I see people buring over 1000 cals at the gym

13

Replies

  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    Am i doing something wrong because i usually only born 300-400 and i feel i work hard.

    if you're working hard, but it's still at a level that you know that you're going to sustain, then you're doing it right.

    it's really irrelevant what others do. other people aren't you, and you shouldn't let them dictate what your process looks like.

  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,315 Member
    I did over 1000 today, but that was 76 minutes of fairly intense cycling. Depending on how I feel later today, I might do some more for a higher daily burn. However, I don't do that every day. Usually 400 to 500 calories is a workout for me, sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more. I wanted to get in enough time to make my goal of 800 minutes cycling for the month, so I went longer today.

    Just to be clear this is not based on my HRM but on speed and cadence. I have the HR data and having used it to calculate the calories from this same sort of workout the number come out much higher probably largely due to HR drift over time. Based on my results the numbers derived from my current setup are pretty close as results match up fairly well with consuming food based on them. I would still much rather have a power meter, but they are simply out of my price range.

    I just did a quick google of power metres here in Aus, and wow! $800-$1500. You'd want to be a serious cyclist to fork out for one of those.

    I agree. Hence going with a cadence sensor which along with speed gives some good metrics for figure out how much energy was used. If I got really serious, well, then I would get power meter. Hopefully the prices will drop over time, or I can find a used one I can put on my bike for a reasonable price.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Nobody burns over 1000 calories at the gym. I used to be ultra fit. I taught boxing too. When you are extremely fit, your body can do extremely challenging exercise with great economy and without raising your pulse as highly as a big fat guy like me walking to the corner shop. I will be more tired by walking a half a mile than Mo Farah running quicker than most hobby cyclists for a few thousand meters. So the paradox is, if you're fit enough to burn 1000 calories in a gym, you most probably won't. Maybe a triathlon or marathon, but not in the gym.

    "Nobody" is nonsensical. The range of fitness is huge.

    For me 1000 calories is about 75 minutes as I'm very fit. That's measured on a professional standard power meter cycle trainer by the way.
    A friend of mine (elite national level for his age group) can cycle at my maximal hourly rate for four hours - and does that indoors too. He can also exceed my power output by 30%.

    The gym is packed at this time of year with serious athletes working hard, it's not all about fat people trying to lose weight.

    Not to mention that the idea that "the more fit you become, the fewer calories you burn" is completely wrong and *kitten*-backwards.
  • WalkingDeadFrank
    WalkingDeadFrank Posts: 124 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    The people who are burning 1000+ calories are either overestimating their output or there for 2-3 hours

    I've burn 1000+ calories at the gym and it doesn't take 2 hours either.

    That being said, I've always used my fitness watch with a strap to upload my results onto an app to view. If people are manually inputting their results, well I can see your viewpoint that they maybe overestimating their output.

    Can this app show uploaded information versus manual inputted information?
  • WalkingDeadFrank
    WalkingDeadFrank Posts: 124 Member
    As a 6'3" over 200lb guy, it's pretty easy to burn 1000+ calories in an hour of heavy exercise. Smaller people with less muscle-mass .... not so much.

    Truth with your statement.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,519 Member
    I did over 1000 today, but that was 76 minutes of fairly intense cycling. Depending on how I feel later today, I might do some more for a higher daily burn. However, I don't do that every day. Usually 400 to 500 calories is a workout for me, sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more. I wanted to get in enough time to make my goal of 800 minutes cycling for the month, so I went longer today.

    Just to be clear this is not based on my HRM but on speed and cadence. I have the HR data and having used it to calculate the calories from this same sort of workout the number come out much higher probably largely due to HR drift over time. Based on my results the numbers derived from my current setup are pretty close as results match up fairly well with consuming food based on them. I would still much rather have a power meter, but they are simply out of my price range.

    I just did a quick google of power metres here in Aus, and wow! $800-$1500. You'd want to be a serious cyclist to fork out for one of those.

    I haven't been able to justify the cost of a power metre for my training for ultra-distance rides ... maybe if I were racing ...

    Meanwhile, I just go with the calculation 100 calories for every 5 km I cycle. Interestingly, that matches Strava pretty closely and also matches MFP when I select one of the slower cycling choices.

