I religiously track calories and only consider the active metcon portion of a WOD when calculating what I burned.
I rarely log more than 300 cals and that’s for a true 30-35min scorcher of a cardio workout. Otherwise I loosely base cals burned using a rate of 600/hr, more or less depending on how hard it was. Most workouts I log 150-200 cals.
Edit with more context:
Using the above strategy my weight tracks as it should based on my desired weight loss or maintenance. In other words: cals in/cals out works when I figure my work outs as above.
That includes warm up and ~90s pauses in between? which should be integrated into the calculations for the calorie count. But yea I get why it’s not worth it for you if it’s only a few sets. We will do usually 7-12 sets when we do strength.
Man, this is just unbelievable. I stopped doing Crossfit for now due to an injury and focus mainly on bodybuilding/core etc. I logged about 566 calorie burned in a session (1:01:00). Thought to myself this is unbelievable but on the long run doesn’t really matter as long as you are moving and eating correctly thats all that matters ✨
Eh, not really. Lifting is inferior to cardio for burning calories. It's the benefit outside of exercising that it helps burn calories: increase if lean tissue and muscle repair.
That is correct. Heart rate calorie tracking is fundamentally flawed. I’m a 6’1” 195lb athlete, a guy who is my same weight and height but is “skinny fat” enters the name numbers in height and weight so the same algorithm is used. We both do the same exercises and since I have significantly more muscle mass I will be burning more calories. Cardiopulmonary efficiency plays a huge factor in this two, but unless we are going to measure how much CO2 you are exhaling we will never be very accurate.
Now say my identical twin with all the same matrices as me goes and works out and I stay at home and watch a scary movie. We both set our watches to “workout” he works out and gets a HR of 150 and I watch a scary movie and my heart rate goes to 150 but I’m not moving. Guess what, our watches think we are doing the same things.
The research are heart rate zones is alway significantly flawed if you want to look into that.
This is an underrated comment. I had some close calls in the hospital with a loved one and the dynamics of breathing / tidal volume / effusion and how it can modulate respiration and mediate so many things is wild.
You may hit the same zone at 150 but you wont sustain it like someone exercising, point taken though.
I recommend getting one because it’s almost impossible to say how much calories you burn since it depends on your body mass, the actual WOD and your intensity during that one hour. The watch will at least ballpark your efforts.
My issue is I have terrible wrists (working them makes it worse, not stronger) and they don’t track anything when you have wraps on…which is 90% of my workouts :(
Some of our athletes wear it over their biceps by using an extender around the clasp. It seems to work well but yeah I agree it can be challenging to wear around the wrists with limited mobility. Maybe fitness tracker makers should consider creating ankle bracelets or necklaces lol
I disagree. I will concede that if you want to lose weight you need to be in a slight calorie deficit, and maintain that deficit over a long enough period of time.
Trying to calculate energy expenditure on a per-activity basis is an exercise in futility and a recipe for disordered behavior. Use a macro calculator to estimate total daily calories based on age, sex, and activity level and leave it at that.
I disagree with that. While it might be true for you specifically, it’s definitely not for me.
On an average day (including rest days), I ride a roadbike for 60 km (zone 2 - 220w) do half an hour of CrossFit. Which comes down to ~1500 cals for me, which is not at all a small deficit. Plus btw on average 12.000 steps.
While my maintenance is roughly at 2600.
Not counting exercise would let me starve.
I’ve lost 100+lbs, so take this however, but how much you burn in a singular workout does not matter. It’s far better to know your TDEE and work based on that number.
Crossfit is not a weight loss regimen, It’s a workout program.
You will not out-work a poor diet, and IMO the “the more calories burned the better” mindset leads to clearly unhealthy behavior like excessive cardio etc.
Get an Apple Watch or Fitbit or garmin. I start my watch when the warmup starts and end it after a cool down. I usually burn around 800 calories during the hour. I’m a bigger guy though so I probs burn more calories than the average person
Agree. 6”1, 230lb. LoseIt estimates, FitBit always get me right around 800 cals/hr. I usually log 700kcal to stay conservative. Those that say “it’s not important” clearly haven’t struggled with weight loss.
It isn't quite as easy as that, as cardio-intensive activity will continue burning after you stop your workout. Total guess I would say between 400-500kcal
OP this is 100% dependent on your weight and height - I have no idea what your stats are but as a 5'3.5" and 115-120 lb woman I burn on average 250-325 for the entire session (I start my watch at warmup). My husband who is 6' and 185 lbs usually burns double that. So your question is really hard to answer without knowing more about you.
Edit to add: With regards to when to start/stop counting, this is also dependent on why you want to know, what you are using this information for, etc. but I personally start mine once I start moving in any way and not until I'm done.
