Do you burn a lot of calories lifting weights?

[karatetricker]

We all know that you burn a good amount of calories doing cardio, which is often monitored on the equipment. What I am curious about is whether I am burning a lot of calories when I lift weights. Obviously I burn something, but in say a 1.5 hr session, am I burning around 100 calories or more like 300-400 calories?

Anyone have an idea?

[zamboni]

Completely impossible to say since we don't know what your workouts are, and what their intensity level is. But yes, you do burn a good amount of calories.

[zamboni]

I forgot what the actual figure is, but for every 5 lbs of muscle you put on, you burn a couple hundred more calories everyday without even trying. Someone find the number for me

[karatetricker]

Well, obviously you can't tell me specifically. I was just looking for a general idea. My workouts are usually 40 mins per muslce group (1-2 muscle gorups per workout) and are pretty intense.

[olov]

Ive made some calculations based on my workouts..
and its somenting like this:

Intense weightlifting = 360 Kcal/hour
Medium weightlifting = 290 Kcal/hour
Easy weightlifting = 185 Kcal/hour

These numbers are just my estimates though...

[You can do it!]

The figure you were looking for Zamboni was for every 1lb yes 1lb of muscle you burn 50 calories a day. For every 1 lb of fat you burn 2calories. Weightlifting is extremely helpful in fat loss.

[reanimated838uk]

bump..

using my HR monitor...over a 45 period session, I get about 650cals on average.. Is this too high?

[rtestes]

Everyone put this site in your favorites. It works it up by weight, age, sex, height for a number of activities.

A 180 lb 25 year old 5' 8" male doing vigious weights for 40 mins would burn 327 calories. For every lb of muscle you burn 37.5 calories a day. cardio doesn't really build much muscle so you miss that benefit.

[reanimated838uk]

Bookmarked (need to sort all these bookmarks out)

Results:
Totals: 597 calories in 1 hr 30 min

Male 20, 5' 7", 195 lb BMI=30.5 RMR=1,853
Weight Lifting - free weights or machine, moderate
199 calories in 45 min
Weight Lifting - free weights or machine, vigorous
398 calories in 45 min

Calorie Balance: 0 consumed - 597 burned = 597 lost



Seems I burn more in 45 min than the 45min above, and even in 1hr 30min just doing heavy weights...

[hubladon]

You could make a rough guess using physics. 1kg of mass in the earth's gravitational force at sea level generates a force of 9.8 Newtons. Energy = Force x Distance, so moving this force through a distance of 1 metre gives 9.8 Joules, or 0.00234 kcal.

For example, if you bench press a 50kg weight a distance of 60cm, you have done at least 0.0702 calories of work. I say "at least" because your body isn't 100% efficient at performing these tasks, so you will actually burn more energy than this in performing the lift. I'm sure somebody more qualified than me will be able to comment on how much.

If you were to go through your workouts measuring how much you lift and how far the weights travel you could conceivably arrive at a figure for the total energy you use, though I doubt it would be much more accurate than the answers you've already been given.

[bisous]

Originally Posted by You can do it!

The figure you were looking for Zamboni was for every 1lb yes 1lb of muscle you burn 50 calories a day. For every 1 lb of fat you burn 2calories. Weightlifting is extremely helpful in fat loss.

Where did the 50 calorie per pound per day of muscle come from? I see it quoted around the weight loss blogs and whatnot - tried to look it up myself - the more reputable places had the figure more like 13 calories per pound per day.

[reanimated838uk]

actually its 37 ish.. but i have read 74 too.

[French Spirit]

Originally Posted by You can do it!

The figure you were looking for Zamboni was for every 1lb yes 1lb of muscle you burn 50 calories a day. For every 1 lb of fat you burn 2calories. Weightlifting is extremely helpful in fat loss.

That number is inflated. If it weren't, huge 280 pound bodybuilders would have to eat 8,000 to maintain.

hubladon, I've also tried estimating using physics equations but I think that underestimates it by a great deal. I think you burn at least 100 calories during the session and 200 or more in the "afterburn."

[lil_dave]

Originally Posted by karatetricker

Well, obviously you can't tell me specifically. I was just looking for a general idea. My workouts are usually 40 mins per muslce group (1-2 muscle gorups per workout) and are pretty intense.

