Strength Training Calories

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  • ShaneT99
    ShaneT99 Posts: 278 Member
    You said yourself in point #1 that for people needing to lose weight, strength training is not their friend. Too many times I see posts about strength training being more effective than cardio for losing weight because of the two myths posted above and all I did was show why they are myths before you even weighed in on the subject.

    If the only goal is to lose WEIGHT, then strength training is not your friend. I think we both agree on that. However, there's a difference between weight loss and fat loss (weight loss includes fat, muscle, water, etc.). So, if your goal is to lose FAT then strength training (along with cardio, of course) is most definitely your friend. That's true not only because of the calories you burn while strength training (as well as the "afterburn" you get from strength training that you don't necessarily get with cardio), but also because every pound of muscle you put on your body does indeed help to raise your metabolism and, in theory, burn more fat. Is it a significant amount? Probably not, but I'd still take 10 pounds of muscle over 10 pounds of fat any day of the week.
  • king6083
    king6083 Posts: 30
    I don't understand why strength training and cardio have to be mutually exclusive. I honeslty like long distance running. I honestly like hitting the weights and other ST excersises pretty hard. I'm fine with the fact that if the body has to choose between muscle mass and endurance it's going to choose endurance.

    The best results I have seen as far as fat (notice I said fat, I've actually gained a few pounds doing this) loss, and inches off my waist is when I do 3 days ST, 2 days long distance running, and 1 day HIIT over a long distance.

    But I have seen an increase in stregnth (notice I said strength, not muscle), while also experiencing an increase in endurance.

    In the end, unless you're training for a specific athletic event or are a proffessional athlete, it doesn't matter. Just move. Don't just sit there, Do SOMETHING!

    Quoted for truth. This posts hit the single most important point and most often overlooked. Doing whatever exercise you like is the way to results. Doing exercises we don't like produce inferior results because we don't stick to it.

    Edit: Also, ST and cardio aren't mutually exclusive. Except for perhaps in theory once an athlete get's advanced enough in one type of exercise. But those people are typically outliers to the general population. The very best at what they do. IE people who hit the genetic lottery like Olympians, etc.
  • 1ranthony
    1ranthony Posts: 1
    That is not true, a resent study was done and it showed weight training burns far more carories than cardio workouts. With a cardio workout you have to work out for a longer period of time than weight training to achieve the same amount of calories burned. Further with cardio you only burn caloris for up to 20 minutes after you complete your workout, with weight training you burn calories for up to 1 hour after your workout.
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
    After reading all of this I am just MORE confused now.

    So, the calories my HRM is telling me I burned during my strength training is essentially useless? Then what is a good way to figure out how many extra calories I should eat to continue to have a good calorie deficit to lose weight/fat, yet still eat enough so that my my metabolism isn't slowing down?

    I started a strength training program and lost 5 lbs in 3-4 weeks, then gained back 3-4. I assume I lost fat and then gained muscle since I still lost inches even when I gained that weight back. The program is 3 days cardio, 3 days strength essentially. But I've increased my calorie intake (net calories) and am eating the strength training calories back (based on my HRM). Is there something better or different I could be doing?
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    After reading all of this I am just MORE confused now.

    So, the calories my HRM is telling me I burned during my strength training is essentially useless? Then what is a good way to figure out how many extra calories I should eat to continue to have a good calorie deficit to lose weight/fat, yet still eat enough so that my my metabolism isn't slowing down?

    I started a strength training program and lost 5 lbs in 3-4 weeks, then gained back 3-4. I assume I lost fat and then gained muscle since I still lost inches even when I gained that weight back. The program is 3 days cardio, 3 days strength essentially. But I've increased my calorie intake (net calories) and am eating the strength training calories back (based on my HRM). Is there something better or different I could be doing?

    IMO, most people need to stop overthinking the "calorie count" thing--at least when it comes to calories expended. I recommend that, unless you are really small, get off the 1200 calorie/day hamster wheel, eat a decent amount of food and stop trying to be precise about estimating activity calories. Most people can lose weight at a level of 1400-1600 calories per day. If you are doing a lot exercise or feeling unusually hungry, throw in a couple hundred extra. The chances of "slowing metabolism" on such a plan are virtually nil.
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