Calories burned for "strength training"

nkontely
nkontely Posts: 1 Member
edited December 1 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all!

Loving this app, but my one qualm is that I don't like how you cannot see the calories burned for strength training. I understand this greatly varies person to person for many reasosn, but I was interested in how you guys adjust caloric intake/ macros to ensure proper nutrition?

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    I don't eat back calories burned from weight lifting. You can log it, if you'd like, under Cardio. Search for strength training. It's there. I get about 175 calories for 45 minutes.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    I just eat to a set number regardless of workout.

    I usually eat to a certain number for protein, for fats and for carbs....
    Carbs I may move up or down depending on the day
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    You can log it, if you'd like, under Cardio. Search for strength training. It's there. I get about 175 calories for 45 minutes.

    This - the "strength training" section is just for tracking your sets and reps.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    You can enter "strength training" in the cardio section for an estimate of cals burned. But please keep in mind that the benefits from strength training far exceed calories burned (which isn't that high).

    If you lift 3 times or more per week you may just want to increase your activity level and not log it, this will up your cals slightly everyday, which some will be burned while lifting, but also burned during recovery.
  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
    There are way too many variables to get a generic number here. Using a HR monitor is your best bet IMO. Good luck!
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
    edited May 2016
    singletrackmtbr wrote: »
    There are way too many variables to get a generic number here. Using a HR monitor is your best bet IMO. Good luck!

    Not for strength training. HRMs are designed for steady state cardio and won't give you an accurate number for strength training or HIIT.
  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
    erickirb wrote: »
    You can enter "strength training" in the cardio section for an estimate of cals burned. But please keep in mind that the benefits from strength training far exceed calories burned (which isn't that high).

    Whenever I see someone ask about calories burned strength training my initial reaction is "Not as many as you wish it did". This being a very general 'you', as it includes myself. I still log it under cardio mostly just to keep track and to see how it changes my macros for the day, but when I see the number I still think 'Sheesh that's it?' so I usually try to not tap into those calories much, if at all.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    AlisonH729 wrote: »
    erickirb wrote: »
    You can enter "strength training" in the cardio section for an estimate of cals burned. But please keep in mind that the benefits from strength training far exceed calories burned (which isn't that high).

    Whenever I see someone ask about calories burned strength training my initial reaction is "Not as many as you wish it did". This being a very general 'you', as it includes myself. I still log it under cardio mostly just to keep track and to see how it changes my macros for the day, but when I see the number I still think 'Sheesh that's it?' so I usually try to not tap into those calories much, if at all.

    It's really more about the lack of standard quantification rather than the fact that the number is totally insignificant. We tend to dismiss the number because we can't give it a nice, neat total, but it can be enough to assist with a weight loss program if one is really doing strength training as their primary/only exercise.

    Weight loss guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine recommend burning 300-500 cals per workout, or 1500-2500 per week with exercise. Someone who is doing only weight lifting is likely to spend at least 60 min per workout, and often more than 3 days per week. Including the "afterburn" (modest, but still there), that is usually enough to fall within those ACSM guidelines.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    I don't eat back calories burned from weight lifting. You can log it, if you'd like, under Cardio. Search for strength training. It's there. I get about 175 calories for 45 minutes.

    This.

    I track my weight lifting because that puts it on my calendar, which I use the hell out of. Helps me schedule workouts and manage my training load and recovery. But I'm not lifting weights for calories. I act like I didn't burn any.
    mskessler89 wrote: »
    Not for strength training. HRMs are designed for steady state cardio and won't give you an accurate number for strength training or HIIT.
    singletrackmtbr wrote: »
    There are way too many variables to get a generic number here. Using a HR monitor is your best bet IMO. Good luck!

    I wear an HRM when I lift, not because of calories but because of data. I do the same strength workout regularly, and lots of historical HR data to show my reaction to the weight lifting. Also have detailed notes about what I did and the HR data broken into laps by set.
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  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    I don't eat back calories burned from weight lifting. You can log it, if you'd like, under Cardio. Search for strength training. It's there. I get about 175 calories for 45 minutes.

    This.

    I track my weight lifting because that puts it on my calendar, which I use the hell out of. Helps me schedule workouts and manage my training load and recovery. But I'm not lifting weights for calories. I act like I didn't burn any.
    mskessler89 wrote: »
    Not for strength training. HRMs are designed for steady state cardio and won't give you an accurate number for strength training or HIIT.
    singletrackmtbr wrote: »
    There are way too many variables to get a generic number here. Using a HR monitor is your best bet IMO. Good luck!

    I wear an HRM when I lift, not because of calories but because of data. I do the same strength workout regularly, and lots of historical HR data to show my reaction to the weight lifting. Also have detailed notes about what I did and the HR data broken into laps by set.

