Those who are interested in losing body fat are concerned with the total number of calories they burn throughout the day. There are a couple options available when looking to calculate this number. The number of calories you burn during your workouts depends on how big you are, how intensely you work out and other factors.
Factors of Calories Burned
The number of calories that you burn during an exercise bout depends on numerous factors, including the intensity of your activity, your personal body weight and body composition and the duration of the workout. Those who are larger and possess more lean muscle will be using more calories to fuel their tissues and, therefore, will burn more calories. The more difficult your workout activity and the longer your workout, the more calories you will burn.
VO2 Max
The most accurate way to calculate the number of calories you burn during exercise is to use an equation that utilizes your VO2 max. Your VO2 max is the maximum capacity of your body to utilize oxygen during exercise. You will also need a scale and a heart rate monitor for this calculation. You can estimate your VO2 max by using the equation (Distance you ran in miles -- 505) / 49.2 if you ran as your workout.
Calculating Calories Burned
When you work out, whether you run or participate in another type of cardiovascular activity, monitor and record your average heart rate. Once you have these values, you can find the number of calories you burned during your workout.
Women use the following equation: [(0.380 X VO2 max) + (0.450 X average heart rate) + (0.274 X age) + (0.0468 X weight in lbs) -- 59.3954] X 60 / 4.184.
Men use a slightly different equation: [(0.404 X VO2 max) + (0.634 X average heart rate) + (0.271 X age) + (0.179 X weight in lbs) -- 95.7735] X 60 / 4.184.
Other Options
If you're lack the equipment necessary or don't want to use the VO2 max equation, you can use an online calorie calculator. Some online calculators will ask for you to enter your age, weight, type of exercise activity and exercise duration and then quickly give you an estimation on the number of calories you burned.
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