Les Mills Body Pump Calorie Burn?

If anyone is familiar with the Les Mills Body Pump classes, how many calories do you think you burn per 60 minute session? Les Mills claims you can burn "up to" 560 calories, but my HRM rarely shows me burning over 250 cals a session. I definitely push just enough without risking injury.
How many calories do you input in your diary for this class?

Replies

  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    I'd use your HRM number. It's more of a cardio class than strength for me, and my burn in it was around 250 to 300 also (which is why I don't take it anymore, ha).
  • Lsteedly85
    Lsteedly85 Posts: 76 Member
    I do the at home version of Les Mills Pump and the max calories burned has been 276 during a session. But then factor in the afterburn rate. :) Here's a research report that I recently read posted on LMBP forums :)

    http://www.lesmills.com/files/Email/BODYPUMP Research Report_final.pdf
  • THuffman1967
    THuffman1967 Posts: 114 Member
    I wore a HRM for a couple of Body Pump classes and averaged 300 calories per class, so that is what I always enter in MFP.
  • Per this official research report conducted on Body Pump, on average women burn 338.9 calories per class and men burn 483.1.

    http://www.lesmills.com/files/Email/BODYPUMP Research Report_final.pdf
  • anardini86
    anardini86 Posts: 4 Member
    You may not be burning a lot of calories by taking body pump, but you are burning fat like crazy!
  • Dziasmith
    Dziasmith Posts: 16 Member
    I went to Bodypump twice this month and was shocked to burn over 500 calories each time! I will say both times the instructors elongated the class to 70 minutes. I am switching to Stronglifts though because I want to focus more on strength.
  • gonesewing
    gonesewing Posts: 63 Member
    I do body pump 3 to 4 times a week and I burn (est using my polar) from 400 to 460 per class depending on the release. The ones with more cardio (like the plyo lunge tracks, big swat or back tracks etc) I normally burn more. My husband normally burns over 500. So it really depends on the person.
  • derek2680
    derek2680 Posts: 48 Member
    Boy, I get so confused with all the conflicting answers I get on here. I recently started lifing about 3 months ago. When I asked on here how to measure cals burned while lifting everyone told me a HRM was worthless and to just use the presetting on here of 180 cals per 30 min. Now when I lift I do more like a body pump class. I do 2 heavy sets, but then I move into just blowing through circuits with no rest and even doing crunches, squats, and planks in between sets. When I did a body pump class in 60 min I burned just over 600 cals on my HRM, but that same amount of time would be 360 using the presetting on MFP. So, if I am doing more circuit lifting where it is nonstop exercising even between sets do you think a HRM is accurate for that style of lifting?
  • 2boo2
    2boo2 Posts: 15 Member
    You may not be burning a lot of calories by taking body pump, but you are burning fat like crazy!

    BP is more of a "steady state" cardio workout. A more effective way to burn fat is HIIT
  • 2boo2
    2boo2 Posts: 15 Member
    I'd use your HRM number. It's more of a cardio class than strength for me, and my burn in it was around 250 to 300 also (which is why I don't take it anymore, ha).
    I agree. I can burn than running for a shorter period of time. Why waste 1 hour for just 250- 300 calories.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I'd use your HRM number. It's more of a cardio class than strength for me, and my burn in it was around 250 to 300 also (which is why I don't take it anymore, ha).
    I agree. I can burn than running for a shorter period of time. Why waste 1 hour for just 250- 300 calories.

    Because it works all your muscles too...

    Mine was always around 300-350 calories with pump, but I always pushed my weights a little higher.
  • 2boo2
    2boo2 Posts: 15 Member
    I'd use your HRM number. It's more of a cardio class than strength for me, and my burn in it was around 250 to 300 also (which is why I don't take it anymore, ha).
    I agree. I can burn than running for a shorter period of time. Why waste 1 hour for just 250- 300 calories.

    Because it works all your muscles too...

    Mine was always around 300-350 calories with pump, but I always pushed my weights a little higher.

    That is why I do heavy lifts, HIIT, distance/ sprint runs, and crossfit. Better results (strength, decreased BF %, endurance, etc.) in the same amount of time.

    BP is good if your new to weights or don't normally lift weights.

    I do have experience in BP took it for 1 1/2 years (3+ week). I used 6 large and 2 med (77 lbs) in squat track, 4 large (44 lbs) in back track, 1 large and 1 med in biceps (26 lbs), etc. When I did that my HRM, would still register around 300's. Like any exercise that I do too often, my body got efficient in doing BP.

    I got faster and better results when I stopped and did the above. But that is my experience. Anything that gets people moving is all good.
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
    I do Group Power (same idea as Body Pump .. just different company). I burned something around 500 calories in a 60 min session (according to my HRM). MFP lists Body Pump as 466 calories burned.

    It is a great class .. and I highly recommend it.
  • autumnsquirrel
    autumnsquirrel Posts: 258 Member
    You may not be burning a lot of calories by taking body pump, but you are burning fat like crazy!
    Thank you for saying this. When I took Body Pump and then years later Group Power, I was lucky to burn up to 100 calories. This is according to my HRM. I would take a spin class first, which would be a great burn, then I would do Group Power. I was concerned because though I was working very hard, that HRM just wasn't moving all that much. I thought maybe I wasn't burning anything.
  • According to the Les Mills Body Research report published in 2006 women burn on average 5.9 calories per minute and men burn on average 8.4 calories per minute. Of course, your averagewill depend on a few numbers.
  • hannydeee
    hannydeee Posts: 155 Member
    My HRM (a Polar FT60) gives me a reading of anywhere from 350-600 calories for Body Pump, depending on how hard I've pushed myself, time of day etc.
    It's worth remembering the calorie burn will differ with gender, weight, height and age. As long as your HRM is one that takes all of those into account, I'd say the reading you're getting is accurate enough to go with.