Strength training only burns 110 calories?
marisaleib5086
Posts: 16 Member
According to my fitness pal strength training/weight lifting only burns 110 calories in a 45/50 minute session? Is this accurate? I usually perform 8-9 exercises with 4 sets of 8 reps on days I’m lifting heavy and 12 reps if I’m lifting moderately heavy. If I’m only burning 110 calories that seems like all of my hard work during my gym session is worth nothing.
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Replies
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That sounds about right for the calorie burn. But your hard work isn't for nothing - you need to think of it in wider terms than just a calorie burn. It's helping retain muscle/lean body mass while you lose fat and making you both stronger and more aesthetic.
Many people who don't do some form of strength training while losing weight find that they arrive at their goal weight looking like a smaller version of what they were before instead of achieving the transformation they imagined/desired.18 -
You weight train to strengthen and build muscle. Any calorie burn is a bonus. I think 110 cals would be about right.
In general, your eating will give you the most bang for your buck for weight loss. Exercise is for health, fitness, and body shape, and can burn some extra calories, but not as many as most workout commercials and pop fitness writers would have you believe.12 -
If you're doing it just for the calorie burn, then yes, you are wasting your time. If you want to look sexy naked and be stronger, keep it up and don't concern yourself with the calorie burn. There are some great reasons to strength train, calorie burn is not at the top of the list.14
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In the long run, building muscle will increase BMR very slightly.
In the short term, cardio > weight lifting (even if supersetting non-stop) in terms of sheer time spent doing each.3 -
It doesn't burn much, but will transform your body in ways cardio never will. Not to mention health benefits of stronger muscles, tendons and bones. Less risk for osteoporosis and falls as we age.10
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It makes me wonder why people cycle their carbs on training and non training days,
You burn more calories doing the weekly shop at the supermarket.
Perhaps they should cycle their carbs on shopping and non shopping days.
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It makes me wonder why people cycle their carbs on training and non training days,
You burn more calories doing the weekly shop at the supermarket.
Perhaps they should cycle their carbs on shopping and non shopping days.
For me it's not about calories but the carbs. I feel and perform better with more carbs on my lifting days especially around my workouts.
Also with 4 leg days a week I need those extra cals 4 -
I log weight training in "map my fitness", sinc it with mfp; it gives me many more calories (I wanna say around 400per hour) than mfp. I eat them all back most days and I have yet to gain weight, yet I'm recomping so this is what I'm going for.3
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I do a heavy superset/circuit based routine just now and for an hour my Fitbit is saying 450-538 calories burnt. I pretty much don’t stop so my heart rate is always in my fat burning zone. Obviously Fitbit figures could be a lot of *kitten* but I didn’t realise calorie burn for traditional lifting was so low.
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Strength training definitely isn’t for the calorie burn...but covers all the other benefits already mentioned. Stick with it!
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The purpose of strength training is not to burn calories3
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For my stats, I only burn 55 calories in the 25 minutes i strength train. That's enough to cover my coffee creamer lol. But like others have said, it's not done for calorie burning. Personally I love the ache and exhaustion after a strength workout. I follow up with running, but I prioritize doing strength first.1
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Cardio is for calories, strength training is for function and form.
(I mean, yes, training for a specific sport gives you cardio function and form, but you get what I'm saying.)2 -
Yep my calorie burn, according to my fit bit is approx 70-80 Cals for 45 mins. Doesn’t even cover my pre workout banana 😂. But I do it because I enjoy lifting and trust that the process will get me to my goals0
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flowerhorsey wrote: »I log weight training in "map my fitness", sinc it with mfp; it gives me many more calories (I wanna say around 400per hour) than mfp. I eat them all back most days and I have yet to gain weight, yet I'm recomping so this is what I'm going for.
Samsung health does the same2 -
moogie_fit wrote: »flowerhorsey wrote: »I log weight training in "map my fitness", sinc it with mfp; it gives me many more calories (I wanna say around 400per hour) than mfp. I eat them all back most days and I have yet to gain weight, yet I'm recomping so this is what I'm going for.
Samsung health does the same
@moogie_fit - You saw that pic, too? (referencing something that @Keto_Vampire posted....microwave....not sure if you saw it so this might make ABSOLUTELY no sense...).0 -
If you're lifting heavy, I honestly don't think the MFP "you burned X calories so you have Y remaining" approach is all that useful. It's too hard to estimate what your level of effort was. If none of your lifts are close to body weight you won't burn that many, but moving ten or twenty thousand pounds of weight in an hour or so at the gym imposes some costs on your body.
I use the TDEE method and a Charge HR; my outcomes are body measurements and progression in my lifts. Is my weight doing what it ought to do? Are my lifts squashing me halfway through my warmup sets? I look at that sort of thing and adjust my intake accordingly.1 -
marisaleib5086 wrote: »According to my fitness pal strength training/weight lifting only burns 110 calories in a 45/50 minute session? Is this accurate? I usually perform 8-9 exercises with 4 sets of 8 reps on days I’m lifting heavy and 12 reps if I’m lifting moderately heavy. If I’m only burning 110 calories that seems like all of my hard work during my gym session is worth nothing.
Sounds about right...I get around 160 or so. Exercise and lifting is for more than just burning calories...regular exercise results in better aesthetics and is huge where overall health is concerned. If you're just exercising for calorie burns, you're missing the boat.
Cardio is going to give you a higher calorie burn and is good for your cardiovascular health. Lifting doesn't burn as many calories, but it preserves and builds muscle mass and keeps your bones strong and healthy and allows you to do other daily things that could otherwise prove difficult.3 -
marisaleib5086 wrote: »According to my fitness pal strength training/weight lifting only burns 110 calories in a 45/50 minute session? Is this accurate? I usually perform 8-9 exercises with 4 sets of 8 reps on days I’m lifting heavy and 12 reps if I’m lifting moderately heavy. If I’m only burning 110 calories that seems like all of my hard work during my gym session is worth nothing.
It's not for nothing. Think about it, the more muscle mass you obtain the more calories you burn naturally without effort.0 -
I burn about 300 for 2 hours of powerlifting. If I get a little "fat," I cut back on calories a little and/or add in a little cardio. It works like magic (it's not magic)...
Lifting is for gainz not calories.4
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