cardio on MFP, I use http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc to help calculate how many calories I've burned from various activities.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    (As a few folks have noted), unfortunately, an HRM's unlikely to be accurate unless you're doing a blended cardio / circuit-type routine with relatively little rest between sets.

    I gather that strength training / lifting gets you post-exercise calorie burn benefit that lasts longer than for typical cardio exercise, so I guess the high-estimates from the HRM may be slightly off-set, but I haven't had the patience to dig through all of the research enough to hazard a guess as to the extent of that effect. :)

    But yeah, traditional lifting where you're doing X sets of Y reps with 1-2m rest in between sets for 30-60m isn't going to burn nearly as many calories as a 30-60m run or even vigorous walk.

    Edit: the HRM can be useful for blended cardio/resistance where you try to target & maintain a given heart rate... It's just that, once you mix in rest time, the accuracy drops since HRMs really work based on a model of consistently elevated heart rate & oxygen burn.

    Just to reiterate this point, 'cuz it's true.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    It's controversial, tbh. I can't find good estimates either but I've created weight training programs under "cardio" here on MFP to account for my estimated calorie burns which I picked out of the middle of the available articles and adjusted over time. After months with the numbers I can say I think I burn on the heavier sides of the estimates. Of course, there's so many factors that figure into weight loss and gain, it's hard to say for certain. So, honestly, I really don't know what to tell you other than pick a number and start adjusting it as you need.
  • natasa26ca
    natasa26ca Posts: 107 Member
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    Aside from the weightlifing under cardio that on MFP, I use http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc to help calculate how many calories I've burned from various activities.

    Not bad.
    Calories for most of my exercises were true on this site so i am gonna trust it when it comes to vigorous weight lifting as well.

    Thanks
  • m76b
    m76b Posts: 1,498 Member
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    heart rate monitor!! that's the best choice!
  • michele2377
    michele2377 Posts: 50 Member
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    Don't mind me, just posting so I can find this thread easier tomorrow. Carry on......you never saw me.
  • Brad805
    Brad805 Posts: 289 Member
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    Your not a tubbo like some of us when we started, and you clearly do not have a lot to lose. I would pick a good macro breakdown for your goals, eat 200-500 extra on workout days and call it good. Watch the measurements, scale, work to improve your lifts and you will progress. This stuff all falls together naturally with time, and making it overly complicated is not always helpful. I suppose if your aim was to be a competitive BB it would be different, but I can't imagine that is your goal. If you listen to your body it will give you all the feedback you need if you allow it some time and have a bit of patience. You can adjust your nutrition as necessary.

    I log my workouts as cardio, but pay no attention to the calories it suggests I burn. I do wear a HRM, but that is mainly so I can judge my intensity level at the end of my workout.
  • michele2377
    michele2377 Posts: 50 Member
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    Strength training can be found under Cardiovascular, strangely enough. Just go to your Exercise tab & search on "strength":

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/exercise/add_to_diary?type=cardio

    If you're into geeky spreadsheets, I've put together a Google Docs spreadsheet of the Compendium of Physical Activities that you can use to calculate calorie burn estimates for a bunch of stuff, including weight lifting. You can find it here:

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Al5RZKHzjd6wdG5pTWVVNXV6MnZMZVVlQUNSenFDWkE&usp=sharing

    Just put your height, weight, etc. into the 3rd tab (at the bottom).

    I was looking over your spreadsheet. (pretty nifty by the way). just curious , and I'm probably over looking it, but I see the calories burned for each task listed - what is the time frame they are burned in? An hour?
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
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    what is the time frame they are burned in? An hour?

    It's set to calories per hour at the moment (top of columns C and D for male and female, respectively).

    I've updated the spreadsheet a bit to make it easier. Enter the exercise duration (in minutes) into cell B1, and columns E and F will now show the calorie burn estimate for the duration that you've entered, while C and D will still show the per-hour estimate.

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