The amount of calories you’ll burn strength training compared with aerobic, or cardiovascular, exercise depends on the intensity level of your workout. However, both forms of exercise are important to achieve optimal results. One form of exercise typically burns more calories during the activity; the other will help you burn extra calories throughout the day.
Basics
Aerobic exercises typically burn more calories than strength-training exercises during your workouts, unless your aerobic exercise intensity is low. However, strength-training helps increase your lean body mass and decrease body fat. Because muscle burns more calories than fat, this means that if you strength train regularly, your body should burn more calories all day long, even when you’re resting. A combination of aerobic exercises — such as running, walking, biking or swimming — combined with strength-training exercises will help you achieve the best results and increase your metabolism.
Strength Training
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, if you weigh 154 Ibs., you can burn about 220 calories weightlifting at a low intensity for one hour or about 440 calories weightlifting at a vigorous intensity for one hour. If you weigh 125 Ibs., Harvard Medical School reports that you can burn about 180 calories lifting weights for one hour or burn about 360 calories lifting weights vigorously for one hour. Harvard Medical School also reports that if you weigh 185 Ibs., you can burn about 266 calories weightlifting for one hour or burn about 532 calories lifting weights vigorously for one hour.
Walking
Walking usually burns slightly more calories per hour than weightlifting, but it depends on your intensity level. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, if you weigh 154 Ibs. and walk at a pace of 3.5 mph, you’ll burn about 280 calories per hour and if you walk at a pace of 4.5 mph, you will burn about 460 calories per hour. Harvard Medical School reports that if you weigh 120 Ibs., you can burn about 240 calories per hour walking at a pace of 3.5 mph or about 300 calories per hour walking at a pace of 4.5 mph. If you weigh 185 Ibs., you can burn about 356 calories per hour walking at a pace of 3.5 mph or about 444 calories per hour walking at a pace of 4.5 mph.
Running
Because it is a high-intensity aerobic exercise, you can burn massive amounts of calories running, much more than weightlifting or walking. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reports that a 154-Ib. person will burn about 590 calories per hour jogging or running at a pace of 5 mph. However, if you bump up your running intensity to 6.7 mph, you can burn 660 to 976 calories per hour, depending on your body weight; and if you run for one hour at a pace of 7.5 mph, you can burn 750 to 1,110 calories per hour, depending on your body weight, according to Harvard Medical School.
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