Why don't we get calorie credit for lifting?

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tboyer832
tboyer832 Posts: 5
in Fitness and Exercise
hi all! I just joined MFP on Monday so I'm learning! But why don't we get calorie credit for lifting? I have such hard lift sessions where I usually have some short cardio mixed in like sprints, and I sweat the whole time! It has to be a great calorie burn so I naturally want my credit! :) is it just too hard to use a general calculation I guess? Thanks for any feedback! Shocked at how much I must have been eating. I started staying home with my kids a year ago and I've gained a solid five pounds (a lot for my frame!) and realize how much I grazed on their leftovers! I literally have lost three pounds since Monday! (To be fair I'm trying super hard bc my husband and I are going on a trip ALONE next weekend to Miami! :)) anyway, thanks so much!

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  • clipartghost
    clipartghost Posts: 32 Member
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    In my experience, it only burns a negligible amount so I don't count it.
  • November_Fire
    November_Fire Posts: 165 Member
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    Basically, no calculator or gadget can estimate how much burned while lifting. It's not like a heart-rate-increase sort of burn - it's longer, slower burn as the muscles repair over time.

    The only real way to log it is to hazard a guess at it based on your calories in, calories out from other sources and resultant weight loss. Are you actually lifting heavy weights or are you doing 'cardio with sprints'? If it's cardio it's cardio. If you have some weights in your hands and you're lifting them in sets and you think 'oo, these are heavy', it's strength but if you're a beginner your burn won't be much yet. If you keep an accurate calorie log and your weight goes down faster than expected, log about 100 cals for the workout. If it's still going down faster than expected, call it 200. I was at about 350 for a lifting session - but still losing weight, so it was likely higher - when I got injured and had to go back to lower weight. My little rehab sessions only amounted to about an extra 50 calories, but I'm at about 150 now.

    MFP does give estimates based on the time you spent strength training (just look up 'strength training' under the cardio/exercise bit) which aren't that far off, but still only estimates based on assumptions about how heavy/frequently you're lifting.
  • jamesmorin59
    jamesmorin59 Posts: 37 Member
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    I agree with the lifting vs not many burned calories however ,?what about superset hiit, was going to start some super setting soon which does feel like a cArdio workout at the same time
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,135 Member
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    Try checking under Cardio. You;ll get some sort of burn count.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    From the help section ...

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/11170-why-don-t-you-calculate-calories-burned-for-strength-training-
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I just do not count it. Or I just know by my logging that I possibly have an extra 80 or 100 calories but it is not included in any daily or weekly report.

    I agree with the link under @brianpperkins about MFP not able to calculate, however MFP cannot accurately calculate cardio either because the same principles apply so all of it is estimations any way and MFP over calculates all exercise ...

    I agree with the OP that it would be nice to know how many calories to eat back (or estimated) on lifting days. I am soooooo very hungry on lift days after the workout..
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    gia07 wrote: »
    I just do not count it. Or I just know by my logging that I possibly have an extra 80 or 100 calories but it is not included in any daily or weekly report.

    I agree with the link under @brianpperkins about MFP not able to calculate, however MFP cannot accurately calculate cardio either because the same principles apply so all of it is estimations any way and MFP over calculates all exercise ...

    For cardio there are established relationships between HR and caloric burn for some activities. MFP does not over calculate for "all exercise" ... it does for some, some it's pretty spot on. It takes understanding what activities have the scientific testing to establish a relationship if one does in fact exist and knowing if your calculator/device reports gross or net caloric burn.
  • WSOX37
    WSOX37 Posts: 1,611 Member
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    Type in weight training under the cardio section and it will come up
  • GlavDogg
    GlavDogg Posts: 3 Member
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    I strongly disagree with people on here that weightlifting doesn't burn a ton of calories. If you are supersetting, using a high tempo, and minimal rest between sets (1min), weightlifting can burn MORE than typical cardio. 400-500 cals in an hour. But I also agree there is no way to track or even estimate each person individual workout.
  • tboyer832
    tboyer832 Posts: 5
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    Thanks all! I do lift heavy (I think anyway! 20-25lbs for biceps curls for example) and usually superset with some HIIT at the end of each circuit.

    Another question I have is on the cardio calories. Do you enter what your machine said as opposed to wha MFP says? My machine is much higher than MFP says.

    Thanks so much!
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    edited April 2015
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    gia07 wrote: »
    I just do not count it. Or I just know by my logging that I possibly have an extra 80 or 100 calories but it is not included in any daily or weekly report.

