Fitness "efficiency"?

Mustang_Susie
Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
This morning, after my BodyPump class, we were talking about the number of calories our instructor burns teaching multiple classes in one day.

I was thinking that she must burn alot more than most of us teaching BodyStep, BodyPump and Body Attack all on the same day.

Another person in the class was thinking her body has become so efficient at her work outs that she doesn't burn as much as we do because her body isn't working as hard.
She teaches at top intensity and loads bar up with weight, so no laziness from her at all.

What do you think?

Replies

  • Alicia_P_28
    Alicia_P_28 Posts: 76 Member
    I think the other person might be partially right...I hear runners get better at running, so it's less effort for them to run than it is for me (it's friggin torture and I feel like I'm dying). But, I don't think the instructor is burning significantly less calories, but I would think the body would adapt to the same workout day in and day out...I am just using bro-science here...no real knowledge on the topic LOL
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    I think the other person might be partially right...I hear runners get better at running, so it's less effort for them to run than it is for me (it's friggin torture and I feel like I'm dying). But, I don't think the instructor is burning significantly less calories, but I would think the body would adapt to the same workout day in and day out...I am just using bro-science here...no real knowledge on the topic LOL

    Well, you're not the only one :wink:
  • MrsDanner78
    MrsDanner78 Posts: 107
    I think the other person might be partially right...I hear runners get better at running, so it's less effort for them to run than it is for me (it's friggin torture and I feel like I'm dying). But, I don't think the instructor is burning significantly less calories, but I would think the body would adapt to the same workout day in and day out...I am just using bro-science here...no real knowledge on the topic LOL

    I would agree with this... the more fit you are, the less work your body would have to do at that intensity. However, she may be more muscular that the average person, and muscle burns more calories... so maybe we're wrong?
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Understand that fitness level and calorie burn are not the same thing. Calories are a measurement of energy and are the same. However, because energy is based on mass & speed...calories burn will be different for different people. While she may lose some calories to fitness effeciency I wouldn't think it would be a significant amount.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    I think the other person might be partially right...I hear runners get better at running, so it's less effort for them to run than it is for me (it's friggin torture and I feel like I'm dying). But, I don't think the instructor is burning significantly less calories, but I would think the body would adapt to the same workout day in and day out...I am just using bro-science here...no real knowledge on the topic LOL

    I would agree with this... the more fit you are, the less work your body would have to do at that intensity. However, she may be more muscular that the average person, and muscle burns more calories... so maybe we're wrong?

    The woman has some guns on her, that's for sure... :bigsmile:
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Most likely her doing all that exercise every day has caused her metabolism to adapt to that cardio and she burns fewer calories each day. Same thing happens to long distance runners, their metabolism comes to expect the exercise and adjusts for it.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    While I am sure her body has conditioned to the exercise better than when she started, she is still burning a lot of calories teaching all those classes.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    There are a lot of studies out there on this. I wont pretend to understand them but there is definitely a metabolic adaptation to training.

    They become very efficient at using energy to do the same work.
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
    Sorta. Improved vo2max means they output less intensity for the same work. But calorie burn will remain constant.

    The main factor in calorie burn is intensity. The more intense, the bigger calorie burn. That means the more in shape you are, the more you burn going all out.
    There are a lot of studies out there on this. I wont pretend to understand them but there is definitely a metabolic adaptation to training.

    They become very efficient at using energy to do the same work.
  • jdm_taco
    jdm_taco Posts: 999 Member
    Shes still burning an F load
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    From personal experience, there has definitely been a change in the amount of calories burned for doing the same intensity workout after I've done it for awhile.

    I dropped from about 115 calories per mile to 95 calories mile at the same speed. And dropped from about 700 to 550 calories per hour on the elliptical set to the same resistance settings and keeping the same strides per minute average.

    Now, if I run faster or up the resistance on the elliptical then the amount I burn starts going back up. But apples to apples, my burn has dropped over time.

    That said, if she's teaching multiple classes in a day, she's still burning a ton of calories, no matter how efficient her body is at the workout.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    From personal experience, there has definitely been a change in the amount of calories burned for doing the same intensity workout after I've done it for awhile.

