Circuit training calories burned

Posts: 4,284
2/16/13 6:26 P

Thanks, that seems a lot more reasonable.

current weight: 229.5

250 221.25 192.5 163.75

135

Posts: 33,304
2/16/13 2:56 P

"Circuit training including boot camp" does give a massive figure.

Boot camps are not your typical gym circuit. They do tend to be whole-body hard work. So a boot camp I would expect to burn more than a gym machine circuit.

Since it's a circuit of gym machines, I would say it's probably closer to track it as Curves Circuit Training or Ladies Workout Express Circuit Training. Both of those are more reasonable figures and more in line with what I'd expect.

Ultimately it comes down to results - if you're getting the results you expect then you're tracking fine. But in your case, if you don't, the first thing I'd do is use the Curves, not the Boot Camp, circuit training entry.

Posts: 4,284
2/16/13 2:53 P

Yeah, that's what I thought. The circuit is primarily cardio, altho' the muscles do get tired, it's not a failure sort of tired. I just use the circuit training selection, it actually says 455 for 30 minutes (I usually go a little longer).

Thanks for your input.

current weight: 229.5

250 221.25 192.5 163.75

135

Posts: 6,056
2/15/13 6:10 P

If it is pure strength, no cardio circuit, you can not assign a calorie value to the workout since there is no accurate way to measure calories burned doing strength work. The calorie burn from a strength workout, unlike that of a cardio workout, carries on after the exercise session ends, a phenomenon called "after burn" or technically excess post exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC.

The value given is both inaccurate and excessively high.

Posts: 33,304
2/15/13 2:55 P

No, not in the remotest.

Exercise is typically around 6-8 cals per minute. Circuit, which utilises small body parts at any one point in time, is a low calorie burner, so for 30 minutes you'd expect to see something like 180 calories.

That burn of 500 is 17cpm, far higher than is realistically plausible even for obese people who burn more as they move.

What entry in the tracker is that?

Posts: 4,284
2/15/13 1:16 P

I recently joined a women's fitness center that has a circuit of machines that work different body parts, most giving resistance in both directions. I've been logging it as circuit training, but have difficulty believing that I'm burning 500 calories in a half-hour workout.

I'm working hard, moving as fast and hard as I can push it, and usually end up having to slow down before the time ends (30 or 40 seconds most days), with my pulse in the 135 to 140 range (which is supposedly high for my age of 57, but doesn't feel excessive).

Does that calorie burn seem reasonable?

current weight: 229.5

250 221.25 192.5 163.75

135