Question about calories burned

[Worknprogress]

What factors go into determining how many calories will be burned during a workout?

When other people post their calories burned during a specific workout they burn many more calories than I do.

For instance, the other day someone posted they burn between 700 and 900 calories doing The Gauntlet. Other people responded with their numbers and all were really up there. That's incredible - I wish I could burn that many calories. However, I did it a couple of days later and only burned 364 calories. I am able to do all of the cardio and do the same weight amounts that Cathe is doing yet no matter how high I jump or how much I put into the workout - my heart rate never got over 150 and it only came close to that number a couple of times. Most of the time my heart rate was between 125 (during the drills), 130-140 during the IMax blasts and dipped below 125 for the weight segments.

I am 46 y/o, 5'7" and about 140 pounds. Since it is summer I am able to do my cardio outside so I take advantage of it. My favorite cardio in the world is running so I have been running about 6 days a week for my cardio - 2 HIIT runs, 2 50 min regular interval running, 1 hour plus endurance run and 1 30 min tempo run. I know it is a lot of cardio and I don't need to do as much as I am but running is very therapeutic for me and will put me on a high like nothing else so I run for the "free therapy" is gives me!

For weights I do Cathe's tapes and work my upper body 2 or 3 times a week and my lower body the last day of running before my rest day.

This was the first time I had done a circuit workout in a long time and am just disappointed that my calorie burn for such a long workout was so low. I thought at first there was a problem with my heart rate monitor but there is nothing wrong with it.

Does anybody know why this is? I want to have those big numbers too!!!

 

[messyjess]

Maybe your just really fit..

 

[Worknprogress]

My sister is really physically fit but she has a high calorie burn as well doing The Gauntlet.

I wasn't able to run this morning since my husband was out really early for work (I have two little guys so I have to run early in the morning) so I am going to do the 3rd workout from that DVD - can't remember the name right now but I will see how I do on that one that has more cardio. We'll see how it goes.

 

[nicolegadino]

Hi Debbie -
I was the one who created that thread about the Gauntlet!
I use a polar hrm to get my calories burned. I think it depends on the intensity and the weight you have to lose, etc. How are you counting calories now?

 

[Worknprogress]

I have a Polar Heart Monitor as well and that is what tracked the 364 calories.

I did do part of the IMax Extreme today - could only do 48 minutes of it because I ended up running short on time. BUT - I did notice that the taller girl to Cathe's left is using an 8" step and since I am tall as well, I boosted my step up to 8".

Well, let me tell you - in the 48 minutes alone I burned 339 calories!!!

I will do the Gauntlet again (it is one of my favs but haven't done it in a long time) and bump up the step to the 8". Also, in doing the IMax extreme, I added jumps to a lot of the step work to pump up the intensity.

I was dripping with sweat and can't wait to do the whole workout!!!!

 

[RapidBreath]

Dumb question, please don't be mad, I don't mean to be overly stuped in my question, but is your heart rate monitor set up with your correct height/weight? The more you weigh the more you burn according to the hr. I used to do the same workouts when I was heavier, hitting roughly the same heart rate, and burned much more calories than I do now. The only difference is I'm about 30 pounds lighter than when I started. I don't know if that is whats happening here.

Also, is your perception of your exertion not very high? Does it just seem too easy? With the amount of running that you do (I'm very impressed btw.) I'm not surprised that Cathe's workouts might start to seem easier. How fast is your mile? Just curious. Do you burn more on your runs?

 

[Worknprogress]

I run for the therapy it provides me as I stated earlier - but gosh, I don't know how fast I run. I just started running again after 9 months of horrific injuries in the beginning of May. I ran a 5K (in honor of one of my deceased best friends) about 10 days after I started running again - on May 9th. My time was 28:58 - but there were many others in my age group that ran faster than I so I have no idea what my pace is or even if my time is respectable. Because I run for the endorphins, I'm not much of a competitor. However, I think I will run a local track not too far from me and find out how fast my mile is in the next couple of days just for the heck of it.


My Polar Monitor is up-to-date. I only change it if I am out of it by 3 or 4 pounds so my height and weight is pretty accurate.

I don't really know what my fitness level is. All I know is when I exercise on a regular basis, which hasn't been happening regularly in the past 2 years because of constant injuries, I am just a happier person. Again, I am not really competitive when it comes to exercise - I just want those big calorie burning numbers if I am going to spend one hour and fifteen minutes on a workout - I just want it to be more than 364 calories for the time spent. When I see those big numbers of calories burned by other people I just wonder what I am doing wrong.

 

[Sunshine1528]

I see you are keeping your height and weight adjusted, but what about your resting heart rate?

I have a Polar I purchased about 2 1/2 years ago and my RHR was 79 at the time. I recently picked it up again and after wearing it for an entire 24 hour period with an hour's good workout it showed I burned only 1600 calories.

So I checked my RHR again by the clock for an entire minute and I'm down to 60 now. I adjusted my HRM and then wore it for 24 hours again. This time with a similar physical day I burned about 2400.

Perhaps the RHR needs to be adjusted?

 

[hriacobacci]

Worknprogress - You may have hit the nail on the head - intensity. I almost always use an 8" step now so that may explain a lot! I also used heavier weights than what Cathe was suggesting.

Heather

I have a Polar Heart Monitor as well and that is what tracked the 364 calories.

I did do part of the IMax Extreme today - could only do 48 minutes of it because I ended up running short on time. BUT - I did notice that the taller girl to Cathe's left is using an 8" step and since I am tall as well, I boosted my step up to 8".

Well, let me tell you - in the 48 minutes alone I burned 339 calories!!!

I will do the Gauntlet again (it is one of my favs but haven't done it in a long time) and bump up the step to the 8". Also, in doing the IMax extreme, I added jumps to a lot of the step work to pump up the intensity.

I was dripping with sweat and can't wait to do the whole workout!!!!

 

[Tamrahan]

but gosh, I don't know how fast I run. I just started running again after 9 months of horrific injuries in the beginning of May. I ran a 5K (in honor of one of my deceased best friends) about 10 days after I started running again - on May 9th. My time was 28:58 - but there were many others in my age group that ran faster than I so I have no idea what my pace is or even if my time is respectable.

Below is a link to a pace calculator. you're looking at a 9 minute 19 second mile.
I think your time and pace is very respectable-I may never see those times. I have no other suggestions except for agreeing with the above poster who said maybe your just really fit.

When I do step aerobics, I sometimes hit 101%, The most I've ever burned was 560 doing KPC. When I jog and my pace is more like 11-12 minutes mile and my hr skyrockets. Frustrating.

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/4/4_1/96.shtml

 

[nicolegadino]

I had manually enter my hi and lo heartrates on my polar because it was way to low. I would double check all your settings as well.

Good for you with 8 inches on your step. I mis step my feet all the time just with one riser, so I would most definitely break an ankle with 2!

 

[JoanC]

I wear the gowearfit armband and my calorie burn is about 1/2 of amount listed in workout manager. I believe that is correct for me based on the calories I eat and amount of weight I lose. Joan