strength training/calories burned?

rockerchic1879
rockerchic1879 Posts: 28
edited November 11 in Fitness and Exercise
Please excuse me if this has been recently brought up but I'm more of a cardio-type girl but want to start using more exercise machines to strengthen my arms and legs up--how do u know how many calories u burn off by doing these? it's not like the cardio machines--where they digitally tell u precisely the calories burned. It's just a thought that was circling my brain today, LOL

Thanks

Replies

  • Heidi64
    Heidi64 Posts: 211 Member
    I know a lot of people say MFP over estimates calories burned, but under your exercise tab, you can search "Strength training" and put in the number of minutes you lifted weights to get your calorie burn number.
  • Kristinemomof3
    Kristinemomof3 Posts: 636 Member
    I would really not trust the cardio counters either, they usually don't take into account you height, weight or sex, which all make a difference.
  • MDWilliams1857
    MDWilliams1857 Posts: 315 Member
    MFP actually under estimates the cals I burn. I use a HRM.
  • Cheryllion
    Cheryllion Posts: 4 Member
    The best thing to do is find a good calculator online that asks for things like height, body weight, minutes performed, distance, speed, weights used, etc. Hard to find. My Fitness Pal doesn't award calories for weight training, just for cardio. If you're using a cardio machine, it's good to try to use one that has you enter personal info, then lets you know what you're burning as you use it. For walking and running, there are good calculators online. If you want to include calories burned during weight training, I haven't seen a calculator for that online. You can make a guess, but if you guess high and then eat all the "earned" calories, you could end up gaining weight every day. It's almost best to leave it as-is (not counting strength calories) so that your guesses don't do you wrong.

    here is a simple one that includes weights: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

    here is a good one for walking/running that gives a bout the same readouts as my treadmill/elliptical: http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html
  • Cheryllion
    Cheryllion Posts: 4 Member
    Here are some (probably pricey) monitors that let you know the calories you burn throughout the day: http://www.lifewhile.com/health/17703179/detail.html
  • rockerchic1879
    rockerchic1879 Posts: 28
    The best thing to do is find a good calculator online that asks for things like height, body weight, minutes performed, distance, speed, weights used, etc. Hard to find. My Fitness Pal doesn't award calories for weight training, just for cardio. If you're using a cardio machine, it's good to try to use one that has you enter personal info, then lets you know what you're burning as you use it. For walking and running, there are good calculators online. If you want to include calories burned during weight training, I haven't seen a calculator for that online. You can make a guess, but if you guess high and then eat all the "earned" calories, you could end up gaining weight every day. It's almost best to leave it as-is (not counting strength calories) so that your guesses don't do you wrong.

    here is a simple one that includes weights: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

    here is a good one for walking/running that gives a bout the same readouts as my treadmill/elliptical: http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html


    Thanks for the info!
    The gym I go too has all those top of the line equipment and yes it asks me to input height, weight, all that...I was just not sure about those other machines but I'm sure one day they will have the calorie burner units on those as well, LOL
  • rockerchic1879
    rockerchic1879 Posts: 28
    I know a lot of people say MFP over estimates calories burned, but under your exercise tab, you can search "Strength training" and put in the number of minutes you lifted weights to get your calorie burn number.

    I will try that route, thank u...and saw ur ticker (WOW, great weight loss and oh such a cutie!)
  • Heidi64
    Heidi64 Posts: 211 Member
    *QUOTE I will try that route, thank u...and saw ur ticker (WOW, great weight loss and oh such a cutie!)*UNQUOTE

    Thank-you! MFP has been a great tool. The pic on the ticker is my grandson. Love him!!:smooched:
  • sportyskylar
    sportyskylar Posts: 149
    MFP actually under estimates the cals I burn. I use a HRM.

    Agreed
  • Heidi64
    Heidi64 Posts: 211 Member
    MFP actually under estimates the cals I burn. I use a HRM.

