Strength training calorie consumption

When ordinary people complete an hour of moderate-intensity strength training, the immediate caloric consumption on the spot is mostly in the 200-400 kcal range. However, taking into account the excess oxygen consumption 12-24 hours after exercise and the increase in basal metabolism brought about by long-term muscle mass growth, the long-term caloric consumption benefit of strength training is 2-3 times that of long-term steady-state aerobics. Judging the cost-effectiveness by just looking at the consumption figures that pop up on the sports watch is the biggest misunderstanding of most people about strength training.

I took out my watch after my squat day and saw that it only had 320 calories, which was not as high as my previous 40-minute run. I was depressed for a long time and felt that lifting weights was a waste of effort. Later, after doing a lot of research with the team's nutritionist, I realized that the numbers on the watch could only be used as a reference, and the consumption of strength training was never settled on the spot.

Let’s talk about the on-the-spot consumption that is most easily perceived by everyone. There is a fierce quarrel on the Internet. Some people say that the consumption of strength training is not as good as brisk walking, and some say it is higher than jogging. In fact, there is nothing wrong with both sides. If you train your shoulders and arms today, which are all small muscle group movements, and you have to watch a 5-minute short video during the rest between groups, then you will burn 200 calories in one hour of training, which is indeed not much different from brisk walking; but if you do leg exercises today, deadlift, squat, and lunge in turns with heavy weights, and rest for 45 seconds between groups without being lazy, it is normal to burn more than 400 calories in one hour, which is basically the same as moderate-intensity jogging. There is no unified standard, it all depends on whether you are actually practicing or going to the gym to take photos and check in.

The amount of consumption on the spot is actually a small amount. What is really hidden under the water is the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). In human terms, when you practice, you tear out the muscle fibers and cause tiny damage, and you also accumulate a lot of lactic acid. After you practice, your body has to work overtime to repair the damage and metabolize waste. This process lasts for more than ten hours, which is equivalent to when you go home after practice and lie down to check your phone or sleep, your body is secretly burning calories. I used a professional metabolic meter to measure it before. 12 hours after the leg training day of hitting the maximum weight, my resting consumption was more than 180 calories higher than usual, which is equivalent to burning half a cup of pearl milk tea after half a sleep. Of course, there is also controversy in the academic circles here. Some studies say that the EPOC of paddling strength training only burns less than 50 calories, which is almost negligible. Only high-intensity interval strength training can increase EPOC to more than 300 calories. To put it bluntly, there is still no escape from the premise of "whether you are really exerting yourself".

The long-term buff that is more stable than EPOC is the increase in basal metabolism brought about by increased muscle mass. There is a very accurate value: 1 kilogram of skeletal muscle consumes approximately 13 calories per day in a resting state, while the same weight of fat consumes only 2 calories per day. It is normal for ordinary fitness enthusiasts to gain 2-3 kilograms of pure muscle without eating blindly as long as they practice systematically for one year. Calculated by doing nothing every day, they will burn more than 30 more calories, which is more than 11,000 calories in one year, which is equivalent to losing 1.4 kilograms of fat. This is a passive income. Even if you lie down all day on the weekend to catch up on an entire TV series, you will still burn more calories than a person with low muscle mass. Of course, there are some scholars who say the opposite, saying that this improvement is not as fast as eating two bites less of fried chicken. This is correct, but you have to know that the higher basal metabolism is in exchange for flexibility in diet: others will increase their weight if they eat an extra bite of cake, but if you have a hot pot with friends on the weekend, your weight will not fluctuate much the next day. This comfort cannot be obtained by starving yourself.

I used to have two friends lose weight together. One of them kept running 5 kilometers every day. After one hour, his watch showed 500 calories. The numbers looked particularly fulfilling. The other one went to the gym three times a week to lift weights. After each workout, the watch only showed more than 300. The one who ran lost 12 pounds in the first two months, and the one who lifted weights only lost 3 pounds, and was laughed at every day. As a result, the runner got stuck on the platform in the third month. After eating one more bite, the scale went up. The weight of the weightlifter began to drop. We ate barbecue together on the weekend and gained 2 pounds on the second day of running. Nothing happened to the weightlifter. Now six months later, the body fat rate of the gymnast is 4 points lower than that of the runner, his pants are two sizes too small, and he still eats one more meat bun a day than the other guy without gaining weight.

In fact, there is really no need to worry about how many calories you burn during each strength training session. If you are pursuing the immediate pleasure of numbers, jumping Pamela or running uphill will look better than the numbers on the iron roll. But the consumption of strength training is basically a long-term fish. It will not make you lose ten pounds in a week, but it will prevent you from rebounding after losing weight, and you can occasionally eat something you like. How to choose depends on whether you want short-term digital stimulation or long-term peace of mind.