Strength training question

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Do you burn many calories during strength training? I never log it and I don't have an HRM. Is it worth it to buy one?
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  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    For weight training, the benefit is the calories burn afterwards not during the session. You burn more carbs than fat and protein though.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,715 Member
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    I don't know all the technicalities of it, but I personally get my heart rate up when lifting because I try not to rest between sets. But, I'm probably of no help because I don't log my exercise here and I don't use a HRM.
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    You can't really quantify how many calories you burned from a weight training session. Just know that you do burn calories and that you can burn a lot of them if you have a high training intensity without too much rest.
  • likewhoa712
    likewhoa712 Posts: 95 Member
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    Following
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    edited October 2014
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    HRM don't work for calories when strength training. They monitor heart rate. The equations they use to convert heart rate to calories are only valid during steady state cardio.

    I just use MFP's numbers and round down a little for lifting. At 160lbs burn about 100 calories for a half hour. But we don't lift to burn calories. We lift to gain strength, preserve muscle mass, and be generally awesome.
  • branflakes1980
    branflakes1980 Posts: 2,516 Member
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    HRM don't work for calories when strength training. They monitor heart rate. The equations they use to convert heart rate to calories are only valid during steady state cardio.

    I just use MFP's numbers and round down a little for lifting. At 160lbs burn about 100 calories for a half hour. But we don't lift to burn calories. We lift to gain strength, preserve muscle mass, and be generally awesome.

    This. The more you lift, the more lean muscle you gain, the more lean muscle you have the more calories you burn even at rest, hence all of the general awesomeness :smiley:
  • sjeannot
    sjeannot Posts: 143
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    I actualyl think it is worth it. I sweat more during strength training than I do in a Zumba class. Just saying. You might want to invest in one.
  • ViolaLeeBlueberry
    ViolaLeeBlueberry Posts: 182 Member
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    What he said, and also to wear sleeveless tops someday without jiggly upper arms. And also because I'm lazy, so I want my muscles to do the work for me -- make it easier to do cardio, go hiking, etc. But yeah, I wish I really knew what I burned. I use the MFP estimate plus what I've gotten googling, and then I lowball it, cuz I don't really work THAT hard ... although I wish the numbers could honestly come out higher :smile:
  • JZ_Evolution_Mark2
    JZ_Evolution_Mark2 Posts: 63 Member
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    Well it depends on how you work out.

    Remember that activities like running are aerobic and that weight lifting is anaerobic.
    They both have uses and are utilized for different things.
    Aerobic is good for endurence and burning fat.
    Anaerobic is good for strength and size.

    Most athletes have to do both because doing any one alone is not productive.

    If you weightlift using a circuit method with minimal rest and moderate weight you'll have strength and endurence.

    However if you weightlift you'll reduce ATP and increase strength and mass..

    The trick is to find a happy medium. Personally I do a ton of circuit training and intense cardio before lifting weights... but at least once a week I lift very heavy and do no cardio... this has helped me to achieve a better result

    Having mass and being cut does NOT make you fit.. and DO NOT look at the scale as a measure of health. Listen to your body. The idea that having more muscle is best and makes you healthy a strictly body building point of view. Most body buildrs struggle when confronted with a Spartan Run or Tough mudder. Too much mass to carry around and too little endurence.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    HRM don't work for calories when strength training. They monitor heart rate. The equations they use to convert heart rate to calories are only valid during steady state cardio.

    I just use MFP's numbers and round down a little for lifting. At 160lbs burn about 100 calories for a half hour. But we don't lift to burn calories. We lift to gain strength, preserve muscle mass, and be generally awesome.

    All of this. You can definitely get a HRM for training purposes, but it will in no way be accurate for strength training. Anyone who says otherwise just isn't educated on the topic.
  • MrsWanland
    MrsWanland Posts: 72 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your help. I think I will just continue to strength train and not worry about it. The most important part is to focus on getting stronger and preserve the muscle mass that I do have.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    MrsWanland wrote: »
    Do you burn many calories during strength training? I never log it and I don't have an HRM. Is it worth it to buy one?

    I log it as 1 calorie.
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    However if you weightlift you'll reduce ATP

    ????? Please explain this physiological process
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    MrsWanland wrote: »
    Do you burn many calories during strength training? I never log it and I don't have an HRM. Is it worth it to buy one?

    I log it as 1 calorie.

    1 calorie for Pranercise LOL
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Lofteren wrote: »

    However if you weightlift you'll reduce ATP

    ????? Please explain this physiological process

    One can only assume he means this.

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/galanis9.htm
    (Which is heavily simplified.)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    dbmata wrote: »
    MrsWanland wrote: »
    Do you burn many calories during strength training? I never log it and I don't have an HRM. Is it worth it to buy one?

    I log it as 1 calorie.

    1 calorie for Pranercise LOL

    Just 1 calorie, not evil enough.
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    Lofteren wrote: »

    However if you weightlift you'll reduce ATP

    ????? Please explain this physiological process

    One can only assume he means this.

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/galanis9.htm
    (Which is heavily simplified.)

    I know what ATP is. "Reducing ATP" is not a lasting effect of any form of exercise, it is simply used as a source of fuel for cellular respiration. Anything that you do will therefore "reduce ATP" just like anywhere you drive will "reduce Gasoline". The reason I asked is because stating that if you weightlift you'll reduce ATP is an incorrect/misleading statement. I was just curious of what made him think this in the first place. I suspect it stems from not actually understanding aerobic/anaerobic respiration, Kreb's and Calvin cycles, etc...
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    In giving the benefit of the doubt, I'm thinking he may have meant temporarily depleting stored ATP, which is still a simplification of the process, but at a meta level technically accurate. Lifting at intensity would reduce immediately available ATP due to use as compared to basal output.

    Now if he meant precisely that, that weight lifting reduces ATP in any non-utilization manner, then it's quite odd.
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,280 Member
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    The purpose of weight training is not only to get strong and gain endurance but also to lose weight. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn, even when you are at rest. Therefore, it makes your cardio workouts that much more productive and your overall daily calorie burn proportionally higher. Furthermore, stronger muscles help you recover faster and work harder. I recommend some level of strength training for everyone wanting to get into shape. However, it is difficult to determine the overall calorie burn from a weight training routine, a lot of different variables to factor in. That's probably why Fitnesspal doesn't automatically factor it into your calorie count although you can make some basic assumptions using the MFP method. Additionally, it is the muscle recovery that burns a lot of your calories, more than the activity itself. My recommendation, don't factor in your calories from fitness training and you'll reach your goal quicker than you thought and pack on some sexy lean muscle while your at it.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    No, that's not weight training is for.

    The rest of your post is bs.