    As a data nerd, I can appreciate this. But if someone is wearing one while lifting hoping that the number it spits out is accurate, that's not going to happen. It will take a method like yours, gathering data and playing around with your calories, until you can draw a correlation or rough conversion factor.

    ...FWIW, MFP's number isn't reliable either, but it's good enough to get you in the ballpark and let you make adjustments.
  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
    mskessler89 wrote: »
    singletrackmtbr wrote: »
    There are way too many variables to get a generic number here. Using a HR monitor is your best bet IMO. Good luck!

    Not for strength training. HRMs are designed for steady state cardio and won't give you an accurate number for strength training or HIIT.

    I agree on principle, and basic physiology proves you are correct. Still, I think there is value in using a HR monitor to trend and guage effort, and eventually developing your own formula behind the scenes to get a true number. To me this is much more reliable than a generic number from MFP based upon my age and weight.

    My workouts have a huge degree of variability, and I've always eaten back all my calories. I've had no issues losing 12 pounds and 4 percent BF over the last 2 months. Purely anecdotal evidence, but my point is there is no rule that can apply to everyone here.

    Good luck to everyone in achieving your goals!
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited May 2016
    singletrackmtbr wrote: »
    There are way too many variables to get a generic number here. Using a HR monitor is your best bet IMO. Good luck!

    No the HR does not work for strength training calorie burning. It is designed for steady state cardio.

    I do what NorthCascades does, but this is NOT for calorie burning. I have never eaten back any calories for strength training based on calorie burns calculated for this, I just eat when I need to in general. This is for data recording only as I am a data *kitten*. Once exception is when I go back to using circuit style training for cutting fat, this is cardio based and I do use it for that.

    OP log it under cardio. You should eat back some calories for strength training, cause this does make one hungry and one needs adhere to energy balance needed to recover, remain nutritionally balanced whilst loosing weight.''

    General rule for me is I may eat back 100 - 200 calories for about 1 hour secession.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    mskessler89 wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    I don't eat back calories burned from weight lifting. You can log it, if you'd like, under Cardio. Search for strength training. It's there. I get about 175 calories for 45 minutes.

    This.

    I track my weight lifting because that puts it on my calendar, which I use the hell out of. Helps me schedule workouts and manage my training load and recovery. But I'm not lifting weights for calories. I act like I didn't burn any.
    mskessler89 wrote: »
    Not for strength training. HRMs are designed for steady state cardio and won't give you an accurate number for strength training or HIIT.
    singletrackmtbr wrote: »
    There are way too many variables to get a generic number here. Using a HR monitor is your best bet IMO. Good luck!

    I wear an HRM when I lift, not because of calories but because of data. I do the same strength workout regularly, and lots of historical HR data to show my reaction to the weight lifting. Also have detailed notes about what I did and the HR data broken into laps by set.

    As a data nerd, I can appreciate this. But if someone is wearing one while lifting hoping that the number it spits out is accurate, that's not going to happen. It will take a method like yours, gathering data and playing around with your calories, until you can draw a correlation or rough conversion factor.

    ...FWIW, MFP's number isn't reliable either, but it's good enough to get you in the ballpark and let you make adjustments.

    To be clear, I haven't come up with a conversion factor or any kind of viable adjustment. Haven't tried, don't think it's possible. I act as if I weight lifting doesn't burn calories.

    My aim is more like: I think it's time to add weight. Has my average HR during a set gone down since the last time I added more weight?

    I don't even know if that's a valid question and at the moment I have some resistance bands about to be delivered so I'm adding more exercises instead of more weight. But I find a lot of value in data.
  • kimdawnhayden
    kimdawnhayden Posts: 298 Member
    My apple watch will keep up with your heart rate and calories burned. I have noticed sometimes when I'm lifting heavy, when my heart rate feels like it's out the roof, it will say 59 bpm or something like that when I know it's not true. It has to be much higher. I've read that your blood vessels constrict when lifting weights so it won't give you an accurate read out for it. But when I compare my watch to what they say I should be burning on MFP it's pretty close. So I dunno.
  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
    kimdawnhayden wrote: »
    My apple watch will keep up with your heart rate and calories burned. I have noticed sometimes when I'm lifting heavy, when my heart rate feels like it's out the roof, it will say 59 bpm or something like that when I know it's not true. It has to be much higher. I've read that your blood vessels constrict when lifting weights so it won't give you an accurate read out for it. But when I compare my watch to what they say I should be burning on MFP it's pretty close. So I dunno.

    Agreed with the weird heart readings. I've read that too about the blood vessels constricting. It makes sense. If I lift for about 45 minutes, I get an extra 150ish active calories on my Apple Watch. That seems pretty good for me, not too outrageous!

    I used to not use it but I really want to get a good ballpark of my TDEE so I figured the extra few calories may make a difference!
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