Burning calories while giving a massage

i ama new LMT and just started work at a spa. i average 3-5 50 min massage three days a week. i weigh 220 and am 5'1" and a few different online sources says i would burn on average around 328 for a 50 min, ~500 for a two hour. when i track it in my apps though i always deduct 50-100 (easy/hard days) cal from what the calculators say just because everyone diferent, and i want to know im burning the right amount.

for people who say its not a work out. it IS. evening after training for 8 months, you work your quads, glutes, and are moving your whole body to do the work (properly). i work up a sweat depending on work requested. if its deep tissue im practically dripping. that two hr med-deep? I had to keep a towel on me to wipe off sweat!

Hey People,

I'm an Aussie Remedial Massage Therapist (CMT in US?) - who is studying Exercise Physiology & is a practising Personal Trainer. I run my own business out of GreenZone Gym.

Long story short - I was tired all the time. Guess why? (Look below - I'm also a Lecturer, forgive me)

Conservative estimate below -

Weight: - 58kg/128lb
Height: 167cm/5"7
Calorie intake: 1500-1800 per day
BMR: 1280 kcal
Total daily calorie burn except BMR:
200-360kcal per client = x6 clients = 1200kcal conservatively
Workout = 500 kcal
Daily movements = 800 kcal

Total Estimated Calories output: 3780 kcal.

No wonder I'm exhausted. So, I made a 6 pack challenge with my housemate as to whom could get the better 6 pack in six weeks. (Note: I wanted to prove that a 6 pack is difficult & painful to maintain - I proved myself wrong, which was a fantastic learning curve. I've been training for years and don't distribute fat around my abdominal, so there are many factors in play here.)

Week 1 = 60kg = 1500kcal per day (23-25% body fat)
Week 2 = 60kg = 1700kcal
Week 3 = 60kg = 1900kcal(20% BF)
Week 4 = 59kg = 2100kcal(19-20% BF)
Week 5 = 59kg = 2300kcal (six pack clearly visible)
Week 6 = 58kg = 2500kcal (18% BF)

I dropped 5% body fat into 18% total, only losing 2kg in total body mass. My strength and vitality overall increased also.

Now I eat an easy 2100kcal per day, eating the same on the weekend off to recover lost energy. Turns out I can put on muscle, sleep better, move better, less brain fog all with just slowly increasing my calories & eating high quality nutrient-dense, low GI food.

I experiment alot with my body, and always trend towards supporting it than judging it. If I'm hungry - I eat. I also do fasted cardio in the morning too.

drasr wrote: »

A good HRM can help calculate those calories. But since you are not doing something that elevates your Heart Rate by a significant amount, most likely you won't be burning too many calories. Though you will be building more muscle which may indirectly help.

I'm an LMT with a heart rate monitor. My heart rate goes up to about 125 during a massage, and I bust a sweat every time. Extra deodorant is always necessary, lol. I burn about 3000 calories a day when I'm at work.

This is a very old thread. There is some bad advice in the old posts, as is often the case with old threads.

Heart rate monitors can tend to over-estimate calories for activities involving strength/strain (internal pressure drives up heart rate, but doesn't as much affect oxygen requirements; it's oxygen demand that correlates with energy expenditure - heart rate is just a proxy), IMU.

The Compendium of Physical Activities**, a science-based site, lists standing massage at 4.0 METS (though this is an estimated rather than research-based number). This is similar to the METS value for power yoga, among other things, so maybe the yoga idea wasn't crazy.

** On this page: https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/Activity-Categories/occupation