Why does strength training not generate a calorie burn amount?
jaysmail8
Posts: 7 Member
Hey all! I'm wondering what I'm missing when inputting my exercises. As when I input my strength training it never tells me how many calories I have burned; it doesn't give me any options regarding how long I spent doing the exercises unlike when u input cardio...Can anyone tell me how you find out and log the amount of calories burned from this type of training.?
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Replies
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Just log it under cardiovascular if you really want the calories, but generally it doesn't burn many calories.
Personally I just adjust my calorie intake if I'm gaining or losing weight too fast.3 -
Answer to your original question why does strengthen training not generate a calorie burn amount? You probley knew this but...according to MFP strengthen training focus's on gaining or bulking up muscle mass. Where as cardiovascular is focused on calorie burn type movements etc.. Comes down to what you want to achieve? you want to gain muscle mass or tone up?1
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Only the cardiovascular part of the exercise diary has calorie functionality.
Enter duration under "strength training", "circuit training", "calisthenics" as appropriate.
If gives a very approximate estimate based on METS and your body weight.3 -
It's very difficult to calculate the rate at which one burns calories during strength training. It varies on how intense the workout is, how much weight you're lifting compared to your actual size, and your body composition to begin with.
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I think Rome nailed it. There's to many variables plus it's dependant on each body which is different as well2
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Agree with Rome, BUT how do you guys find how many extra calories you need to build muscle?0
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Usually if you're working out frequently, eating at a surplus [over your normal TDEE] you should gain muscle.0
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Agree with Rome, BUT how do you guys find how many extra calories you need to build muscle?
You watch your tracking, loss, and calories burnt, then extrapolate what your burn is through lifting.
I am little, old, light, and female.
I know my cardio is an average 200cal per 60min.
If,when I am lifting, I start losing after I have added a 100lift surplus, I can back track and work out how many calories over the 100 I need to add to get my correct surplus.
For bulking +250.
It's maths.
Cheers, h.1 -
From pure maths I know bodyweight interval training for me amounted to about 150-180kcal per 30-35 minutes of net workout. Net workout means only counting the time I actually did something and not the rest periods. Those 30 minutes workouts might have been about 60 minutes including warmup, stretching afterwards and exercise breaks.
From a pure physical point of view the energy expenditure for lifting something up really is very minuscule. It's just a simple function of mass (weight) and distance of mass moved against or with gravity. Of course more things come into play if not a machine but a human body lifts something up, but really, lifting does not burn tons of calories.1 -
Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.1 -
Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
HRM are for steady state of cardiovascular and even then they are not perfect on estimates.
You didn't gain muscle while eating in a deficit. You gain muscle in a surplus.0 -
Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
HRM are for steady state of cardiovascular and even then they are not perfect on estimates.
You didn't gain muscle while eating in a deficit. You gain muscle in a surplus.
Sorry, but it has been proven you can gain muscle is an overall caloric deficit. It's not as efficient as when in a surplus and has diminishing returns the longer you have been training until it is more worth your while to bulk/cut to gain muscle and recomp.
For untrained individuals with high levels of body fat, you can actually see good gains in muscle while in a deficit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFo_wQq8M3Q
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160127132741.htm3 -
BillMcKay1 wrote: »Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
HRM are for steady state of cardiovascular and even then they are not perfect on estimates.
You didn't gain muscle while eating in a deficit. You gain muscle in a surplus.
Sorry, but it has been proven you can gain muscle is an overall caloric deficit. It's not as efficient as when in a surplus and has diminishing returns the longer you have been training until it is more worth your while to bulk/cut to gain muscle and recomp.
For untrained individuals with high levels of body fat, you can actually see good gains in muscle while in a deficit.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFo_wQq8M3Q
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160127132741.htm
So you are untrained and fat...okay. If this is true, you can gain a very small amount of muscle for a very short period, not anything substantial.
Also one doesn't gain muscle because they specifically eat a percentage of their fuel in protien.
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FitnReady74 wrote: »Answer to your original question why does strengthen training not generate a calorie burn amount? You probley knew this but...according to MFP strengthen training focus's on gaining or bulking up muscle mass. Where as cardiovascular is focused on calorie burn type movements etc.. Comes down to what you want to achieve? you want to gain muscle mass or tone up?
sorry, that is not correct. Strength training is done for a variety of reasons, such as maintaining muscle in a deficit, recomping, bulking, general health, overall strength etc.0 -
BillMcKay1 wrote: »Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
HRM are for steady state of cardiovascular and even then they are not perfect on estimates.
You didn't gain muscle while eating in a deficit. You gain muscle in a surplus.
Sorry, but it has been proven you can gain muscle is an overall caloric deficit. It's not as efficient as when in a surplus and has diminishing returns the longer you have been training until it is more worth your while to bulk/cut to gain muscle and recomp.
