Calories Burned from Strength Training
elga_thres
Posts: 117 Member
Hi, everyone! I'm curious, do you pay attention to how many calories you burned from strength training? If so, how do you count them? When I tried to count them, I was confused because there are just so many variables (type of workout, our weight or the weight we lift, number of sets, etc.). Now, I just eat the amount of calories as if I didn't workout (the deficit is not aggressive, though). How about you?
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Replies
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You more or less need to be wearing a heart rate monitor to know. I find what I logged in MFP (under cardio > strength training) was a gross underestimate - with a heart rate monitor I burned double than the calculator estimated at! I'm doing stronglifts and I'm lifting heavy with short rests for a 50 minute session.
However, with strength training you also burn more calories on rest days as your body recovers - the heart rate monitor doesn't cover that at all. I find my eating is more problematic on rest days as I get really hungry and need to have more protein to juggle. Lifting days I eat back only a protein/casein drink if needed.0 -
Since i don't eat exercise calories, it doesn't matter if i record it here or not, except for a historical reference.0
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Which heart rate monitor do you have?awkwardsoul wrote: »You more or less need to be wearing a heart rate monitor to know. I find what I logged in MFP (under cardio > strength training) was a gross underestimate - with a heart rate monitor I burned double than the calculator estimated at! I'm doing stronglifts and I'm lifting heavy with short rests for a 50 minute session.
However, with strength training you also burn more calories on rest days as your body recovers - the heart rate monitor doesn't cover that at all. I find my eating is more problematic on rest days as I get really hungry and need to have more protein to juggle. Lifting days I eat back only a protein/casein drink if needed.
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hrm is good for steady cardio, but doesn't calculate lifting well. I haven't counted cals in a few years, but when I did I just didn't add in the lifting calories, only warm up runs and other cardio via my hrm. mfp numbers are way off for me.0
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elga_thres wrote: »Which heart rate monitor do you have?
I have the garmin vivofit 2. You can't go wrong with a Polar brand though! I prefer the chest strap ones as they are more accurate and I strap the bracelet part to my bra. Those wrist HR ones get in the way of lifting straps.
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Go to www.jealthstatus.com/calculate.cbc
It is a much better site than MFP for calculating calories burned during workouts. I was recommended it by someone else and it was the best suggestion I have recieved.0 -
It's very important to eat at least half of your exercise calories. Your body needs it... especially for lifting.0
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That should say www.healthstatus.com/calculate.cbc0
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Thank you for all your responses!! ☺0
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awkwardsoul wrote: »You more or less need to be wearing a heart rate monitor to know. I find what I logged in MFP (under cardio > strength training) was a gross underestimate - with a heart rate monitor I burned double than the calculator estimated at! I'm doing stronglifts and I'm lifting heavy with short rests for a 50 minute session.
However, with strength training you also burn more calories on rest days as your body recovers - the heart rate monitor doesn't cover that at all. I find my eating is more problematic on rest days as I get really hungry and need to have more protein to juggle. Lifting days I eat back only a protein/casein drink if needed.
YES I AM EXTREMELY HUNGRY ON REST DAYS!!!! I wonder whyyyyyy!0 -
awkwardsoul wrote: »You more or less need to be wearing a heart rate monitor to know. I find what I logged in MFP (under cardio > strength training) was a gross underestimate - with a heart rate monitor I burned double than the calculator estimated at! I'm doing stronglifts and I'm lifting heavy with short rests for a 50 minute session.
However, with strength training you also burn more calories on rest days as your body recovers - the heart rate monitor doesn't cover that at all. I find my eating is more problematic on rest days as I get really hungry and need to have more protein to juggle. Lifting days I eat back only a protein/casein drink if needed.
The heart rate monitor is really only good for estimating calorie burn when you're doing an aerobic-type workout where you're using many muscle groups simultaneously. For weight training, it'll be an overestimation unless you're doing something like a high-intensity circuit.
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Wearing a chest strap heart rate monitor is the most accurate way to estimate calories burned.
I've done a lot of research on this and I haven't found any other way that's remotely accurate.
Your body requires energy & protein to heal the (good) damage done to muscles after resistance training, which is why people are more hungry after a workout + following days.
☆☆☆ This is the most important part - there's no point training if you don't give your body enough energy & protein to recover & grow.
(That's some basic exercise physiology in a nutshell)0 -
I have used the polar but honestly mainly only use it for cardio anymore. After some reading up and just I still feel it can be inaccurate while lifting. It can give you an idea though.0
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charitys_aloette wrote: »That should say www.healthstatus.com/calculate.cbc
Link goes to a site that says information has been moved/re-arranged.0 -
charitys_aloette wrote: »That should say www.healthstatus.com/calculate.cbc
And when you follow the link on that page it takes you to this one, same URL now sure why you can't go their direct:
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc
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