Calories 'burned'?

[gargoyle]

I was curious about just how much energy it takes to lift weights. As a nominal benchmark, I took a 100 kg squat and worked up how much energy it takes to squat it (i.e. raise it about 1.5 m) 5x5 (25 times).

You are welcome to crank out the number yourself, but I think people may be stunned at the number popped out of the physics (note, NOT metabolic) equations.

I will put the actually number up in a day or two, but I would love to hear guesses as to how many calories does it take to squat 100 kg 5x5?

Oh, I am making the huge erroneous assumption that muscles and our bodies are 100% efficient, which I know they are not.

BTW, before I cranked out the number, I will say I guessed 100 kcal or so.

Your guess?

[Rokku]

~4-500, but I imagine it would be higher if you took into account EPOC.

[gargoyle]

Joke? I don't get it if so.

[Nje]

Slightly less than nine kcal 37.5 kJ.

If you wanna be more accurate, might want to take into account the weight of your own body that you are moving around as well, and the fact that I seriously doubt we move the weight 1.5m unless you're about 2m tall and squatting ATG.

Most of the calories 'burnt' by strength training don't really go into pushing the weight around but to build muscle.

I used to calculate this kinda stuff all the time while walking in the mountains, I think my working assumption was that our bodies are about 10% efficient which seemed to give reasonable numbers.. But I mean this kind of calculation can never really be used to calculate properly how much energy we use on something. It's interesting though, how much effort goes into something which should be like, about one bite of an apple in terms of energy :p

[Rokku]

9? *cancels plans for pizza*

[gargoyle]

Good boy Nje. Exactly. Under ten food cals. As you say, one bite of apple.

Amazing isn't it.

Oh, very good point about BW though. Make that 18 kcal to squat 100 kg ATG

Oh, and that was the whole point. Just how 'useless' it is to calculate this kind of thing from a physics standpoint.

Sorry about the pizza Rokku

[Nje]

Good boy Nje. Exactly. Under ten food cals. As you say, one bite of apple.

Amazing isn't it.

Oh, very good point about BW though. Make that 18 kcal to squat 100 kg ATG

Oh, and that was the whole point. Just how 'useless' it is to calculate this kind of thing from a physics standpoint.

Sorry about the pizza Rokku

Haha yeah - Im a physicist myself (3rd year now) but to calculate this kinda stuff you have to be pretty solid in biology :p