How Many Calories are Burned?

by **Scottymouth** on Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:26 pm

How many calories does this program burn? Just as a ballpark figure, factoring in proper warm ups, etc. I have recently switched to Gyminee from FitDay and I am not sure about what Gyminee reports as calories burned. Is it only possible with a heart rate monitor? I am curious because I lift 3 days per week and run after those sessions. I have about 1 hour of lifting including breaks between sets, re-racking, etc. I run at a moderate speed for about 10 minutes before I fast walk for a few laps and then run. I go by laps rather than time, so I can do my own version of HIIT. I am curious as to how many calories I burn on any given training day. Is there a way to at least estimate what the number is without getting a heart rate monitor? FitDay has a lifestyle number - based on your daily profession and what you have to do all day. It also adds the basal number with the lifestyle number and whatever activities you completed and then subtracts it from your calories consumed. So on Fitday - my calories burned are usually well up into the 3500 range on training days. On Gyminee, it only counts the lifestyle and adds it to activities. No Basal. Thoughts? Thanks.

by **Mehdi** on Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:33 pm

StrongLifts 5x5? Depends on how much weight you're moving per workout. About 400kcal on average.

by **Scottymouth** on Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:00 pm

Thanks. Just the average was what I was looking for. My log has the exacts on how much weight. Cheers!

by **Doo** on Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:30 pm

I use a Polar heat rate monitor to measure calories burned. From what I read, it is more representative of actual calories consumed. It takes into account gender, age, weight and fitness. The effect of fitness is important because the more fit you are the less calories are burned for the same amount of exertion.
I burn 500-800 kcal per StrongLifts workout. I get the higher number with less rest between sets although I do not short my rest time for calorie consumption. I also get higher results for 5 sets of barbell rows versus 1 set of deadlifts.
When I do HIIT, I burn 250-400 for 20-30 minutes of activity. I can tell that HIIT burns more than regular cardio. After my HIIT routine, my heart rate monitor shows more elevated levels at rest for a longer time than regular cardio. This effect is more pronounced as the number of cycles increases.

by **Scottymouth** on Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:41 pm

Thanks Doo. One of these days I will get one. I am trying to ease into the add-on's...upon selling this whole lifestyle change to the wife - bench, squat rack & weights, plus the Whey, caliper and all of that chicken! I'll get one this summer I am sure, then I will be able to keep better track. I know that Gyminee is way off saying that my workout burns 76 calories. Either it was too easy or I am in Olympic shape....um...none of the above.

by **Doo** on Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:38 pm

I paid about $150 for the Polar F11. It is good for monitoring and tracking progress but I would recommend a glute ham raise bench before the watch. My bench was also $150. Once you have a heart rate monitor, it helps motivate. The data can be automatically uploaded to Polar's website so you can track heart rate and calories per timeframe. It also has a fitness index. In the last year I progress from "Intermediate" to "Top" to "Elite".
BTW, according Gyminee rep, they will be adding Polar support via Microsoft's Health Vault technology.

by **Scottymouth** on Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:43 pm

Good to know - thanks.

by **Kerberos** on Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:20 pm

have a polar m91ti+.
it claims that today i burned 898 cals of which 55% was fat.
tried the fitness test too, i'm 27 on it which for my age rates as very poor.
Oh well room for improvement I guess.

by **Doo** on Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:30 pm

I would tend to trust the 898 calories as a very good "representative" value. I doubt that it is a perfect measure but close enough compared to calculated methods. I do not trust the %fat as much because that depends upon what your body has stored up for energy among other things.

by **sifaan** on Tue Apr 08, 2008 4:46 am

@ Doo:

Can you explain more about the "more fit you are, the less calories you burn for the same amount of exertion"?
If, by exertion, you mean, for example, squatting 100 kg for 5 reps; then I don't understand how fitness really affects how much calories this takes.

Thanks

by **danambro8** on Tue Apr 08, 2008 4:49 am

Yeah, I'd think it'd be the other way around. When youre stronger or more fit, you have a naturally higher motablism and burn calories easier than people who are less fit.

by **Mikeone356** on Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:01 am

@ Doo What kind of glute ham bench did you buy. I've checked on Amazon.com and the cheapest one is twice as expensive as you've paid.

I think Doo is right. Body gets used to the exercises and the way to challenge it is either to change exercises or to increase the weight or volume of the exercises. If you've been on Stronglifts program for some time the squats that were very difficult couple of months ago are now a part of your warm ups. That is why we have to constantly to raise weights. That keeps our bodies under stress.

by **sifaan** on Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:52 am

@Mikeone356

I agree with the body adapting to increased stresses, and the need for progressive increases, but the question is about the calories consumed.

This is my take (maybe off-target here... physics was never my favorite subject)

To raise a 100kg weight 1m against gravity (~9.8 ms-2) the work done (energy output) is ~1000 J. That's about 0.24 Calories.
Of course, the cost to your body is more than this 0.24 calories - you are lifting some body weight, you have to first accelerate the bar, and then at the end stop the movement, and there are probably a lot of energy losses (friction at the joints, energy to drive blood to the muscles, deeper breathing, losses in the energy chain?) as well.

No matter how fit you are, the actual work output of lifting that weight that height will be the same... but perhaps there is less energy losses in the process? this is what I would like to have some clarity on.

by **jacob** on Tue Apr 08, 2008 1:53 pm

The question is not how much work you do on the bar ... that's a constant (sifaan). It's how much energy your body expends in the process. Lots of this energy is "wasted" ... i.e. goes into you breathing, your blood pumping, you digesting, metabolizing, etc.
If your body gets more efficient at lifting weights then you will waste less energy lifting weights.

by **Doo** on Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:15 pm

@sifaan
Body adapts and will burn less calories than doing the same amount of work (which you should not be doing with the progressive loading of StrongLifts 5x5). However, the fitter you are, the more your metabolic rate increases but this occurs throughout the day. The net effect at the end of the day may very well be more calories burned but it is not happening during hte exercise and most people wear a heart rate monitor only during exercise.
I have noticed that my average heart rate is dropping as I get more fit. I can plot this effect because my Polar watch stores the data. Calorie burn is directly proportional to heart rate. Its too bad I did not wear the monitor for an entire day once per month to get a feel for metabolic changes.
Your are thinking about the physics involved is correct. You pointed out several manifestations of energy. Heat is another. I am not sure what changes are occurring as you get fit. Maybe more heat is lost.
It would be good to find more detailed sources regarding this. I have not looked this up recently. I am only recalling stuff I read on Polar's web site and several other web site s well as my own experience.
@Mikeone356
Do a search on "glute ham raise". I made a post regarding my purchase. I can be emailed for supplier contact. He has agree to keep the price at $199 plus free shipping to U.S.