Why does mfp thing lifting weights burns next to nothing?

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  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    - because weight-lifters spend most of their time sitting on the ends of benches between sets.

    /troll

    That's actually pretty accurate IMHO.

    Thank you - yes it was meant a bit tongue in cheek but when I do sets of pullups they are damned hard but I don't list them for calorie burn because I spend most of the session resting/recovering for the next set.

    I burn more in a (Ashtanga) yoga session.

    Carl, I didn't know you did yoga.

    Yogi Carl likes this - eh Booboo!
  • shirleygirl1013
    shirleygirl1013 Posts: 55 Member
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    It is not accurate to count strength training as cardio. I got this off of women's health mag and it is pretty consistent from what I have been reading. There are benefits to both.

    Cardio Vs. Weight Training
    What's Best for Weight Loss: Cardio or Strength Training?
    An expert weighs in on how you should spend your gym timePublished: November 22, 2013 | By K. Aleisha Fetters

    inShare.What's Best for Weight Loss: Cardio or Strength Training? An expert weighs in on how you should spend your gym time
    iStock/ThinkStock.comThe question: To lose weight, should I spend my gym time doing more cardio or more strength training?

    The expert: Personal trainer Mike Donavanik, C.S.C.S., C.P.T.

    The answer: It depends what you mean by "lose weight." If you are in an epic battle with your scale, cardio is the way to go. If you want to look steamy under those fall sweaters, though, it's time to cozy up to strength training.

    Minute per minute, cardio indisputably burns more calories than strength training, which could explain why compared to strength trainers, aerobic exercisers lose more weight in less time, according to a recent Duke University study.

    Still, cardio doesn't do much for your muscles. Case in point: In one Penn State study, dieters lost 21 pounds whether they performed cardio or strength training. But for the cardio group, six of those pounds came from muscle, while the lifters lost almost pure fat—and probably fit into their skinny jeans better because of it.

    Why? Strength training is the number-one way to build more muscle. And for every three pounds of muscle you gain, you can expect to burn an extra 120 calories a day without moving a single one of those muscles, says Donavanik.

    That doesn't mean that you should retire your running shoes, though—especially if you're a stress eater. Cardio is one of the best ways to slash stress, which is a waistline-wrecker all by itself. The best solution? A fitness plan that includes both cardio and strength training. So check out how to your improve your strength-training routine and your learn how to fix your cardio workout mistakes.
  • trainhardeatwellfighteasy
    trainhardeatwellfighteasy Posts: 3 Member
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    Ha ha. you see. I don't rest for long. I only rest for about 30 seconds between sets, lift heavy and do about five sets. Then on to the next exercise with as little rest as possible for about 40mins to an hour. I also do ten mins of cardio before i start lifting the twenty mins of cardio after.
  • ncrugbyprop
    ncrugbyprop Posts: 96 Member
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    Here's an article giving some recent studies for calories burned during weight training.

    http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=you_asked_how_many_calories_does_strength_training_burn
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    You spend a lot of time resting in between sets. MFP doesn't think anything, if anything it over estimates the amount of calories (in my opinion) when lifting heavy weights.

    Here's what you should do-

    1. Lift weights not for the calorie burn benefit but for improving your strength and mitigating muscle loss while maintaining a calorie deficit. Use MFP's estimate for calories burnt, but cut the time in half. I really don't trust their estimate.

    2. Do cardio and look for tredmils or ellipticals that adjust difficulty based on your target heart rate. So far from my experience I feel pretty safe using an elliptical that adjusts difficulty based on my heart rate and which allows me to enter my age and weight.

    There's tons of benefits from lifting heavy weights, dont' be discouraged. And you do burn some calories at least.
  • shirleygirl1013
    shirleygirl1013 Posts: 55 Member
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    I agree completely with martinel2099. There are tons of benefits to lifting weights. However, burning tons of calories as if you are doing cardio is not one of them. Good luck in your goals.
  • Will_Run_for_Food
    Will_Run_for_Food Posts: 561 Member
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    I think it would be too hard to measure - lots of variables, plus one of the benefits of weight lifting is that you burn more calories at rest than you would otherwise.
  • stephe1987
    stephe1987 Posts: 406 Member
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    I think it's because it does burn next to nothing. Weight lifting is for building muscle and getting stronger, not burning a large number of calories (although stronger muscles can make you burn more during cardio). That is why there is one area for logging strength training and another for logging cardio. I don't think weight lifting belongs in the cardio section.

    My guess (I could be wrong) is that a HRM could be misleading about strength training because your heart rate goes up fairly quickly because your body is being strained while lifting weights. That doesn't necessarily mean there is a huge burn. Most people rest in between sets so they don't hurt themselves. They also alternate which muscles to work on so it's not the entire body at once. OTOH, HRM is good for cardio because it accurately measures how hard your body is working. Cardio can work the entire body rather than one set of muscles at a time. You can move your arms while jogging/running/walking. And dance moves like Zumba are a full body workout.

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