Extra exercise calories

nusfa312
nusfa312 Posts: 6
in Getting Started
Just a quick question, why does MFP not add extra calories for strength workouts, but it does for cardio workouts?

Replies

  • smarieallen85
    smarieallen85 Posts: 535 Member
    Everyone is different. There's not an easy way to tell how many calories you burn from strength training. Also, it is very little. If you really want to you can search strength training under cardio, and it'll give you an option. But, I already think MFP overestimates how many calories you burn doing cardio so if you log both and eat it all back, you may go over your calories for the day anyway.
  • cookmtn
    cookmtn Posts: 156 Member
    It does: under cardiovascular, click on add exercise, search for strength training. Voila!
  • cookmtn
    cookmtn Posts: 156 Member
    Everyone is different. There's not an easy way to tell how many calories you burn from strength training. Also, it is very little. If you really want to you can search strength training under cardio, and it'll give you an option. But, I already think MFP overestimates how many calories you burn doing cardio so if you log both and eat it all back, you may go over your calories for the day anyway.

    Completely agree.
  • nusfa312
    nusfa312 Posts: 6
    Thank you all very much for your answers :) I am trying to lose weight, is it still effective to do strength training, or should I prioritise cardio instead? I train 5x a week: 4x with weights concentrating on certain muscle groups, and one day cardio. I am thinking maybe I should switch as cardio burns more calories?
  • gregpack
    gregpack Posts: 426 Member
    As mentioned you will find something in cardiovascular exercise, although I find the "calories burned" number vary greatly from my heart rate monitor. Calories burned during resistance training can vary greatly from person to person (and even the same person in different workouts) due to intensity. My routine is consistent enough that I just use a heart rate monitor for a sample workout and input that number for calories burned.

    Heart rate monitors can also overestimate calories burned. I subtract my BMR from my "calories burned" number that my heart rate monitor displays to err on the conservative side. So if I workout an hour and my heart monitor says I burned 400 calories during that time I would enter that I actually burned 320.
  • gregpack
    gregpack Posts: 426 Member
    Thank you all very much for your answers :) I am trying to lose weight, is it still effective to do strength training, or should I prioritise cardio instead? I train 5x a week: 4x with weights concentrating on certain muscle groups, and one day cardio. I am thinking maybe I should switch as cardio burns more calories?

    Too much cardio on restricted calories can cause a higher percentage loss of lean mass than weighliftting. Walking is good though. search on the net for heart rate zones and fat loss.
  • nusfa312
    nusfa312 Posts: 6
    Thanks very much for all your help and advice :) Will do. Have a great day
  • thegreatcanook
    thegreatcanook Posts: 2,419 Member
    You also want to make sure you are getting enough calories with that much activity. I tried to look at your food diary, but we aren't friends :(

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