Fitness trackers for weight lifting

PhysicsOnIce
PhysicsOnIce Posts: 46 Member
edited November 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I have been toying with the idea of getting a fitness tracker to keep track of my calories more effectively. However, today at the gym my trainer redesigned my program to be lifting-centric. So, I guess my question is, Do fitness trackers provide accurate calorie expenditures for strength-training?

Also, does anyone have a suggestions on what to get? I can't really afford something really expensive at the moment, but would like to get something reliable.
«1

Replies

  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    edited June 2015
    There are no fitness trackers that can provide an accurate calorie burn for strength-training.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    no...sorry...
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    edited June 2015
    If you just want it for feedback, the polar A300 and M400 with H7 sensor has a profile for strength training, along with several other profiles, I'm not sure about the accuracy for burning calories. Also the H7 sensor will work with the polar beat app for apple or android.

    http://www.polar.com/beat/us-en/
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    Usually this is what is used as a fitness tracker for lifting:

    notebook.jpg
  • PhysicsOnIce
    PhysicsOnIce Posts: 46 Member
    glevinso wrote: »
    Usually this is what is used as a fitness tracker for lifting:

    notebook.jpg

    Thanks, that's normally how I track my strength process as well, but that's a bit hard to track calories that way....
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    The same reasons why MFP doesn't calculate calories from lifting apply to activity trackers.

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/11170-why-don-t-you-calculate-calories-burned-for-strength-training-
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    The same reasons why MFP doesn't calculate calories from lifting apply to activity trackers.

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/11170-why-don-t-you-calculate-calories-burned-for-strength-training-

    I guess we just totally missed this line

    "If you know how many calories you have burned via a heart rate monitor or other tracking device, you can add a custom exercise to your personal database."

    My activity tracker has a profile for strength training, during one session of 23.49 mins my max was 124 min 96, average 113, with 175 kcal, but you're saying that this is false information?
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    HRMs cannot, CANNOT, produce accurate estimates for lifting. The exact same variables come into play.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1159044/hrms-cannot-count-calories-during-strength-training
  • This content has been removed.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    I give myself 25 calorie burns for every half hour lifting. I time my rests so there's not doot-doot-doot-ing around on my phone.
  • prestigio
    prestigio Posts: 181 Member
    When calculating your daily caloric requirement, sometimes the working out 3 times a week is already taken into account.
    However, I find this website quite usefull (it gives me about 300 calories per 60 min of weight lifting, I think it is more like 200 to 250 for me though).
    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/Calories.html
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    glevinso wrote: »
    Usually this is what is used as a fitness tracker for lifting:

    notebook.jpg

    There are smartphone Apps that will do the same thing is less amount of time.
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    The same reasons why MFP doesn't calculate calories from lifting apply to activity trackers.

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/11170-why-don-t-you-calculate-calories-burned-for-strength-training-

    I guess we just totally missed this line

    "If you know how many calories you have burned via a heart rate monitor or other tracking device, you can add a custom exercise to your personal database."

    My activity tracker has a profile for strength training, during one session of 23.49 mins my max was 124 min 96, average 113, with 175 kcal, but you're saying that this is false information?

    Yes.

    So which part would be false? my actual heart rate, or Kcal?

  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    edited June 2015
    Eileen_S wrote: »
    glevinso wrote: »
    Usually this is what is used as a fitness tracker for lifting:

    notebook.jpg

    There are smartphone Apps that will do the same thing is less amount of time.

    Yeah, but when your smartphone manufacturer goes bust. Or you no longer get updates to your OS. Or the fanboy that writes your app goes travelling in Asia... etc, etc.

    I assure you that that notebook will still be accessible via the built-in tech known as the eyeball in 8 years time. If you're not looking to compare and contrast your training over timescales that tech is not stable across, then by all means trust your data to an app.
  • HaibaneReki
    HaibaneReki Posts: 373 Member
    I'm going to test my FitBit Charge HR, and see how much it gives me for my usual 1-1,5 crossfit session.. I usually take it 1 scoop of 97% whey protein = 1 session, but it's gonna be fun seeing it's guess..
  • This content has been removed.
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    Okay, I guess I'm miss understanding strength training. since I'm working out alone, my heart rate is usually at a steady state while I'm doing it, so there's usually only 20 sec between sets or moving on to the next machine.

    The same reasons why MFP doesn't calculate calories from lifting apply to activity trackers.

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/11170-why-don-t-you-calculate-calories-burned-for-strength-training-

    I guess we just totally missed this line

    "If you know how many calories you have burned via a heart rate monitor or other tracking device, you can add a custom exercise to your personal database."

    My activity tracker has a profile for strength training, during one session of 23.49 mins my max was 124 min 96, average 113, with 175 kcal, but you're saying that this is false information?

    Yes.

    So which part would be false? my actual heart rate, or Kcal?

