Calories burned during weight training?

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ratchet2
ratchet2 Posts: 87 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I do weight training 3 times a week (20 min M, W, F). Why doesn't the system calculate the calories burned for the strength exercises? I also do the stretching and some minor floor exercises as well (daily), so those count and give me some burn calories, but not the weights.

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  • mattbell007
    mattbell007 Posts: 45 Member
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    I am interested in what people might have to say about this as well.
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
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    You log your specific work out in the strength training tab. However, if you want to add the estimated calories burned, you have to go to the cardio section and click on "Strength Training". Input your time and it estimates your calories burned and adds those back to your food diary.
  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
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    It's really hard to estimate the calories burned for *any* exercise - often because everyone is different. There are algorithms that are used to determine an average calorie burn for most cardio exercises, but there is no such thing as an "average" person, and the amount burned really depends on how hard you work out so these estimates are usually way off for most people!

    In the case of weight training, the calories burned really depends on how much weight you're lifting, how many reps you do, how much muscle you already have, your body's metabolism etc. It's much more difficult to generate an "average". The only way you can get a better idea of how many calories you burn during exercise is to wear a heart rate monitor that calculates your calories burned according to your heart rate. But again, these aren't entirely accurate!
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
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    In a 20 minute weight training session the calorie burn would be negligible at best. You need to raise your heart rate and keep it at that raised rate for an extended period of time to actually burn calories. Having said that, weight training is the best form of exercise to change body composition, just don't be mistaken thinking that it is burning very many calories.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Enter "strength training" in the cardio section. If you don't take rests/breaks put it in as circuit training.

    That said, although strength training does burn some calories, the benefits of strength training are not the calories burned.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    20 mins works out to 60 calories approx, its only a tiny burn but the results are well worth it :) (I googled it when I first started doing it :-D)
  • Polarpaly05
    Polarpaly05 Posts: 74 Member
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    Attempting to log calorie burn of strength training through the cardio section will result in a massive overestimation of calories burned. Use the strength training tab to keep track of what you did and how you're progressing in strength, not as a caloric tracker.

    Heart rate monitors do not work in estimating calories burned via strength training.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Attempting to log calorie burn of strength training through the cardio section will result in a massive overestimation of calories burned. Use the strength training tab to keep track of what you did and how you're progressing in strength, not as a caloric tracker.

    Heart rate monitors do not work in estimating calories burned via strength training.

    Actually the amount of cals mfp gives you for strength training are quite low and probably will not result an an over estimation.

    HRMs will overestimate as the HRM assumes your HR is elevated due to cardio so the calculation will be wrong, since the oxygen uptake is quite different. HRMs cals burned should never be used for strength training, or anything that is not steady state cardio for that matter
  • Polarpaly05
    Polarpaly05 Posts: 74 Member
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    Attempting to log calorie burn of strength training through the cardio section will result in a massive overestimation of calories burned. Use the strength training tab to keep track of what you did and how you're progressing in strength, not as a caloric tracker.

    Heart rate monitors do not work in estimating calories burned via strength training.

    Actually the amount of cals mfp gives you for strength training are quite low and probably will not result an an over estimation.

    HRMs will overestimate as the HRM assumes your HR is elevated due to cardio so the calculation will be wrong, since the oxygen uptake is quite different. HRMs cals burned should never be used for strength training, or anything that is not steady state cardio for that matter

    Oh, I agree that the values are low for any 1 session. But if we look at Gustaaf for example, he's doing 40 minutes x 3 times a week. That would give around 400 calories burned a week. And I know many of MFP users take the calorie intake/output as the bible of what they're eating/burning. So they'll eat back 200-300 calories of that 400 and then wonder why they are progressing so slow. Which is why I said what I said.
  • eslcity
    eslcity Posts: 323 Member
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    I personally don't care about how many calories I burn during weight training that is not why I do it... for me weight training is about making me feel good about myself... and stronger..

