Is weight training not a calorie burner???

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MelLilley
MelLilley Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm new to this site but have exercised for quite a few years now...I'm certainly no expert, but if you're doing an hour long weights session which includes lower and upper body strength training (deadlifts, squats, tricep dips, bicep curls etc...) and you are sweating and raising your heart rate (especially doing 50kg deadlifts) would you not be burning calories? I know it burns fat, but I just started to put in my exercise details and it doesn't seem to put what calories have been burned. I used to wear a heartrate monitor that also counted my calories and in a good session I could burn at least 400!

I dont see the point in entering all the strength training stuff if it doesn't actually allow me to eat at least one cake afterwards!!! lol

Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks guys

Replies

  • steffilily
    steffilily Posts: 149
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    From the bits and pieces I've picked up here on this site, strength training does burn calories but not as much as a cardio workout would. However, it is good to do strength training because you are working out those muscles and those same muscles will still be working (making your body increase its metabolism) while you are not exercising.
  • keiraev
    keiraev Posts: 695 Member
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    I would also like to know- it must burn more calories than if you are sat down doing nothing!

    I never know what to enter when i do Body Pump for example as it is more strength rather than cardio. I suppose that's why a Heart Rate monitor is probably a good idea. I should get one really!
  • TabiNS
    TabiNS Posts: 15
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    Weight/Strength training is also an option under the cardio section. Just search for it, and it'll put in an overall calorie number. I've never been too sure how accurate it is, though. :-)
  • kate2004rock
    kate2004rock Posts: 223 Member
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    There is no way it doesn't burn calories. In grad school, I often went to one of the group excercise classes for Intervals which would alternate 2 minutes of cardio and 2 minutes of strength training for an hour (30 minutes each) and it burnt almost 500 calories. You don't burn 500 with 30 minutes of Cardio alone.

    I believe the research wisdom these days, is that the burn effect from strength excercises is amplified by intervals of cardio because it keeps the burn steady and efficient.

    Don't ask me where I read that--but I've seen something to that effect written in several (credible) places.
  • JPod279
    JPod279 Posts: 722 Member
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    Be careful using the weight lifting option here as the calories will not be accurate. The best way to track calories when weight lifting is to get a heart rate monitor. I had been guesstimating and then got a HRM and used it Sunday and saw I was way off what I thought I was burning.
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
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    Yes it does burn calories, however not as much as a cardio workout...However if you do weight training in a circuit format, then that does burn alot of calories.

    Also, when entering your weight training, you need to click on the "Cardiovascular link" just as you would a regular workout, and then look for weight training, and that section will bring up the calories.

    I am assuming you were entering it under the Strength Weight training link and that only allows you to keep track of your daily routine and doesn't bring up calories
  • Mayor_West
    Mayor_West Posts: 246 Member
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    Weight training might not burn as many calories *during* your exercise session, but compared to steady-state cardio, it burns more calories *after* your exercise. As a result, it keeps your metabolism raised for a longer period of time, which helps with its effectiveness in burning fat.

    When you finish a steady-state cardio session, your calorie burn ends as soon as your heart rate returns to normal. However, weight training and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) both cause in increase in oxygen consumption post-workout, which leads to a longer calorie burn.
  • geralyn61
    geralyn61 Posts: 6 Member
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    strength training increases muscle which makes your metabolism run a lot faster so while you might not be able more on a given day you are actually burning more fat and calories throughout the day. Also the more muscle on your body the more you can eat because each pound of muscle requires 35 calories a day to stay alive which means if you have 10 lbs of muscle you need 350 a day just to feed it and finally strength training changed the shape of your body. hope this helps
    ger
  • MelLilley
    MelLilley Posts: 9
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    Thanks for all your responses! They've all been really helpful.

    I've always been a fan of weight training because it really does change your body, and some of your responses have actually made me determined to do more.

    I will enter my weight training under cardiovascular and see what it comes up with.

    Thanks again.x

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