I'd just like to point out that if you are lifting for almost an hour and a half every workout you are going for way too long..
Ideally you want to do your workout in under 50 minutes. If you are taking that long per muscle group you are either:

1) resting way too long between sets
2) doing way too many exercises.

Their is no point in going that long. You are just gonna end up overtraining.

[rtestes]

Originally Posted by French Spirit

That number is inflated. If it weren't, huge 280 pound bodybuilders would have to eat 8,000 to maintain.

hubladon, I've also tried estimating using physics equations but I think that underestimates it by a great deal. I think you burn at least 100 calories during the session and 200 or more in the "afterburn."

He was a little higher than my number of 37.5 calories for pound at rest. Now it reflects the majority of your BMR is determined by your muscles. I can't speak to the makeup of a 280 lb bodybuilder and how much he eats. I think UCLA should make a study on it.

But for normal people your BMR is bascally determined by your muscles. Lets take an average 5'9" male weighting 170 pounds with 25% fat or 42.5 pounds of fat. He has 127.5 lbs of LBM from which we will subtract 64.5 lbs for bone, skin, organs, etc. to leave us with 63 lbs of muscle. Now at rest the fat burns 85 calories while Muscle burns 2362.5 a day!

You see why Muscle controls metabolism. Muscle is the best thing you have going in your body. Build it don't lose it. On top of burning calories, Muscle gives our bodies form. You want a six pack, you want muscles.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by bisous

Where did the 50 calorie per pound per day of muscle come from? I see it quoted around the weight loss blogs and whatnot - tried to look it up myself - the more reputable places had the figure more like 13 calories per pound per day.

I think it generally came from overzealous "fitness experts" who hype up the numbers to unsuspecting clientele, but the 50 calorie number is not completely inaccurate either.

The best example i've heard used was the car explanation:

When a car is idling on neutral it burns much less gasoline than if it were flying down the highway at 90 mph, muscles are similar in that regard, when the muscle is in a rested state, it generally burns 10-15 calories per hour, now when it's in a fully active state, such as when you're weight lifting, it burns much more.

General numbers that i've seen, place calorie burn per pound of muscle in the 30-40 range because even while we simply walk to the bathroom, our muscles are being used, so I think that's where they average it out, but I don't know this for a fact so don't qoute me on it

[hubladon]

Originally Posted by French Spirit

hubladon, I've also tried estimating using physics equations but I think that underestimates it by a great deal. I think you burn at least 100 calories during the session and 200 or more in the "afterburn."

Now I think about it, we're always told that it's the recovery period where we really see the benefit from training. Muscle growth and repair probably does use a significant amount of energy as well.

[champien speller]

I wear a polar heart rate monitor when i lift to check on my intensity.

i average about

300-400 for 30mins

500 cals for 45mins

700 cals for an hour

there pretty good figures when i match it with my run of 50 mins and get about 1000 calories out of it

[Jmov]

Originally Posted by champien speller

I wear a polar heart rate monitor when i lift to check on my intensity.

i average about

300-400 for 30mins

500 cals for 45mins

700 cals for an hour

there pretty good figures when i match it with my run of 50 mins and get about 1000 calories out of it

I know this is an Old thread, but it's new to me, and also the best one I could find under this topic.

I'm currently cutting and trying to figure how much more I should eat on the days when I do gym workouts, than on the days when I'm not training. I'm slowly leaning on using my heart rate monitor while I'm working out in the gym, to see how many calories I burn. But somehow I don't think the monitor's results would be accurate when measuring during wheight lifting.

What do you guys think, is it just as accurate as measuring cardio - despite how different the workout is?

[Jedi]

Originally Posted by Jmov

I know this is an Old thread, but it's new to me, and also the best one I could find under this topic.

I'm currently cutting and trying to figure how much more I should eat on the days when I do gym workouts, than on the days when I'm not training. I'm slowly leaning on using my heart rate monitor while I'm working out in the gym, to see how many calories I burn. But somehow I don't think the monitor's results would be accurate when measuring during wheight lifting.

What do you guys think, is it just as accurate as measuring cardio - despite how different the workout is?

I don't think the heart rate monitor can distinguish whether you are eating, sleeping, running, lifting weights or having sex as long as it is a monitor which by one means or another knows you weight/height fitness level etc it is going to be fairly accurate whatever you are doing check out Zen's logs, he uses his for a range of activities