Frustrated with this app - strength training

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LaurenHering
LaurenHering Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
So am I missing something.. or does this app NOT calculate any of your strength exercises , as it does with cardio?? I love it otherwise.

Thoughts - Comments?

Replies

  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Search for strength training under cardio same as you would other exercises.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I asked the same question when I started. Just type in "strength training" where you log cardio and you will get it. I find the value is very very low though.
  • eddie8131
    eddie8131 Posts: 600 Member
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    I think what you mean is that it doesn't calculate or have a spot for calories burned for strength training exercises. Perhaps you could create a custom exercise such as cardio / leg day and just put a combined number (assuming you know the number for the weightlifing part). I think some people just wear their HRM while lifting.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I think what you mean is that it doesn't calculate or have a spot for calories burned for strength training exercises. Perhaps you could create a custom exercise such as cardio / leg day and just put a combined number (assuming you know the number for the weightlifing part). I think some people just wear their HRM while lifting.

    But it does. If you go to Cardiovascular, click add exercise and search for strength training, it gives you calories burned
  • sjackson902
    sjackson902 Posts: 154 Member
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    Strength training is so different for everyone. If you have one, or can get one, try using a HRM to gauge your exertion. I've found that the calories for strength training exercises in MFP are much less than what my HRM reports.

    I just created a cardio exercise called "strength training" and log my calories with that.
  • eddie8131
    eddie8131 Posts: 600 Member
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    I think what you mean is that it doesn't calculate or have a spot for calories burned for strength training exercises. Perhaps you could create a custom exercise such as cardio / leg day and just put a combined number (assuming you know the number for the weightlifing part). I think some people just wear their HRM while lifting.

    But it does. If you go to Cardiovascular, click add exercise and search for strength training, it gives you calories burned

    Thanks for the tip, I would never have found that. .
  • fitnesswhitness
    fitnesswhitness Posts: 4
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    I think that MFP doesn't calculate a whole lot since you really don't burn a TON of calories weigh training unless you're REALLY pumping it (circuit training), or lifting EXTREMELY heavy. In my experience, weight training is great for aesthetics, but it isn't a huge calorie burner, that's why a combination of the two is ideal.
  • qtcaro
    qtcaro Posts: 48 Member
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    I had that issue this morning. Added the workout under cardio as suggested... Just wonder why that even have the strength training tool there if you can not use it to track teh cals... I'm still new so I may just not have figured it out yet.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    The strength training section is to record weights, reps and sets. Use the cardio section to record the calories that you are burning.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    It's very difficult to calculate calorie burn for resistance training. Also, people saying use an HRM, bad idea, HRM's are used to measure aerobic exercises, and can't accurately measure the calorie burn from resistance training, as it's an anaerobic activity, and burns calories in a completely different method, that doesn't correlate at all with heart rate.

    HRM's are only useful for steady state cardio.

    Anyway, figuring out the caloric burn from strength training would be next to impossible with an online formula. Way too many variables, you have to take into account exact speed of each rep, range of motion, weight, number of reps, resting periods, etc. You can get a very rough estimate under cardio for it, but that's as good as it gets, unfortunately.

    Keep in mind also, the actual weight lifting doesn't burn a whole lot of calories, it's the metabolism boost you get over the next couple days that's the real weight loss help.
  • kymom75
    kymom75 Posts: 2
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    I go to Curves for my exercising with doing the Elliptical at work sometimes. Curves is resistance/circuit training. They just started doing a program called Curves Smart where you have a little card you put into each machine and it records how you did with Range of Motion, Energy, Cardio and Reps. When you are finished, you go over to the computer put your card in and it pulls up how you did on the machines. My question is Curves shows me burning over 400 cals each time but my HRM shows me burning 300. I was told to use what my HRM says for calories burned. I just read tigersword comment about this and now I question this. What is correct? Should i look at what the computer at Curves has me at or what my HRM says? I don't want to cheat myself out of the calories burned! I'm open for opinions please!!
  • LaurenHering
    LaurenHering Posts: 3
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    Thanks Everyone!

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