    For walking I go with about 200 cal/hour.
  • TristaOnTrack
    TristaOnTrack Posts: 64 Member
    I think the 300-400 is totally reasonable. Then again, I think working out for 30 min to an hour max is plenty also. I've seen people that post that they burned 1,000 calories but they spent 2.5 hours on elliptical. Which by the way I am always like
  • janicelo1971
    janicelo1971 Posts: 823 Member
    edited December 2016
    nope, your doing it right! most folks burn a few hundred unless they are die hards and in the gym for hours and hours..It also depends on your size and muscle mass. I'm 5'6 and 125 pounds and burn 2-300 max for 1-2 hours working out.
    Am i doing something wrong because i usually only born 300-400 and i feel i work hard.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    It depends very much on what they're doing. A very active athletic person (competitive rower, marathoner, long distance hiker, professional dancer, etc.) can easily go 1,000 calories a session.

    But as others have said, a lot of machines over-estimate your calorie use and many people sort of not correctly estimate time, distance, speed, etc.

    Focus on YOUR plan. If you want to get to that level, awesome...but be aware of the commitment, risks, and how this will fit into your life. You may or may not want to be a gym rat. :)
  • Destinychngr
    Destinychngr Posts: 103 Member
    I wanted to respond to say that I personally do cardio walks outside up/down hills, use the Elliptical machine at the gym and easily burn off 1,000 calories a session in the process. Not bragging, just stating a fact. Last Wednesday I exceeded my goal of 1,000 calories in 65 minutes on the Elliptical machine at the gym with a 4.0 to 6.0 mph pace, depending on the resistance. My last walk outside was just over 11 miles, a 4.0 mph pace and I burned off 1,600 calories. What helps/keeps me moving/motivated the whole time is a playlist I listen to while working out - all the music has a 4.0 to 5.5 mph bass beat. Music played in the gyms is just plain boring and not motivating at all. Cardio is my favorite type of workout, it sheds weight the quickest and burns off the most calories. I also do serious strength training and have dropped 44 pounds total so far (237 to 193) in about 16 weeks. I am shooting for a goal weight of 185 with 15 pounds of muscle by summertime.
  • albertabeefy
    albertabeefy Posts: 1,169 Member
    edited December 2016
    Nobody burns over 1000 calories at the gym. I used to be ultra fit. I taught boxing too. When you are extremely fit, your body can do extremely challenging exercise with great economy and without raising your pulse as highly as a big fat guy like me walking to the corner shop. I will be more tired by walking a half a mile than Mo Farah running quicker than most hobby cyclists for a few thousand meters. So the paradox is, if you're fit enough to burn 1000 calories in a gym, you most probably won't. Maybe a triathlon or marathon, but not in the gym.
    Untrue, I do it all the time. Put a guy my size on a cycle ergometer measuring respiratory gas exchange and pushing 350w for the hour (attainable for a trained cyclist of my size) and I'll burn considerably more than that. In only an hour.

    To suggest NOBODY does this at the gym, and suggest that even if they're fit enough to do so that they probably won't is nonsensical.
  • AdamAthletic
    AdamAthletic Posts: 2,985 Member
    It depends greatly.
    The thing that matters more than numbers is 'results'.

    My athletes (I train people for competitions), have the ability to burn 2-3-4 thousand calories a day - just two days ago I did a 20 mile run at 3am up some very steep roads in the UK Yorkshire moors and the combined total from my various HRM devices put my burn at 2400(ish).
    The thing is, unless hitting these number will be productive to what I want them to do - I don't get them to do it.

    Concentrate more on the heart rate zone you're training at, your calorific deficit and for tone - the strength/resistance methods you're using.

    Hitting high numbers CAN be productive but ONLY if it actually ties to a goal or you generally enjoy it.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I wanted to respond to say that I personally do cardio walks outside up/down hills, use the Elliptical machine at the gym and easily burn off 1,000 calories a session in the process. Not bragging, just stating a fact. Last Wednesday I exceeded my goal of 1,000 calories in 65 minutes on the Elliptical machine at the gym with a 4.0 to 6.0 mph pace, depending on the resistance. My last walk outside was just over 11 miles, a 4.0 mph pace and I burned off 1,600 calories. What helps/keeps me moving/motivated the whole time is a playlist I listen to while working out - all the music has a 4.0 to 5.5 mph bass beat. Music played in the gyms is just plain boring and not motivating at all. Cardio is my favorite type of workout, it sheds weight the quickest and burns off the most calories. I also do serious strength training and have dropped 44 pounds total so far (237 to 193) in about 16 weeks. I am shooting for a goal weight of 185 with 15 pounds of muscle by summertime.