    If I worry about weight lose (which i do) I do cardo... and the weight training is the extra i don't count..
  • ratchet2
    ratchet2 Posts: 87 Member
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    Thank you for the information. I will continue with the weight training (I do cardio on the other days). A trainer once told me that muscle burns more calories than fat. Should I eat less on the days that I do the weights? I am at the 1200 calorie/day (give or take 100 calories depending on the meals of the day) and try not to eat back the burned calories. I only have 30 lbs to go or 3 sizes to drop (for the clothes in my closet).
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Attempting to log calorie burn of strength training through the cardio section will result in a massive overestimation of calories burned. Use the strength training tab to keep track of what you did and how you're progressing in strength, not as a caloric tracker.

    Heart rate monitors do not work in estimating calories burned via strength training.

    Actually the amount of cals mfp gives you for strength training are quite low and probably will not result an an over estimation.

    HRMs will overestimate as the HRM assumes your HR is elevated due to cardio so the calculation will be wrong, since the oxygen uptake is quite different. HRMs cals burned should never be used for strength training, or anything that is not steady state cardio for that matter

    Oh, I agree that the values are low for any 1 session. But if we look at Gustaaf for example, he's doing 40 minutes x 3 times a week. That would give around 400 calories burned a week. And I know many of MFP users take the calorie intake/output as the bible of what they're eating/burning. So they'll eat back 200-300 calories of that 400 and then wonder why they are progressing so slow. Which is why I said what I said.

    I think it is the opposite though. If MFP estimates 4 cals/minute from strength training you may be burned 5 so if you eat them all back, you are not eating the amount you actually burn, Your example rings true if using a HRM.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    OP - as it is hard to determine burns from strength training…you may just want to switch to TDEE method (figure out maintenance caloies, deduct 500 from that number, and then put the number you get in as a your daily goal) since TDEE has exercise built into it you do not need to worry about eating back exercise calories….

    that is what I do ...
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Thank you for the information. I will continue with the weight training (I do cardio on the other days). A trainer once told me that muscle burns more calories than fat. Should I eat less on the days that I do the weights? I am at the 1200 calorie/day (give or take 100 calories depending on the meals of the day) and try not to eat back the burned calories. I only have 30 lbs to go or 3 sizes to drop (for the clothes in my closet).

    I would argue that you should be eating more than 1200 everyday, and a minimum of 1200 plus calories burned on cardio days.
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    First off, you don't lift weights to lose weight. You lift weights to gain strength and/or muscle mass. So, focus on getting enough protein to build muscle.

    Calories, whether you're eating food or working out, are all estimates. To put it the way they did in the book, the Calorie Myth, if you ate one extra almond per day, you'd gain over 100 pounds over the course of 20 years.

    Fat loss is a trial and error thing. Try going at a given food plan for your current activity, measure and weigh, then adjust as needed.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Thank you for the information. I will continue with the weight training (I do cardio on the other days). A trainer once told me that muscle burns more calories than fat. Should I eat less on the days that I do the weights? I am at the 1200 calorie/day (give or take 100 calories depending on the meals of the day) and try not to eat back the burned calories. I only have 30 lbs to go or 3 sizes to drop (for the clothes in my closet).

    I would argue that you should be eating more than 1200 everyday, and a minimum of 1200 plus calories burned on cardio days.

    I don't know how anyone could eat 1200 calories a day...let alone weight train too....

    I was busy yesterday and by the end of the day I had almost 400 calories left to hit 1200...so I ate yogurt and chocolate and even then felt as weak as a newborn....I couldn't imagine eating that little and exercising...
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    You need to take height , weight , BF , LBM , age, duration , intensity etc ... all into account to get calories burned ( nearly impossible to get an accurate reading)

    TDEE and HRM will give you a good estimate reading which will be closer than guesstimating
  • Polarpaly05
    Polarpaly05 Posts: 74 Member
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    ... HRM will give you a good estimate reading...

    NO. :noway:

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