Should I be logging my strength exercises?

andreamariexoxo
andreamariexoxo Posts: 28 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I work out for weight loss, not muscle building. But when I go to the gym I do both cardio and strength training to replace some of my fat weight with muscle weight, as well as to prevent loose skin and improve my overall fitness. I only log my cardio exercise to keep up with calorie counts. So should I even bother logging my strength exercises?

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Why wouldn’t you? You’re still burning calories, even though you really aren’t building muscle if you’re in a deficit.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I usually didn't because the calorie burn is negligible, unless I guess you do one hour of it (I never did more than 30 minutes). Or maybe 100 calories if you're hungry.

    Also, building muscle (which you can't do at a deficit) will never help with loose skin, sorry - abs don't take as much room as belly fat.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    I always have. While it doesn't burn a lot of calories, adding them certainly made a difference to my workouts. As with all calorie estimators, start conservatively, and then reassess after 4 to 6 weeks and adjust your calories accordingly. After several years of following mainly powerlifting programs, I still only burn around 150 calories per hour.

    *copied and pasted from your other thread.
  • Jadub729
    Jadub729 Posts: 135 Member
    I dont, too difficult to figure out my burn. I just let my fitbit add what it wants considering my heart rate is slightly increased while doing it it does add more than my BMR.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    I don't but do log the cardio.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited May 2018
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I usually didn't because the calorie burn is negligible, unless I guess you do one hour of it (I never did more than 30 minutes). Or maybe 100 calories if you're hungry.

    Also, building muscle (which you can't do at a deficit) will never help with loose skin, sorry - abs don't take as much room as belly fat.

    @Andreamariexoxo bear in mind that this poster is at or around maintenance so her calorie burns will be considerably lower than yours if the info on your profile is up-to-date.

    I use the "Weight training, free weights" entry in the Cardiovascular database. (The Strength Training section is just for notes, not logging exercise to get calories.)
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
    The calorie burn is pretty minor. I wear a Garmin and set it on "other" for non-running or spinning, but would not assume I could eat back what I burned and still lose weight.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    I track it, but largely because I want the Move and Exercise points and minutes on my Apple Watch. It works out to around 70 calories per 20-30 minute session, and I do it three times a week, so that average of 30 calories a day is really nothing.

    I lift to feel competent, not to get to eat more.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Sure you should!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    collectingblues wrote: »
    I track it, but largely because I want the Move and Exercise points and minutes on my Apple Watch. It works out to around 70 calories per 20-30 minute session, and I do it three times a week, so that average of 30 calories a day is really nothing.

    I lift to feel competent, not to get to eat more.

    @collectingblues what's your height and weight? (If the OP's stats are a lot different from your, that will be useful for her to know.)

  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    collectingblues wrote: »
    I track it, but largely because I want the Move and Exercise points and minutes on my Apple Watch. It works out to around 70 calories per 20-30 minute session, and I do it three times a week, so that average of 30 calories a day is really nothing.

    I lift to feel competent, not to get to eat more.

    @collectingblues what's your height and weight? (If the OP's stats are a lot different from your, that will be useful for her to know.)

    Good point. 5'4.4, ~130ish, 20% body fat.
  • AllSpiceNice
    AllSpiceNice Posts: 120 Member
    I log my strength training to help keep me on track with the frequency I work out, and my progression on reps/ weights.

    Calories burned during strength training are minimal (for me), so I don’t make any adjustments to my calorie allowance when I strength train.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    If memory serves, it estimates ~2.7 cal/min for me at 115lb, and increases linearly with weight. If you plug time into the MFP entry (under cardio) it will give you a number estimated for your current logged weight. As for logging under strength, there are much better apps/website/paper log books for tracking weight training.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    Depends how much you do. I don't do much and if I add at all I add 50cals. This does make a difference for me though because my total deficit is 150-200.
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