How do you calculate calories burned for Insanity/P90X?

lucyclementmiller
lucyclementmiller Posts: 45 Member
edited September 30 in Fitness and Exercise
How do you calculate calories burned for Insanity/P90X? I'm trying to figure out how many calories I burn when doing certain dvd's and its not listed as a workout and I do not have a HRM...Suggestions?

What do those of you who do Insanity/P90X do to count those exercise calories?

Replies

  • becca92562
    becca92562 Posts: 30 Member
    Never done insanity myself but my girlfriend has it and was just telling me the other night that in a 30 min workout she burns about 250 calories
    High intensity I burn about 100 calories for every 10 min of workout
  • fb1960
    fb1960 Posts: 23
    Hi,

    I am in the midst of P90X as well and the best thing you can do here is to take the exercise and find something close to it. For instance with any of the cardio based days I'll use Aerobics listed here. Plyometricx will = high intensity aerobics, Core will equal regular aerobics, etc. I'm just using a best judgement approach and keeping in mind that this will be just an estimate of calorie burn. Hope that helps?
  • mcjabber
    mcjabber Posts: 374 Member
    I DEFINITELY recommend a HRM if you're going to seriously commit to either of these programs--as soon as I got one it really helped. The HRM readings tended to be very different from what MFP estimated.

    Without one, though, most of the P90X dvds I would think would be circuit training, maybe? The yoga is yoga, obviously. The cardio ones and Insanity... I'd say just pick an activity that seems closest. MFP might not have a Kenpo, for example, but I'm sure there's a kickboxing.

    Good luck, enjoy the programs! They're awesome!
  • MaryinBflo
    MaryinBflo Posts: 437 Member
    I use a HRM
  • jram70
    jram70 Posts: 91 Member
    You need a HRM. My calories burned varies in the P90x exercises themselves. Don't always burn the same amount.
  • KyleGA
    KyleGA Posts: 309 Member
    I use a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM), only real accurate way to determine calories burnt. Within some documentation I've read on Beachbody.com, it indicates that with each session calorie burnt is something around 600 for the P90X program. Obviously, Yoga, Ab Ripper X, Stretch will not give you that kind of calorie burn. But if you bring it for Plyo and Core Synergistics, you are probably burning more than the 600, so I guess it just works itself out.

    Insanity would be even more of a calorie burner...

    But if you really want to have an accurate count, invest in a HRM (can get them for under $100).

    Cheers and keep pressing play!
  • cobarlo14
    cobarlo14 Posts: 582 Member
    Sorry I cannot afford a HRM now.

    Any other ideas?
  • bettybakescake
    bettybakescake Posts: 2
    I've had the same question recently.... And I found a website for the P90X, but not Insanity (still looking) www.p90xcalories.com

    Enter your weight, the intensity, how many minutes and which video and it spits out a number. i think it is fairly accurate because I have been looking up the individual exercises and adding them up and it's pretty close to this calculator.
  • dwightdegroff
    dwightdegroff Posts: 97 Member
    If you cannot afford a HRM, you could try taking your pulse for 6 seconds(then multiply by 10 to get your beats per minute(bpm)) after each "set" during P90X. Get a good average heart rate for the session and then use an online calculator to determine your *estimated* burn based on those two factors.

    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

    It's not going to be as close as an HRM, but it will at least be an educated guess. :) Hope this helps.
  • NateDad
    NateDad Posts: 55
    Dwight has the right idea. If you can't afford a HRM, then you can do it the old fashioned way. It's kind of a pain, but worth it to get an accurate calorie count. If you're doing P90X or Insanity, you *need* to be eating more than MFP's base calories. They deliver serious burn.

    When I got a HRM, my calories were always higher than the 600 they suggest in the book. Maybe it's because I'm so out of shape, so my body is less efficient.

    Feel free to to look at my exercise diary for the last couple weeks for the calories I've burnt on P90X, the ones that end in "with HRM" are all exact calorie counts from my heart rate monitor. Keep in mind that I'm 175 pounds and started off from a sedentary lifestyle, so if you're a different weight or in better physical shape, your calories could differ significantly.

    And for those that say you won't burn much doing Yoga X... last week when I did Yoga X, I burned 950 calories. It is 90 minutes, after all.
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