Karate/Martial Arts - Exercise Calories

grabbajava
grabbajava Posts: 7 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am just getting back into logging my calories in/calories out. I practice Karate twice a week and I'm trying to come up with a realistic estimate of calorie burned during practice. We are not allowed to wear any accessories so a heart rate monitor or a fit-bit won't help. Every practice has a different intensity level so I am thinking of having a standard to record each practice based on the intensity.

A practice with heavy kihon and kata would be high intensity while one where you work on grappling and holds would be low intensity.

Each practice is 90 mins but the first twenty minutes are spent warming up and stretching.

Does anyone have any a strategy or a guide that they used?

Replies

  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
    What style do you train? I'm retired but for over 15 years I trained in Gosoku-ryu which is similar to Shotokan. Heavy kihon and kata will give you the highest calories burned for sure. I'd estimate it at comparable to 80 to 90 percent of a challenging kettlebell workout or 85 to 95 percent of burpees, minute for minute.

    You could wear a heart rate monitor and get the benefit of that information but tell your sparring partner that your chest is off limits if you're wearing a chest strap monitor.

    Enjoy yourself, I know I did and have many pleasant memories.
  • grabbajava
    grabbajava Posts: 7 Member
    I am practicing Shotokan - I have been doing it for a year and half. I burn about 350-400 calories doing an elliptical at the gym for 30 mins so I can use that to gauge intensity at practice
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
    Shotokan is great and the lower stances will build leg strength and burn more calories. You'll find if you stick with it that the kata Kanku Dai will in itself be a good calorie burn. Enjoy your training and obey your Sensei, Osu!
  • grabbajava
    grabbajava Posts: 7 Member
    How many calories do you think I burned doing 2019 Oizuki?
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
    If your stances was low and intensity high, only possible by doing with multiple sets, I’d use burpees as an equivalent activity to estimate. If you mean 2,019 reps, that sure seems excessive. Guard your elbows and avoid lockout at full extension.
  • peppermintcaroline
    peppermintcaroline Posts: 151 Member
    I usually estimate it as cardio, around 300-400 calories per hour, but I am in a duel heavy FMA stick fighting and knife fighting program. Movement is constant with explosive lunges/attacks/evasions.
  • grabbajava
    grabbajava Posts: 7 Member
    2019 reps - dojo tradition to do this as the first practice of the year . As Sensei says "2019 opportunities to correct your form". Its not high intensity. I counted it as 250 calories to be conservative.
  • bobsheepturtle108
    bobsheepturtle108 Posts: 1 Member
    For reference, as someone who practices goju-ryu karate in a weighted gi at 5kg dry, I logged 35 minutes of kata and warm up including pressups, lunges, karate basics etc, at 260 calories. Hope this helps, it was recorded using a garmin watch.
  • amazingstace1
    amazingstace1 Posts: 1 Member
    I am allowed to wear a fitbit. I do goju ryu. On heavy training days for 2 hrs, including warmups, kihon, moving basics and kata, I burn over 1000. On slow "learning a new kata" type of days it is 500-600. I am 5 10 185 and 48 yrs old.
  • grabbajava
    grabbajava Posts: 7 Member
    Right now I am counting 250 calories per hour on light days which is lots on instruction, 400 calories on medium which has some kihon and kata with other instruction and 500 on heavy kihon, I am being conservative with my estimates.
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
    grabbajava wrote: »
    Right now I am counting 250 calories per hour on light days which is lots on instruction, 400 calories on medium which has some kihon and kata with other instruction and 500 on heavy kihon, I am being conservative with my estimates.

    I agree you are being conservative and there’s nothing wrong with that. Our world in which we live isn’t as precise as we can led to believe. Time will tell the truth at the scale and improved body appearance/strength.

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