    Agreed

    COOL! MFP is all I've used for the past year. I suppose it's worked OK for me. :tongue:
  • ameyer410
    ameyer410 Posts: 32
    MFP actually under estimates the cals I burn. I use a HRM.

    Agreed


    You actually cannot use a HRM to accurately count calories when STRENGTH training. Only for cardio. Your HRM is counting your heart rate, but not the amount of oxygen your muscles consume. Here is a more in-depth explanation from one source:

    http://www.sparkpeople.com/community/ask_the_experts.asp?q=75

    Just think about it - I work out with a HRM everyday, and I may have a max HR of 200 when I am bench-pressing my max capacity and working hard, or sprinting at a speed of 12mph. A HRM will record calorie burn as the same because of your incredibly high HR, but you guessed it: you're definitely not burning as many calories lifting a single weight with you arms as you are when sweating it out in a full-out sprint.

    Just want to clarify and educate those, since a lot of people on this website do calories in and calories out. You may never lose weight if you're "eating back" calories you didn't burn!


    You will have to use your body weight and intensity of your training to burn calories. Just for an example, I am 5'7, and weigh 140lb (female). I strength train very quickly and hard and do not rest for more than 15 seconds when moving machines. I usually write that I burn ~120 calories when I train for 30 minutes. I am probably underestimating a little bit (for safe purposes!), but it's not going to be much higher than that without doing cardio in btw sets.

    Hope this helps! I am already not big to begin with and have tried to lose a few excess pounds over the years but it has taken me a lot of education to finally become a fitness guru. I am losing 2 pounds a week steadily and have lost 16 so far over the past two months by doing accurate calorie counts and using my HRM when I do CARDIO. :)
  • gymshoe42
    gymshoe42 Posts: 97 Member
    MFP actually under estimates the cals I burn. I use a HRM.

    Agreed


    You actually cannot use a HRM to accurately count calories when STRENGTH training. Only for cardio.

    ^^ This is correct. HRM's algorithm to calculate calories burned assumes steady state cardio. Weight lifting introduces another variable (something like elevated blood pressure) into the mix and that will throw off the HRM.
  • beckylawrence70
    beckylawrence70 Posts: 752 Member
    Get a HRM, it's a must!
  • atjays
    atjays Posts: 797 Member
    Get a cheap heart rate monitor that will tell you calories burned.

    From there you can log your calorie burn under Cardio and add a Strength training note to document your weights/reps and such. You cannot add calories burned under strength training yet, I really hope they fix this soon.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    resistance training in a general sense burns fewer calories than cardio.
  • tjkemommy
    tjkemommy Posts: 15
    Look into the FITBIT. It syncs up with MFP. I have not tried it myself but I have read about it and it seems to take your personal information into account,the heat in your muscles and tracks your rest as well.
  • jenbison
    jenbison Posts: 38
    Try health status.com. You can get an estimate from a general strength training workout after entering the amount of time and your weight. Then you can add it into the cardio section if you want to include. Remember thought, it is an educated estimate:) Good luck!!
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
    I also have heard that HRMs are not accurate for tracking calories burned during weight lifting. However, I've been using an HRM since December, and have been logging what it says I've burned for strength training anyway, even though I know it's not an accurate estimate of what I burned during that session. The reason I do this is that when you lift weights/strength train you burn fewer calories during the session than if you were doing cardio, HOWEVER, your body continues to burn calories at an elevated rate for quite a number of hours afterwards, longer than after a cardio session, so for me I just choose to view it as evening out over the longer run. So far, since December, this has been working for me, and I have not gained weight. In fact, I've actually lost 5 more pounds since I hit my goal weight in December. Just some food for thought based on my own personal experiences!
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    If I were to count calories from weight training, I'd count 250/hr and I am 6'3 225 - 230
  • loischapman
    loischapman Posts: 88
    I agree with you Katie...thanks for sharing...I believe that strength training keeps working long after you have stopped the physical activity...Im a big believer in rest for your body also.
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