How many calories you burn while lifting weights varies according to a number of factors. Different kinds of weight lifting result in different burns. Other factors include the body type and gender of the person doing the lifting, the pace at which you lift and even the temperature in the room. Despite these variations, you can still get a ball-park estimate of your calorie load.
Body Weight
One factor affecting how many calories you will burn while lifting weights is your body weight. It takes more energy to move a heavy body than it does a light one. This is mitigated by the kind of exercise you do, says Oregon-based fitness coach Ben Cohn. For example, your body weight is more of a factor doing squats than doing curls, since squats lift your whole body weight while curls lift only your forearm.
Effort
Your level of effort and intensity is perhaps the greatest factor in how many calories you burn lifting weights, says Cohn. Many people lift weights as a social activity, chatting with their training partner between sets and taking plenty of breathers and water breaks. This allows your heart rate to return to normal between sets, burning fewer calories per hour and per exercise. A vigorous, intense workout, taking only necessary breaks, will burn more calories as your heart rate remains elevated throughout.
Metabolism
According to Harvard-based nutrition and health writer Walter Willett, a the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns. Muscle requires more energy when at rest than fat does, meaning that as your weight lifting routine packs muscle onto your body, your metabolism will burn hotter even while sleeping or watching television. This can build a positive spiral, where you burn more calories with each visit to the gym as your increased muscle mass demands more calories.
Sample Figures
According to information posted at health resource website Nutristrategy.com, a moderate weight lifting workout will burn about 177 calories per hour for a 130 pound person and 259 calories for a 190 pound person doing the same workout. If you bump up your level of effort to vigorous, those numbers move up to 354 and 518 calories per hour, respectively.
Weight Training vs. Other Exercises
As a general rule, resistance exercises like weight training aren't as good for burning calories as the same time and exertion spent on cardio training. For example, moderate running burns 590 calories per hour in a 130 pound person, more than 1,000 per hour in a 190 pound person. Although weight training is valuable for many reasons, for simple calorie burn you're better off with other exercises.
References
- Ben Cohn; Fitness Coach; Hillsboro, OR
- "Body for Life"; Bill Philips; 2006
- Calories Burned in Exercise
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Walter Willet & P.J. Skerrett; 2005
Member Comments