Cadio calories vs Strength Training calories ???

photo_kyla
photo_kyla Posts: 322 Member
edited October 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, I'm confused.

First, I go to Curves for Women. It's circuit training with 30 seconds of cadio (jogging in place) and then 30 seconds of strength training. They have a fancy system (the official name is Curves Smart) where you put you tag in each machine and it records your range of motion and number of reps. The standard workout is 2 times around the circuit (approx 30 minutes) and that is all the tag counts, no matter how much extra you do.

I just got a heart rate monitor (Polar FT7) and wore it for the first time today. After 2 rounds it said my calorie burn was 236, but when I checked out with the Curves Smart tag, the computer said I'd burned 479. That's twice as much!

I asked the trainer about the difference and she said "that's because the heart rate monitor just measures cardio calories and our system measures the kinetic calories from the strength training part. If you run for an hour you might burn 200 calories, but if you lift weights for that long, you'll burn 6-700 even though the heart rate stays the same."

Is there any truth to this? What number do I use? I thought the heart rate monitor was going to make counting easier...

Replies

  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    I don't know anyone who only burns 200 calories doing an hour of running. HRM's have trouble with logging calories from lifting weights, but I'm like 99.9% sure that cardio burns more calories than strength training. That 600-700 for an hour of lifting vs 200 for an hour of running is garbage. If anything I'd say it's the opposite. Honestly, for 30 minutes of working out, I think 236 is closer to the mark than 479. Unless you're quite heavy like me, 479 calories in 30 minutes is tough to achieve unless you're doing solid cardio.

    My $0.02
  • jess3012
    jess3012 Posts: 47
    i would take the reading my hrm said! i carn't see you burning 479 in 30mins, but i maybe wrong!
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    1. I've never heard of "kinetic calories." I googled it, and got hits related to mobile phones. So it sounds suspect to me.

    2. I burn about 500 calories running for an hour. And my heart rate is way higher than when I lift.

    So in summary, I wouldn't believe anything that comes out of that trainer's mouth, and I'd go with the 236 number.
  • 10fairywings
    10fairywings Posts: 136 Member
    If you do weights properly it can not only use up more calories than cardio by far, it also carries on burning them for a longer period. By far the best way to go to see change rather than just feel it!
  • Sarah0866
    Sarah0866 Posts: 291 Member
    As far as I know, cardio burns more calories in the moment, but doesn't keep your metabolic rate elevated post-workout as much as strength training does, so a blanace between the two is great...I do cardio everyday with one light or recovery day, and strength train 3-4 times a week. Hope this helps! :)
  • EMc4452
    EMc4452 Posts: 187 Member
    This doesnt sound right at all. Im not expert, but 236 sounds right to me for 30 minutes of circuit training. This person that told you that you burn 200 calories while running an hour is nuts. Just sayin... The strength training calories depends on what your heart rate is doing...if you are working in intervals with litle rest, your heart rate is probably elevated, which would make sense that you burn similiar calories strength traiing as you would doing cardio. If you are doing strength training with rest in between sets, you normally wont burn as much.
  • j_courter
    j_courter Posts: 999 Member
    i've been thinking about this lately myself... when i cut out strength training and just did cardio i totally stopped losing weight. while it is true that you initially burn more calories doing cardio, i believe strength training gives you a slower burn, but one that lasts beyond your workout.

    i know that's not much help and i'm sure there are far more scientific reasons, but i'm interested in hearing from someone more knowledgeable...
  • sallyv22
    sallyv22 Posts: 22
    Even doing circuit training ( weights non stop), cardio is burning 2x the calories.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    "Kinetic Calories" --that's awesome.

    Say it with a straight face and it sounds like it actually means something.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Just curious. Is the tag recording your height/weight info? I think I understand the trainer to be saying that the tag is tracking the number of calories burned from exercise in addition to your standard BMR calories. If the tag doesn't somehow keep track of your height/weight then that is not possible.
  • photo_kyla
    photo_kyla Posts: 322 Member
    Just curious. Is the tag recording your height/weight info? I think I understand the trainer to be saying that the tag is tracking the number of calories burned from exercise in addition to your standard BMR calories. If the tag doesn't somehow keep track of your height/weight then that is not possible.

    Yes, both systems keep track of height, weight, age, and gender
  • istalkzombies
    istalkzombies Posts: 344 Member
    hmmmm this is interseting, must read more studies on it sounds kind of fishy
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    i've been thinking about this lately myself... when i cut out strength training and just did cardio i totally stopped losing weight. while it is true that you initially burn more calories doing cardio, i believe strength training gives you a slower burn, but one that lasts beyond your workout.

    i know that's not much help and i'm sure there are far more scientific reasons, but i'm interested in hearing from someone more knowledgeable...

    You can get the same thing doing interval training as your cardio. With strength training muscle burns more calories than fat, which helps, but it also burns calories repairing the tissue after you break it down lifting. Least that's my understanding of the process.

    All things considered, cardio burns more than lifting, but that doesn't mean that strength training doesn't help with losing weight.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Just curious. Is the tag recording your height/weight info? I think I understand the trainer to be saying that the tag is tracking the number of calories burned from exercise in addition to your standard BMR calories. If the tag doesn't somehow keep track of your height/weight then that is not possible.

    Yes, both systems keep track of height, weight, age, and gender

    Okay. I haven't had much luck with HRM's so I don't know. Does the HRM display just the calories earned from the added exercise? Or is it also counting the calories involved in anabolic metabolism as well?
  • AZTrailRunner
    AZTrailRunner Posts: 1,199 Member
    My Tempo run the other night burned over 700 calories in 35 minutes (7:00mm the entire time). That is an extremely consistent burn rate since buying my HRM several months ago.

    My 55 minute kettlebell routine (which is insanely brutal by the way, with virtually no time for recovery), burns maybe 350 calories in the same 35 minutes.

    My personal little study shows cardio dominates strength training for in-the-moment calorie burn. Why? The run keeps my HR much higher, and for longer than weight training.

    It is reported that strength training continues to burn calories for hours after the workout, but from what I've read, it's not a whole lot of extra calories.... something like 50. I would love to read otherwise so I can adjust for my calorie burn in my exercise diary.
    Just my $0.02.
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    so I Googled this Curves Smart system and my head hurts now.. so from what I gathered it's like how some excercise machines have a "calories burned" tracking right? like my gym has eptilicals that will track your heart rate if you hold the handles. also if you put in your stats it will track calories burned. except with this tag thing you don't have to input your stats, it does it for you if I understand correctly. everything I've read concerning this, a HRM will always be more accurate.
    I still trust a HRM more. it's tracking you and how hard you work.
  • gatorflyer
    gatorflyer Posts: 536 Member
    I'm no expert but I would trust the HRM. The machines just don't account for you specifically, they are sort of an average person with your height, weight, etc. While I would love to think that I could go lift weights for a short while and burn 700 calories, it just doesn't add up for me. I'm more inclined to think that combining weights with cardio during your workout helps you burn more calories than just doing cardio alone, but the HRM still will show the increase in calorie burn more consistently (an IMHO more accurately) than any machine in a gym.
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