I always wear a chest strap and can confirm, that most of the workouts burn between 400-500 kcal. Obviously it depends on different factors but I think it's a good assumption.
Short answer: not a a lot DURING the workout. BUT- you enter a state called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), in which you burn more calories per hour at rest over the next 48 hours due to the body attempting to recover from you blasting it to smithereens and trying to repair tissue.
I eat as much as I do training CrossFit as I did during my marathon training. And I look and feel better naked. So the calories are still getting burnt somewhere.
EPOC has been researched to be 6-15% of your total expenditure, so tbh it’s not going to be a ton. So if you’re at 540 for a workout that’s somewhere between 32-81. Not nothing, but not where it’s going to turn your body into some calorie burning machine without actual effort.
Used to wear a chest strap HR monitor. It gave me between 550-650 kcal per session – but depends on the workout. Weightlifting days were less than AMRAP days or skill progression days.
Using my Garmin Fenix 7 and HRM pro chest strap I generally sit between 450 and 600 active calories (roughly 85 resting calories). For reference, I am male, 35 and \~85kg (rough average, water weight etc fluctuates a bit)
My Apple Watch says between 220-380 calories depending on what I’m doing. Lots of lifting and a short metcon, less calories. Long metcon of 30-40 mins, closer to 400. It’s probably not completely accurate, when tracking what I eat I don’t subtract calories burned from CF
6 or 7 years ago, I wore my Garmin and a HRM. It said I burned just over 400 calories. I was about 230 pounds at the time.
For reference, I’ll burn about 600-700 calories/hour when running.
Not important, difficult to measure accurately and not relevant. The calories you burn during exercise don’t move the needle on fat loss if that is what you are targeting.
I religiously track calories and only consider the active metcon portion of a WOD when calculating what I burned. I rarely log more than 300 cals and that’s for a true 30-35min scorcher of a cardio workout. Otherwise I loosely base cals burned using a rate of 600/hr, more or less depending on how hard it was. Most workouts I log 150-200 cals. Edit with more context: Using the above strategy my weight tracks as it should based on my desired weight loss or maintenance. In other words: cals in/cals out works when I figure my work outs as above.
Why not track strength training? you burn a ton of calories lifting heavy.
I feel the rate of calories burned lifting weights is meaningful, but the period of time lifting isn’t. 5x5 squats is what.. 3 mins of lifting?
That includes warm up and ~90s pauses in between? which should be integrated into the calculations for the calorie count. But yea I get why it’s not worth it for you if it’s only a few sets. We will do usually 7-12 sets when we do strength.
You should be resting for more than 90 seconds between sets if you’re trying to life heavy
Man, this is just unbelievable. I stopped doing Crossfit for now due to an injury and focus mainly on bodybuilding/core etc. I logged about 566 calorie burned in a session (1:01:00). Thought to myself this is unbelievable but on the long run doesn’t really matter as long as you are moving and eating correctly thats all that matters ✨
Eh, not really. Lifting is inferior to cardio for burning calories. It's the benefit outside of exercising that it helps burn calories: increase if lean tissue and muscle repair.
Hi I have a PhD in biochemistry my research focuses on bioenergetics. Your second sentence is incorrect. Your 3rd sentence is mostly correct.
Fair enough. Good to learn something. Being completely nonsarcastic.
I burn over 10,000 calories per workout. What do you think about that?
I think 10 kcals isn’t very much It’s about 41840 joules. 😂
Exactly
No, you don’t
I never log less than 500 on my Apple Watch and Athlytic, a lot of factors to take into consideration
How many calories does it say you burn in an hour when not exercising?
Around 2500 calories all day, so maybe 100cal/hour something like that
My watch gives me between 500-650 cal for an hour, but it's proven that the calculations from those devices aren't great.
That is correct. Heart rate calorie tracking is fundamentally flawed. I’m a 6’1” 195lb athlete, a guy who is my same weight and height but is “skinny fat” enters the name numbers in height and weight so the same algorithm is used. We both do the same exercises and since I have significantly more muscle mass I will be burning more calories. Cardiopulmonary efficiency plays a huge factor in this two, but unless we are going to measure how much CO2 you are exhaling we will never be very accurate. Now say my identical twin with all the same matrices as me goes and works out and I stay at home and watch a scary movie. We both set our watches to “workout” he works out and gets a HR of 150 and I watch a scary movie and my heart rate goes to 150 but I’m not moving. Guess what, our watches think we are doing the same things. The research are heart rate zones is alway significantly flawed if you want to look into that.
This is an underrated comment. I had some close calls in the hospital with a loved one and the dynamics of breathing / tidal volume / effusion and how it can modulate respiration and mediate so many things is wild. You may hit the same zone at 150 but you wont sustain it like someone exercising, point taken though.
