How to figure calories burned in a class at the gym?

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shcoward
shcoward Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
New to MFP this week and I am already in love! It is the answer to all the challenges that I was facing before! Something easy, accessible and helpful on a daily basis to help me with the way I view what I am fueling my body with. Working toward a life change not a diet! A question that I do have is have any of you figured out how to count the calories burned while taking a class at the gym? I prefer to take classes because it is a more competitive environment and they are fun. For example I took a Total Body class to day that involves weight lifting and cardio...

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  • deanmarino
    deanmarino Posts: 41 Member
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    do yourself a favor and get a heart rate monitor.
  • lcs1211
    lcs1211 Posts: 121 Member
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    The best way is to get a good HRM (heart rate monitor) with chest strap to monitor your calories burned while exercising. I use a Polar FT4 for all my exercises, including Curves Circuit Training, work out DVD's, treadmill, Zumba classes, etc. I found lots of machines as well as MFP over-estimates calories burned and HRM continuously monitors and shows if you are in your targeted heart rate and amount of calories burned. Best investment I have made.
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
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    You need a heart rate monitor. If you get one the idea one would have a chest strap. It monitors your heart rate which in turns gives you your calories burned based on your age, current weight, sex and max heart rate. All of those things you would input into the heart rate montior.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
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    do yourself a favor and get a heart rate monitor.

    I couldn't agree more than what dan Marino said :-) A Heart Rate Monitor is the only way to get a reasonably accurate number of your calories burnt in almost any given exercise, and you will be amazed to learn how extremely generous mfp is in it's calories for certain exercises. HRMs arn't that expensive and are a very important investment!
  • BeachGurl815
    BeachGurl815 Posts: 295 Member
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    Yes, get a heart rate monitor, one with a chest strap. I bought a Polar FT7 about 2 wks ago and I am loving it.
  • beccala18
    beccala18 Posts: 293 Member
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    Or if you need to figure it out now, you can search what you are doing in the database and find a good approximate. Circuit training might work.
  • eates
    eates Posts: 334 Member
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    If you can't/don't want to get a HRM you can google the class and "calories burned" and you'll get an approximation
  • blacrasberri
    blacrasberri Posts: 102
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    Questions what is the difference bet a heart rate monitor vs. a pedometer? Currently I'm using a pedometer which gives me the calories burned, km, and miles...Do I need to purchase a heart rate monitor as well
  • shcoward
    shcoward Posts: 2
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    Thank you everyone!
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
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    the work out i did today showed about 200 calories burnt LESS on mfp than my HRM. Yesterday in the gym the machines showed I had burnt about 300 calories MORE than the HRM did. The variances are very significant in my opinion...especially if you obsess over how many calories you are burning like I do!! But equally, you have to be as accurate as possible when logging in your daily food intake, too...which is no where near as straight forward as using a HRM!!!
  • Swimgoddess
    Swimgoddess Posts: 711 Member
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    Questions what is the difference bet a heart rate monitor vs. a pedometer? Currently I'm using a pedometer which gives me the calories burned, km, and miles...Do I need to purchase a heart rate monitor as well

    Pedometers will throw any number on there for calories burned because that's what sells. What kind of info did you input when you set it up? How high end is it?

    I'm loving my Polar FT7. I had an initial moment of regret when my trainer at 24hr fitness said my cals burned would be way off (700-something vs. HRM's 571) because BF% wasn't part of the setup (insert bodybugg sales pitch), but an MFP member here tested a Bodybugg along with a HRM and said they was only 14 calories difference.

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