    I agree with the link under @brianpperkins about MFP not able to calculate, however MFP cannot accurately calculate cardio either because the same principles apply so all of it is estimations any way and MFP over calculates all exercise ...

    I agree with the OP that it would be nice to know how many calories to eat back (or estimated) on lifting days. I am soooooo very hungry on lift days after the workout..

    Dont think you are being fair on MFP there. Its difficult to estimate for all the activities in its database, but it has a reasonable stab. Its only some activities which it seems to overestimate and not all. An equally big problem is people overestimating their own burns.

    OP in this case go for the lower one and eat 50% back. Certain machines are inaccurate. I think they like to inflate to make them look more effective. See if your efforts bear relation to your weight loss and adjust accordingly.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    edited April 2015
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    GlavDogg wrote: »
    I strongly disagree with people on here that weightlifting doesn't burn a ton of calories. If you are supersetting, using a high tempo, and minimal rest between sets (1min), weightlifting can burn MORE than typical cardio. 400-500 cals in an hour. But I also agree there is no way to track or even estimate each person individual workout.

    So your argument is if you work superhard at near max intensity then for a sustained period, then you are going to be burning moe than if you were jogging or doing casual cardio?

    How many people do max intensity as you allude to? I think lifters take their time and have rests between lifts. Decent cardio burns can be 2x what you suggest, depending on intensity. I thought the point people were making is for the purposes of weight loss most peopel just ignore the calorie burns from lifting. Whatever it is your body registers every single calorie.

    Also you cna get calories fir lifting if you want to guess or enter it as cardio or use one of the activities already in the db.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    GlavDogg wrote: »
    I strongly disagree with people on here that weightlifting doesn't burn a ton of calories. If you are supersetting, using a high tempo, and minimal rest between sets (1min), weightlifting can burn MORE than typical cardio. 400-500 cals in an hour. But I also agree there is no way to track or even estimate each person individual workout.

    Bit of a convoluted argument really - atypical weight lifting may burn more than "typical cardio" seems to be what you are saying?

    "bicycling, 12-13.9 mph, leisure, moderate effort."
    "running at 5 mph"
    "circuit training, including some aerobic movement with minimal rest, general"
    (highest METS I could see for weight training).

    All three are 8 METS. So that's the highest strength training compared with two very gentle examples of cardio,

    Maybe more typical:
    "weight lifting (free weight, nautilus or universal-type), power lifting or body building, vigorous effort"
    Just 6 METS which is the same as "hiking, cross country"

    (Source - prevention.sph.sc.edu/tools/docs/documents_compendium.pdf )

    That weight training feels (and is!) hard doesn't mean it burns a load of calories.

    If you throw in atypical cardio like my almost 4 hour cycle today at just under 17mph (12 METS) there's no comparison.

    Do agree with you on "there is no way to track or even estimate each person individual workout" though.
    I also tend to train in a fast tempo style and simply guess between 350 - 400 based on nothing more than gut feel and results over time.


  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
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    I strongly disagree with people on here that weightlifting doesn't burn a ton of calories. If you are supersetting, using a high tempo, and minimal rest between sets (1min), weightlifting can burn MORE than typical cardio. 400-500 cals in an hour
    The amount of calories needed to move a weight 1 foot equals .00032 Calories per pound.
    Your body is not a perfect conversion machine. About 5 calories burned for 1 applied.
    Most lifts are in the two foot range.
    .00032 * 5 * 2 = .0032 Calories per pound per rep.

    So to burn 400 calories in an hour straight weight lifting, you would have to lift about 125,000 pounds. That's a helluva lot of weight mate.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited April 2015
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    GlavDogg wrote: »
    If you are supersetting, using a high tempo, and minimal rest between sets (1min), weightlifting can burn MORE than typical cardio.

    Well, that just eliminated 99.99547% of MFPers.

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    GlavDogg wrote: »
    I strongly disagree with people on here that weightlifting doesn't burn a ton of calories. If you are supersetting, using a high tempo, and minimal rest between sets (1min), weightlifting can burn MORE than typical cardio. 400-500 cals in an hour. But I also agree there is no way to track or even estimate each person individual workout.

    I agree in principle. It's always blown my mind that lifting gets very little credit for calorie burn around here. Just because it's harder to measure, doesn't mean it's not there. If that was the case I should have weighed about 300 pounds back in my heavy lifting days.

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