Weight Lifting and Calories Burned?

kpw818
kpw818 Posts: 113 Member
edited November 15 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi there!

I follow TDEE and don't input exercise into MFP. I calculated my approx calories burned for my running (4 days a week usually) but I didn't include my strength. I know that strength/weight training burns calories, especially after the workout, so I'd like to account for that, especially if I need to up my calories slightly. Moreso, I'm just curious, because I'm sure I miscalculate and I'm not looking for any weight loss--just maintaining through HM training and a few other spring races.

Does anyone know of any approximate calculators, etc. I could use? I follow a .72 x weight in lbs for running (not 100 calories per mile, I'm pretty small, so I'm more like 75-80 per mile)

Replies

  • kikichewie
    kikichewie Posts: 276 Member
    You really can't, so I'd stop trying.
  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
    The energy required to lift a weight is well known. It is a derivative function.
    .00032 Calories per pound per foot.

    The problem lies in that your body isn't a perfect conversion machine. It's going to take several extra calories to move that weight. Free weights are the biggest hog, while a machine is on the lowest end.

    And part of the burn comes from the protein needed to rebuild and repair your muscles. However, 225 lbs may cause you significant repair work, but on me it's just a warm-up.

    Find an estimate that makes you happy and run with it. Monitor how you feel carefully, and adjust as necessary.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    vorgas wrote: »

    Find an estimate that makes you happy and run with it. Monitor how you feel carefully, and adjust as necessary.

    I think this is about as good as the system gets
  • kpw818
    kpw818 Posts: 113 Member
    vorgas wrote: »
    The energy required to lift a weight is well known. It is a derivative function.
    .00032 Calories per pound per foot.

    The problem lies in that your body isn't a perfect conversion machine. It's going to take several extra calories to move that weight. Free weights are the biggest hog, while a machine is on the lowest end.

    And part of the burn comes from the protein needed to rebuild and repair your muscles. However, 225 lbs may cause you significant repair work, but on me it's just a warm-up.

    Find an estimate that makes you happy and run with it. Monitor how you feel carefully, and adjust as necessary.

    Thanks, that is helpful. I just want to make sure I'm fueling adequately since I mostly run, hard, and far. The weight lifting part is somewhat a mystery to me, but I know I always have an appetite after. With running, I usually don't if I run more than 6 miles.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/11170-why-don-t-you-calculate-calories-burned-for-strength-training-
  • badbradclark
    badbradclark Posts: 47 Member
    My pre-workout fuel + post-workout protein - calories expended = 0. That's the formula that I use. As inaccurate as it is, it's better than a best-guess estimate which would always tend to be on the high end of calories.
  • Talan79
    Talan79 Posts: 782 Member
    I used to think calories burned during a run were 100 per mile too. New treadmills at my gym when I enter my weight estimate at about 80 per mile.
    Not sure how accurate the UP24 app is with estimation, but when I log 35 min of weights it tells me 194 calories burned.
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