    You are aiming to gain 15 lbs of muscle in 6 months while losing weight?
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    I burn a 1000 calories running in just over an hour. That's according to my Fitbit and my HRM.

    Are you gaining/losing/maintaining the weight you want? That's the real key. If your device says you burned 1000 calories and you eat them back, do you still get the results you want?
  • Destinychngr
    Destinychngr Posts: 103 Member
    Singingflutelady:

    To clarify, I apologize, my first goal is to be at 185 and I have 8 pounds to go. Once I achieve that my trainer and I are going to concentrate on getting me bulked up with muscle. It will take longer than I want, but change is a process not an event :)
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I do not do gym at all, I do it all on my own, I easily can do 1000 a day, cardio rocks! outside only

    Me too. And "exercise" is the icing on the cake.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    I think you are looking at this wrong. You don't go to the gym to see how many calories you can burn. You go to the gym for physical fitness. It is very hard to burn a significant number of calories on typical gym machines without spending a large portion of you day doing it (unless you are very obese).

    Use the gym to make yourself stronger and feel better. To lose weight, focus more on your calorie intake.

    FWIW, I have to run 10 miles to burn 1000 calories. At a normal (non race) pace that is nearly 2 hours of running.

    People go to the gym for any number of reasons. I think telling another person what their goals should and shouldn't be without knowing them is looking at it wrong.

    Losing weight alone will make you stronger and healthier. If you don't believe me, look at the guy who lost 60 pounds eating nothing but McDonalds for a year, it improved his cholesterol and other health markers. To lose weight, you need to focus on your calorie deficit; your intake is only part of that, your outflow is the other part. People are allowed to balance in and out however they see fit, because there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer.
  • d_waters
    d_waters Posts: 11 Member
    I burn 1500 in 24 hours just living and breathing:) doing a wod at the box gives me a nice 300 call burn
  • DEBOO7
    DEBOO7 Posts: 245 Member
    Isn't it more about the quality of the work out? Personally I see little point in spending 2-3 hours working out every day unless you are a finely tuned athlete!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    d_waters wrote: »
    I burn 1500 in 24 hours just living and breathing:) doing a wod at the box gives me a nice 300 call burn

    Doing a what at the what?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    DEBOO7 wrote: »
    Isn't it more about the quality of the work out? Personally I see little point in spending 2-3 hours working out every day unless you are a finely tuned athlete!

    I'm far from a finely tuned athlete, snort! But i spend 2-3 hours walking most days, I'm very fortunate to have the time to do it. Plus it's the only exercise that i actually enjoy doing, which helps a lot.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Nobody burns over 1000 calories at the gym. I used to be ultra fit. I taught boxing too. When you are extremely fit, your body can do extremely challenging exercise with great economy and without raising your pulse as highly as a big fat guy like me walking to the corner shop. I will be more tired by walking a half a mile than Mo Farah running quicker than most hobby cyclists for a few thousand meters. So the paradox is, if you're fit enough to burn 1000 calories in a gym, you most probably won't. Maybe a triathlon or marathon, but not in the gym.

    This is misrepresenting the whole efficiency effect. Yes, you get more efficient, but walking say 2 miles will burn pretty much the same amount of calories for both fit and unfit individuals whose stats are otherwise the same. To take your example, if you adjusted for the differences in weight between you and Mo Farah, you would find that the walk for a half mile burned very similar amounts of calories because the work needed to do it is the same. The difference it Mo is far more fit than you are so he would be less tired. There is some reduction in burn with increased efficiency, but not as much as you see to think. This is even more true with cycling. Put a power meter on a bike and you have a very accurate number of calories burned, and again, the change with increased efficiency won't change that, what does change is how far a person travels since they say, are not wandering all over the road.