    I dropped from about 115 calories per mile to 95 calories mile at the same speed. And dropped from about 700 to 550 calories per hour on the elliptical set to the same resistance settings and keeping the same strides per minute average.

    Now, if I run faster or up the resistance on the elliptical then the amount I burn starts going back up. But apples to apples, my burn has dropped over time.

    That said, if she's teaching multiple classes in a day, she's still burning a ton of calories, no matter how efficient her body is at the workout.

    Thanks for the reply.
    Does your answer factor in weight loss or no?
  • phjorg1
    phjorg1 Posts: 642 Member
    From personal experience, there has definitely been a change in the amount of calories burned for doing the same intensity workout after I've done it for awhile.

    I dropped from about 115 calories per mile to 95 calories mile at the same speed. And dropped from about 700 to 550 calories per hour on the elliptical set to the same resistance settings and keeping the same strides per minute average.

    Now, if I run faster or up the resistance on the elliptical then the amount I burn starts going back up. But apples to apples, my burn has dropped over time.

    That said, if she's teaching multiple classes in a day, she's still burning a ton of calories, no matter how efficient her body is at the workout.

    Thanks for the reply.
    Does your answer factor in weight loss or no?
    it would have to. because the burn would be the same at equal weight.

    Again, if this is at the equal weight, they are making the classic mistake that heart rate directly cvorolates to calorie burn. it does NOT. VO2MAX corolates to calorie burn. And heartrate is a indirect measure of it. As you get fit, vo2max improves, thus your heartrate drops. a HRM will read this as calorie burn decreasing. when in actuality, calorie burn is the same and vo2max is whats changing.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    From personal experience, there has definitely been a change in the amount of calories burned for doing the same intensity workout after I've done it for awhile.

    I dropped from about 115 calories per mile to 95 calories mile at the same speed. And dropped from about 700 to 550 calories per hour on the elliptical set to the same resistance settings and keeping the same strides per minute average.

    Now, if I run faster or up the resistance on the elliptical then the amount I burn starts going back up. But apples to apples, my burn has dropped over time.

    That said, if she's teaching multiple classes in a day, she's still burning a ton of calories, no matter how efficient her body is at the workout.

    Thanks for the reply.
    Does your answer factor in weight loss or no?
    it would have to. because the burn would be the same at equal weight.

    Again, if this is at the equal weight, they are making the classic mistake that heart rate directly cvorolates to calorie burn. it does NOT. VO2MAX corolates to calorie burn. And heartrate is a indirect measure of it. As you get fit, vo2max improves, thus your heartrate drops. a HRM will read this as calorie burn decreasing. when in actuality, calorie burn is the same and vo2max is whats changing.

    Humor me.
    vo2max?
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    From personal experience, there has definitely been a change in the amount of calories burned for doing the same intensity workout after I've done it for awhile.

    I dropped from about 115 calories per mile to 95 calories mile at the same speed. And dropped from about 700 to 550 calories per hour on the elliptical set to the same resistance settings and keeping the same strides per minute average.

    Now, if I run faster or up the resistance on the elliptical then the amount I burn starts going back up. But apples to apples, my burn has dropped over time.

    That said, if she's teaching multiple classes in a day, she's still burning a ton of calories, no matter how efficient her body is at the workout.

    Thanks for the reply.
    Does your answer factor in weight loss or no?

    No more than a couple of pounds lost from when I was burning more to burning less.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    From personal experience, there has definitely been a change in the amount of calories burned for doing the same intensity workout after I've done it for awhile.

    I dropped from about 115 calories per mile to 95 calories mile at the same speed. And dropped from about 700 to 550 calories per hour on the elliptical set to the same resistance settings and keeping the same strides per minute average.

    Now, if I run faster or up the resistance on the elliptical then the amount I burn starts going back up. But apples to apples, my burn has dropped over time.

    That said, if she's teaching multiple classes in a day, she's still burning a ton of calories, no matter how efficient her body is at the workout.

    Thanks for the reply.
    Does your answer factor in weight loss or no?

    No more than a couple of pounds lost from when I was burning more to burning less.

    Interesting.
    Thanks :smile:

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