    Heart rate is right because that's what it's designed to look at and that's easy...count the beats. The calorie algorithm doesn't work for any activity where you start and stop. Those activity trackers are good for only steady state activity, like running 5 miles. They are pretty good for that. Lifting, they are horrible. Don't believe me though, Google it. There are thousands of articles on that very topic.

  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Okay, I guess I'm miss understanding strength training. since I'm working out alone, my heart rate is usually at a steady state while I'm doing it, so there's usually only 20 sec between sets or moving on to the next machine.

    The same reasons why MFP doesn't calculate calories from lifting apply to activity trackers.

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/11170-why-don-t-you-calculate-calories-burned-for-strength-training-

    I guess we just totally missed this line

    "If you know how many calories you have burned via a heart rate monitor or other tracking device, you can add a custom exercise to your personal database."

    My activity tracker has a profile for strength training, during one session of 23.49 mins my max was 124 min 96, average 113, with 175 kcal, but you're saying that this is false information?

    Yes.

    So which part would be false? my actual heart rate, or Kcal?

    Heart rate is right because that's what it's designed to look at and that's easy...count the beats. The calorie algorithm doesn't work for any activity where you start and stop. Those activity trackers are good for only steady state activity, like running 5 miles. They are pretty good for that. Lifting, they are horrible. Don't believe me though, Google it. There are thousands of articles on that very topic.

    HR is dissociated from VO2 during strength training. Changes in HR do not reflect increased cardiovascular effort or calorie burn.
  • cyronius
    cyronius Posts: 157 Member
    jimmmer wrote: »
    I assure you that that notebook will still be accessible via the built-in tech known as the eyeball in 8 years time.

    I have digital data available to me going back further than 8 years. I don't think I could point to a single note I recorded in paper over 4 years ago, let alone 8...

    Admittedly, it's not fitness data, but I haven't been tracking that for 8 years...
    If you're not looking to compare and contrast your training over timescales that tech is not stable across, then by all means trust your data to an app.

    That's why you use apps/sites that offer data export capabilities. Or third party tools that let you archive data from sites that don't normally allow you to export it.

    Pen and paper may work for you, but you can achieve that same long term accessibility you're referring to without touching pen and paper...
  • HaibaneReki
    HaibaneReki Posts: 373 Member
    So Yesterdays pretty intense cca 38 min crossfit session (kettlebels, pull ups, misc. own weight ex., pushups etc.) cost me 166 kcal according to my FitBit Charge HR - which I'd rate above regular HRMs because it also has the movement sensor - so it knows it's not estimating cardio based on BMP. But yeah I understand crossfit is not exactly heavy weight lifting.. Anyway I'm going with it for the time being.
  • FearlessRobb
    FearlessRobb Posts: 249 Member
    I use JEFIT it records the time you work out and your breaks and all exercises and old post to keep track of gains. an 1 1/2 hr work out after the 60 second breaks and everything ends up being only like 39 min of really working out and that's what I put in MFP and leave the calories like that. works decent
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
    so in other words, if you turn on your fitness tracker for strength training. and Lets say in 40 minutes of stop and start strength training, i burn ,according to the tracker, 600 cals, then that is wrong right?
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
    bump to see if anyone can answer my question
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    raven56706 wrote: »
    so in other words, if you turn on your fitness tracker for strength training. and Lets say in 40 minutes of stop and start strength training, i burn ,according to the tracker, 600 cals, then that is wrong right?

    Right, it's wrong.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
    raven56706 wrote: »
    so in other words, if you turn on your fitness tracker for strength training. and Lets say in 40 minutes of stop and start strength training, i burn ,according to the tracker, 600 cals, then that is wrong right?

    Right, it's wrong.

    so would this mean i didnt burn any calories and i shouldnt put calories burned to MFP?
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    raven56706 wrote: »
    raven56706 wrote: »
    so in other words, if you turn on your fitness tracker for strength training. and Lets say in 40 minutes of stop and start strength training, i burn ,according to the tracker, 600 cals, then that is wrong right?

    Right, it's wrong.

    so would this mean i didnt burn any calories and i shouldnt put calories burned to MFP?

    That isn't what it means. It means your fitness tracker is incapable of determining the number of calories burned for that activity.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
    quick question then... if my routine is:
    • Bike for 5 minutes
    • Strength training (backs and Biceps)
    • Elliptical

    and my polar says i burned 500 calories

    should i input that in myfitnesspal or only half?
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
    sorry but i just want to know because i want to make sure im doing it right
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    raven56706 wrote: »
    quick question then... if my routine is:
    • Bike for 5 minutes
    • Strength training (backs and Biceps)
    • Elliptical

    and my polar says i burned 500 calories

    should i input that in myfitnesspal or only half?

    Can you pause your HRM while you are doing your strength training?
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
    i definitely can. most Def. but i seem to burn alot more during strength than the cardio. But i guess the polar is just for the cardio correct(as in the bike and ellipitcal)
This discussion has been closed.