    Putting a power meter on my bike did more to change my understanding of cycling and exercise than anything else I've ever done. Maybe more than everything else I've done.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,315 Member
    Nobody burns over 1000 calories at the gym. I used to be ultra fit. I taught boxing too. When you are extremely fit, your body can do extremely challenging exercise with great economy and without raising your pulse as highly as a big fat guy like me walking to the corner shop. I will be more tired by walking a half a mile than Mo Farah running quicker than most hobby cyclists for a few thousand meters. So the paradox is, if you're fit enough to burn 1000 calories in a gym, you most probably won't. Maybe a triathlon or marathon, but not in the gym.

    This is misrepresenting the whole efficiency effect. Yes, you get more efficient, but walking say 2 miles will burn pretty much the same amount of calories for both fit and unfit individuals whose stats are otherwise the same. To take your example, if you adjusted for the differences in weight between you and Mo Farah, you would find that the walk for a half mile burned very similar amounts of calories because the work needed to do it is the same. The difference it Mo is far more fit than you are so he would be less tired. There is some reduction in burn with increased efficiency, but not as much as you see to think. This is even more true with cycling. Put a power meter on a bike and you have a very accurate number of calories burned, and again, the change with increased efficiency won't change that, what does change is how far a person travels since they say, are not wandering all over the road.

    Putting a power meter on my bike did more to change my understanding of cycling and exercise than anything else I've ever done. Maybe more than everything else I've done.

    I wish either I could justify the cost, or that the prices would come down some more.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    DEBOO7 wrote: »
    Isn't it more about the quality of the work out? Personally I see little point in spending 2-3 hours working out every day unless you are a finely tuned athlete!

    Think of an activity you like doing. Would you spend 2-3 hours on it everyday?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    DEBOO7 wrote: »
    Isn't it more about the quality of the work out? Personally I see little point in spending 2-3 hours working out every day unless you are a finely tuned athlete!

    Think of an activity you like doing. Would you spend 2-3 hours on it everyday?

    Watching telly.... oh yes!!!
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    DEBOO7 wrote: »
    Isn't it more about the quality of the work out? Personally I see little point in spending 2-3 hours working out every day unless you are a finely tuned athlete!

    Think of an activity you like doing. Would you spend 2-3 hours on it everyday?

    Watching telly.... oh yes!!!

    I laughed a little too hard at this :laugh:
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Nobody burns over 1000 calories at the gym. I used to be ultra fit. I taught boxing too. When you are extremely fit, your body can do extremely challenging exercise with great economy and without raising your pulse as highly as a big fat guy like me walking to the corner shop. I will be more tired by walking a half a mile than Mo Farah running quicker than most hobby cyclists for a few thousand meters. So the paradox is, if you're fit enough to burn 1000 calories in a gym, you most probably won't. Maybe a triathlon or marathon, but not in the gym.

    This is misrepresenting the whole efficiency effect. Yes, you get more efficient, but walking say 2 miles will burn pretty much the same amount of calories for both fit and unfit individuals whose stats are otherwise the same. To take your example, if you adjusted for the differences in weight between you and Mo Farah, you would find that the walk for a half mile burned very similar amounts of calories because the work needed to do it is the same. The difference it Mo is far more fit than you are so he would be less tired. There is some reduction in burn with increased efficiency, but not as much as you see to think. This is even more true with cycling. Put a power meter on a bike and you have a very accurate number of calories burned, and again, the change with increased efficiency won't change that, what does change is how far a person travels since they say, are not wandering all over the road.

    Putting a power meter on my bike did more to change my understanding of cycling and exercise than anything else I've ever done. Maybe more than everything else I've done.

    And of course you spent the 2 grand :)
  • Supawilkins
    Supawilkins Posts: 10 Member
    You have to speed your intensity up and lift heavier weights. When I say heavier weights I mean if you are squatting 105 pounds for sets of 10 try squatting 135 for 8-10 reps and find a spotter. Utilize body weight movements such as box jumps, pushups, mountain climbers or ropes to push the body into fatigue. When your body is fatigued and you are able to keep pushing this means you are shocking the body which equals to more calories burnt. Remember keep your workouts simple but try and do a circuit the whole time. The less breaks the better.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    ....you are shocking the body which equals to more calories burnt

    Oh? Care to provide some sources on how to burn 1000 calories doing that?
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    The people who are burning 1000+ calories are either overestimating their output or there for 2-3 hours
    This. The only time I've burned that much is half marathons