For untrained individuals with high levels of body fat, you can actually see good gains in muscle while in a deficit.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFo_wQq8M3Q
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160127132741.htm
So you are untrained and fat...okay. If this is true, you can gain a very small amount of muscle for a very short period, not anything substantial.
Also one doesn't gain muscle because they specifically eat a percentage of their fuel in protien.
Did you read the study? 1 month of hard training in a 40% caloric deficit and they gained 2.5lbs of muscle. That's not a small amount when a natural lifter after a couple years of training is lucky to build 2lbs in a year in a surplus.
Sufficient protein when paired with progressive load resistance training does help preserve muscle mass during an extended caloric deficit, which results in a net gain, at least as far as body recomp goes.1 -
Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
how are you measuring these muscle gains? In all honesty, when truly bulking carbs become more important then protein intake...
more then likely you are not building muscle while in a deficit, unless you are an untrained beginner, or elite athlete...2 -
BillMcKay1 wrote: »Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
HRM are for steady state of cardiovascular and even then they are not perfect on estimates.
You didn't gain muscle while eating in a deficit. You gain muscle in a surplus.
Sorry, but it has been proven you can gain muscle is an overall caloric deficit. It's not as efficient as when in a surplus and has diminishing returns the longer you have been training until it is more worth your while to bulk/cut to gain muscle and recomp.
For untrained individuals with high levels of body fat, you can actually see good gains in muscle while in a deficit.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFo_wQq8M3Q
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160127132741.htm
my only complaint with that study is that htey appear to have set up conditions which would be almost impossible to replicate in the real world....exact training, exact macro balance , exact food timing...etc...at least that is my initial impression have skimmed the study.2 -
BillMcKay1 wrote: »Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
HRM are for steady state of cardiovascular and even then they are not perfect on estimates.
You didn't gain muscle while eating in a deficit. You gain muscle in a surplus.
Sorry, but it has been proven you can gain muscle is an overall caloric deficit. It's not as efficient as when in a surplus and has diminishing returns the longer you have been training until it is more worth your while to bulk/cut to gain muscle and recomp.
For untrained individuals with high levels of body fat, you can actually see good gains in muscle while in a deficit.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFo_wQq8M3Q
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160127132741.htm
my only complaint with that study is that htey appear to have set up conditions which would be almost impossible to replicate in the real world....exact training, exact macro balance , exact food timing...etc...at least that is my initial impression have skimmed the study.
I would say that is the actual benefit of that study. Lab controlled results. No self reporting as many of these types of studies are.0 -
BillMcKay1 wrote: »BillMcKay1 wrote: »Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
HRM are for steady state of cardiovascular and even then they are not perfect on estimates.
You didn't gain muscle while eating in a deficit. You gain muscle in a surplus.
Sorry, but it has been proven you can gain muscle is an overall caloric deficit. It's not as efficient as when in a surplus and has diminishing returns the longer you have been training until it is more worth your while to bulk/cut to gain muscle and recomp.
For untrained individuals with high levels of body fat, you can actually see good gains in muscle while in a deficit.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFo_wQq8M3Q
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160127132741.htm
my only complaint with that study is that htey appear to have set up conditions which would be almost impossible to replicate in the real world....exact training, exact macro balance , exact food timing...etc...at least that is my initial impression have skimmed the study.
I would say that is the actual benefit of that study. Lab controlled results. No self reporting as many of these types of studies are.
just does not sound applicable to the real world...
so yes, maybe you can gain some mass in a deficit if you have perfect training, perfect marcos, and perfect intake, but who really has time for that...?
I would be curious what would happen if they did a 12 week study of this? My thoughts are that the drop out rate would be high, and the results would be minimal....0 -
Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
how are you measuring these muscle gains? In all honesty, when truly bulking carbs become more important then protein intake...
more then likely you are not building muscle while in a deficit, unless you are an untrained beginner, or elite athlete...
I measure the circumference of my biceps and my total body fat percentage. Weight down, Body fat down, circumference up. I'm also able to curl twice the weight on twice the reps as I was when I started. If this isn't a gain, please tell me what you think it is?0 -
Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
HRM are for steady state of cardiovascular and even then they are not perfect on estimates.
You didn't gain muscle while eating in a deficit. You gain muscle in a surplus.
It actually works quite well if I'm intervalling. 15 minutes High intensity tread followed by 15 minutes of weights, back and forth. Your heart rate doesn't just tank after a run, it slowly works itself back down. Usually I find i'm lifting through the low end of the cardio zone and into the "Fat burn zone" if my HR drops too low, I stop what i'm doing and power squat it back up. I have no idea why you would think that a HRM doesn't work. As long as its strapped to your body, its measuring your HR and, therefore, your caloric burn. That info feeds directly into MFP.0 -
Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
how are you measuring these muscle gains? In all honesty, when truly bulking carbs become more important then protein intake...
more then likely you are not building muscle while in a deficit, unless you are an untrained beginner, or elite athlete...
