P90X and calories

jamie31
jamie31 Posts: 568 Member
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm not sure if it is just me or not but I barely burn any calories while doing p90x. The other day I did Chest and Back and burned only 200 calories in 52 minutes! What???!!!!!! It almost doesnt seem worth doing the strength training. I can burn 300 calories in Turbo Sculpt and that workout is only 38 minutes long. Has anyone else noticed this with P90X??

Replies

  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    What are you going off to see how many calories you burn? Do you have a HRM?
  • marymooster
    marymooster Posts: 134 Member
    Haven't a clue about any of that but what an amazing weight loss you have accomplished... and you look great.
  • jdelot
    jdelot Posts: 397 Member
    Could your HRM possibly be losing contact or something? It never happened to me doing Chest and Back, but I know when I was doing dumbbell bench presses, it would lose contact sometimes. That seems awfully low to me.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    Yeah, it must be your heart rate monitor. If you have an old one then you can pick up a hrm at Walmart for under $30. Mine is by Sportline, no chest strap. Did you put water on the contact plate? Are you using a bodybugg? Many people are getting low readings from bodybuggs'.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Strength training doesn't burn as many calories as cardio, but will keep your metabolism going mush longer after finishing the routine. If you have done the routine a few times your body gets use to it and will burn less calories for the same workout. There are also many other benefits other than caloric burn to strength training.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I'm not sure if it is just me or not but I barely burn any calories while doing p90x. The other day I did Chest and Back and burned only 200 calories in 52 minutes! What???!!!!!! It almost doesnt seem worth doing the strength training. I can burn 300 calories in Turbo Sculpt and that workout is only 38 minutes long. Has anyone else noticed this with P90X??

    How high was your heart rate. You may not be pushing yourself hard enough or if you are modifying the moves maybe you are making it much easier.
  • lesliekae
    lesliekae Posts: 57 Member
    I think the consept behind it is that you have to build muscle in order to burn fat efficiently. My friend is doing the P90X and I tried it with her just to see what it was like (plyogenics I think). She told me that one was really tough and she wasn't kidding. I know large muscle groups burn more calories than smaller ones. With that in mind I would always expect an upperbody workout to burn less calories. I also know that it is important to give your muscles a rest after a hard workout. The break you give your other muscles while you are focused on the chest and back is crucial to give the muscles you worked out the previous day time to rebuild. You actually destroy muscle when you workout and it rebuilds itself stronger. I'm in absolute awe at your weight loss. The P90X training takes a lot of commitment and my hat is off to you. I think I was sore for three days after my friend and I worked out together.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    the back is a large muscle group
  • jamie31
    jamie31 Posts: 568 Member
    What are you going off to see how many calories you burn? Do you have a HRM?

    I use a hrm with a chest strap to determine the calories
  • jamie31
    jamie31 Posts: 568 Member
    I'm not sure if it is just me or not but I barely burn any calories while doing p90x. The other day I did Chest and Back and burned only 200 calories in 52 minutes! What???!!!!!! It almost doesnt seem worth doing the strength training. I can burn 300 calories in Turbo Sculpt and that workout is only 38 minutes long. Has anyone else noticed this with P90X??

    How high was your heart rate. You may not be pushing yourself hard enough or if you are modifying the moves maybe you are making it much easier.

    my heart rate would barely make it past 95! but then again my resting heart rate is 56. The past 2 months i have definitely noticed that my heart rate doesnt get as high as it used to even when i feel like i am pushing myself really hard. I was definitely maxing out doing the p90x weight training. Just yesterday I did the shoulders and arms workout and only burned 225 cals in an hour.
  • sweetbn
    sweetbn Posts: 318
    Yeah I barely burn 250 when I do the weight training. My HR just doesn't get much past 110. :( I always incorporate cardio on those days.
  • BiloxiBelle
    BiloxiBelle Posts: 680 Member
    Strength training doesn't burn as many calories as cardio, but will keep your metabolism going mush longer after finishing the routine. If you have done the routine a few times your body gets use to it and will burn less calories for the same workout. There are also many other benefits other than caloric burn to strength training.

    Agreed! I don't really think you have a faulty HRM. I have a 250-300 calorie burn w/P90x strength orkouts, except Legs&Back which is around 350 or so. For me to burn 600 calories like the book says, I would have to do plyo twice. Luckily, I don't need the same calorie burn to maintain weight as I did when I was trying to lose weight.
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