Hey guys,

I have a question about caloric burn from cardio training. I've always gone by the rule that one burns around 100 cals per mile run, and this is fairly consistent with online calorie calculators that do things on a calories/hour basis. However, I've also always learned that it's not that simple - someone who regularly runs or performs moderate to high intensity cardio also burns more calories after exercise and even at rest than a normal person - this is one reason people do HIIT.

For instance, Lance Armstrong burns a ton more calories just sitting around the house than another guy with the same weight and physique who doesn't perform cardio. Obviously he is an extreme case, but my question is how much of an effect the "training effect" has on daily caloric burn. I do about 30 minutes of cardio a day at 70-80% of my max HR, and this works out to about 400 calories if I simply calculate the number of cals burned during exercise. If I totally cut out cardio, how many fewer calories a day would I actually burn? For example, say I burn 2900 calories a day right now - if I stop running, how many calories a day would I burn? It wouldn't just be 2500. Is there any way to calculate this?

Thanks,
Luke

Hey guys,

I have a question about caloric burn from cardio training. I've always gone by the rule that one burns around 100 cals per mile run, and this is fairly consistent with online calorie calculators that do things on a calories/hour basis. However, I've also always learned that it's not that simple - someone who regularly runs or performs moderate to high intensity cardio also burns more calories after exercise and even at rest than a normal person - this is one reason people do HIIT.

For instance, Lance Armstrong burns a ton more calories just sitting around the house than another guy with the same weight and physique who doesn't perform cardio. Obviously he is an extreme case, but my question is how much of an effect the "training effect" has on daily caloric burn. I do about 30 minutes of cardio a day at 70-80% of my max HR, and this works out to about 400 calories if I simply calculate the number of cals burned during exercise. If I totally cut out cardio, how many fewer calories a day would I actually burn? For example, say I burn 2900 calories a day right now - if I stop running, how many calories a day would I burn? It wouldn't just be 2500. Is there any way to calculate this?

Thanks,
Luke

I believe this is a very esoteric discussion and I'm not sure why you would need to know this except to say "huh, neat."

Zens may have something to say about it, but I believe you would be better off taking a class or buying a book in physiology.

I've often wondered this as well.

Waits for an expert to chime in.

I've often wondered this as well.

Waits for an expert to chime in.

If you're wondering about acute post-exercise caloric expenditure, this can be measured by expensive equipment, or estimated through a heart rate monitor and knowing your VO2 Max. Depending on the type of exercise, your level of fitness, your VO2 Max, and other factors, there is a certain amount of energy used at rest post-exercise. You can google "EPOC" to learn more. Also this article has more practical explanations for you:

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1526539


My post above regarding an esoteric discussion is in reference to the other topic in question- Lance Armstrong sitting around. That has to do with RMR (and BMR), not acute EPOC, unless he had cycled that day (or as some studies suggest, possibly the day before). RMR has more to do with physiology, which is more complicated a topic.

Thanks for the response. I had actually come across the article you linked to, which partially prompted my question. I'm familiar with EPOC, which the article discusses, but I'm more interested in The Training Effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Training_effect). The author of the article you linked to pretty much dismisses the existence of a training effect based on steady state high-intensity cardio - or at least doesn't address it. Here's what he says about it:

4. Steady State High Intensity Aerobic Training

Tool number four is just hard cardio work. This time we're burning calories — we aren't working hard enough to increase EPOC significantly or to do anything beyond the session itself. But calories do count. Burning another 300 or so calories per day will add up.


In my experience, though, it certainly does seem like there is a such thing as a "training effect" - although this could certainly just be an incorrect perception on my part.


If you're wondering about acute post-exercise caloric expenditure, this can be measured by expensive equipment, or estimated through a heart rate monitor and knowing your VO2 Max. Depending on the type of exercise, your level of fitness, your VO2 Max, and other factors, there is a certain amount of energy used at rest post-exercise. You can google "EPOC" to learn more. Also this article has more practical explanations for you:

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1526539


My post above regarding an esoteric discussion is in reference to the other topic in question- Lance Armstrong sitting around. That has to do with RMR (and BMR), not acute EPOC, unless he had cycled that day (or as some studies suggest, possibly the day before). RMR has more to do with physiology, which is more complicated a topic.

Thanks for the response, tennisball.