I measure the circumference of my biceps and my total body fat percentage. Weight down, Body fat down, circumference up. I'm also able to curl twice the weight on twice the reps as I was when I started. If this isn't a gain, please tell me what you think it is?
strength gains do not equal muscle gains. You can increase the amount of your lifts without building any new mass, as you are just training your muscles to be more efficient with the same amount of mass. The term, I believe, is neuromuscular adaptation.
I am not saying that you may not have put on some muscle, but more than likely it is a small amount and/or you have lost body fat which is allowing your existing muscle to show better.1 -
Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
how are you measuring these muscle gains? In all honesty, when truly bulking carbs become more important then protein intake...
more then likely you are not building muscle while in a deficit, unless you are an untrained beginner, or elite athlete...
I measure the circumference of my biceps and my total body fat percentage. Weight down, Body fat down, circumference up. I'm also able to curl twice the weight on twice the reps as I was when I started. If this isn't a gain, please tell me what you think it is?
strength gains do not equal muscle gains. You can increase the amount of your lifts without building any new mass, as you are just training your muscles to be more efficient with the same amount of mass. The term, I believe, is neuromuscular adaptation.
I am not saying that you may not have put on some muscle, but more than likely it is a small amount and/or you have lost body fat which is allowing your existing muscle to show better.
Well, if we're being realistic, circumference wouldn't have gone up if I had lost fat, it would go down. But I think you and I are talking about very different things. I'm a 30 year old woman, I never lift a dumbell heavier than 20 or a bar over about 80, and I tempo train on high reps. I'm not trying to get big for the purpose of getting big.0 -
BillMcKay1 wrote: »BillMcKay1 wrote: »Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
HRM are for steady state of cardiovascular and even then they are not perfect on estimates.
You didn't gain muscle while eating in a deficit. You gain muscle in a surplus.
Sorry, but it has been proven you can gain muscle is an overall caloric deficit. It's not as efficient as when in a surplus and has diminishing returns the longer you have been training until it is more worth your while to bulk/cut to gain muscle and recomp.
For untrained individuals with high levels of body fat, you can actually see good gains in muscle while in a deficit.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFo_wQq8M3Q
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160127132741.htm
my only complaint with that study is that htey appear to have set up conditions which would be almost impossible to replicate in the real world....exact training, exact macro balance , exact food timing...etc...at least that is my initial impression have skimmed the study.
I would say that is the actual benefit of that study. Lab controlled results. No self reporting as many of these types of studies are.
just does not sound applicable to the real world...
so yes, maybe you can gain some mass in a deficit if you have perfect training, perfect marcos, and perfect intake, but who really has time for that...?
I would be curious what would happen if they did a 12 week study of this? My thoughts are that the dropout rate would be high, and the results would be minimal....
Hey, there are literally tons of gym bros that lift poorly for years and don't see much growth either. Going from one magazine routine to another listening to all the gymbro "science" and old saws. I've been in and out of the gym for 20 years and seen it all.
Doesn't invalidate the study or the science behind it.0 -
I didn't say it didn't work. I stated HRMs are designed for steady state of cardiovascular for best accuracy. The rate is designed for those activities.Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
HRM are for steady state of cardiovascular and even then they are not perfect on estimates.
You didn't gain muscle while eating in a deficit. You gain muscle in a surplus.
It actually works quite well if I'm intervalling. 15 minutes High intensity tread followed by 15 minutes of weights, back and forth. Your heart rate doesn't just tank after a run, it slowly works itself back down. Usually I find i'm lifting through the low end of the cardio zone and into the "Fat burn zone" if my HR drops too low, I stop what i'm doing and power squat it back up. I have no idea why you would think that a HRM doesn't work. As long as its strapped to your body, its measuring your HR and, therefore, your caloric burn. That info feeds directly into MFP.
The instructions state this in most top brands.
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Its an anerobic exercise, so it doesn't burn very many calories. The exception being exercises that engage the large muscle groups (Glutes, quads, hams)... power squatting will burn calories.
I prefer a HR monitor when doing strength training. It keeps me from over estimating.
As for the "extra calories", try to get them in protein and you'll bulk. I'm eating at a deficit and still gaining muscle bc i'm eating about 40% of my calories in protein.
how are you measuring these muscle gains? In all honesty, when truly bulking carbs become more important then protein intake...
more then likely you are not building muscle while in a deficit, unless you are an untrained beginner, or elite athlete...
I measure the circumference of my biceps and my total body fat percentage. Weight down, Body fat down, circumference up. I'm also able to curl twice the weight on twice the reps as I was when I started. If this isn't a gain, please tell me what you think it is?
If your taking creatine or most protein powders it can add size to your arms just by water retention.
You can gain strength without necessarily gaining muscle. Better form and a progressive lifting routine can do this.
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I burn 100 calories laying on the couch just breathing every hour of my life so I count my weight training as 200-300 calories per hour and it works with my life style and diet.
I have lost muscle and gained strength many times to think a larger muscle is stronger is just not correct0
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