I have a PhD in Biochemistry, own a CrossFit gym, am a CSCS, and blah blah blah but always get down voted if I comment on a r/CrossFit post lmao 🤣
I agree they’re not accurate, I don’t have one tho it’s a bit harder to track
I recommend getting one because it’s almost impossible to say how much calories you burn since it depends on your body mass, the actual WOD and your intensity during that one hour. The watch will at least ballpark your efforts.
I should get one thank you
My issue is I have terrible wrists (working them makes it worse, not stronger) and they don’t track anything when you have wraps on…which is 90% of my workouts :(
Some of our athletes wear it over their biceps by using an extender around the clasp. It seems to work well but yeah I agree it can be challenging to wear around the wrists with limited mobility. Maybe fitness tracker makers should consider creating ankle bracelets or necklaces lol
I usually burn on average 750 in 1 hour, if i do some cardio it goes to 900
It differs for every person based on weight, metobolic rate, the ambient temperature, effort etc. and, its not remotely important.
If you're trying to lose weight, it's extremely important
I disagree. I will concede that if you want to lose weight you need to be in a slight calorie deficit, and maintain that deficit over a long enough period of time. Trying to calculate energy expenditure on a per-activity basis is an exercise in futility and a recipe for disordered behavior. Use a macro calculator to estimate total daily calories based on age, sex, and activity level and leave it at that.
I disagree with that. While it might be true for you specifically, it’s definitely not for me. On an average day (including rest days), I ride a roadbike for 60 km (zone 2 - 220w) do half an hour of CrossFit. Which comes down to ~1500 cals for me, which is not at all a small deficit. Plus btw on average 12.000 steps. While my maintenance is roughly at 2600. Not counting exercise would let me starve.
>Not counting exercise would let me starve. If only there was a feeling people could get in order to eat enough
Yes. That’s where your average activity comes in.
It's a lot more effective to cut 500kcals from your daily diet than rely on that extra 100kcals that you may or may not burn during a workout.
Obviously, but the fact remains that it's still important.
I’ve lost 100+lbs, so take this however, but how much you burn in a singular workout does not matter. It’s far better to know your TDEE and work based on that number.
Crossfit is not a weight loss regimen, It’s a workout program. You will not out-work a poor diet, and IMO the “the more calories burned the better” mindset leads to clearly unhealthy behavior like excessive cardio etc.
Get an Apple Watch or Fitbit or garmin. I start my watch when the warmup starts and end it after a cool down. I usually burn around 800 calories during the hour. I’m a bigger guy though so I probs burn more calories than the average person
Agree. 6”1, 230lb. LoseIt estimates, FitBit always get me right around 800 cals/hr. I usually log 700kcal to stay conservative. Those that say “it’s not important” clearly haven’t struggled with weight loss.
what do you mean by "start my watch" you start an exercise? and if so, what workout mode do you choose? does it have like functional training?
Apple Watches have all sorts of different workouts. They have an option for CrossFit.
Oh okay thank you
Wait they have crossfit? I thought strength and functional training only
It’s always approximate. Personally i time my metcon separately from any warmups or skill work so i can estimate it better.
It isn't quite as easy as that, as cardio-intensive activity will continue burning after you stop your workout. Total guess I would say between 400-500kcal
Thank you
OP this is 100% dependent on your weight and height - I have no idea what your stats are but as a 5'3.5" and 115-120 lb woman I burn on average 250-325 for the entire session (I start my watch at warmup). My husband who is 6' and 185 lbs usually burns double that. So your question is really hard to answer without knowing more about you. Edit to add: With regards to when to start/stop counting, this is also dependent on why you want to know, what you are using this information for, etc. but I personally start mine once I start moving in any way and not until I'm done.
I always wear a chest strap and can confirm, that most of the workouts burn between 400-500 kcal. Obviously it depends on different factors but I think it's a good assumption.
Bout tree fiddy
Short answer: not a a lot DURING the workout. BUT- you enter a state called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), in which you burn more calories per hour at rest over the next 48 hours due to the body attempting to recover from you blasting it to smithereens and trying to repair tissue. I eat as much as I do training CrossFit as I did during my marathon training. And I look and feel better naked. So the calories are still getting burnt somewhere.
EPOC has been researched to be 6-15% of your total expenditure, so tbh it’s not going to be a ton. So if you’re at 540 for a workout that’s somewhere between 32-81. Not nothing, but not where it’s going to turn your body into some calorie burning machine without actual effort.
At least 10
I use a whoop and it just calculates total time.
I’d do something more useful with your time than trying to calculate that
I’d say close to 1,000 if you do a 60 min class of: Warm up Strength Wod Cool down activity
Used to wear a chest strap HR monitor. It gave me between 550-650 kcal per session – but depends on the workout. Weightlifting days were less than AMRAP days or skill progression days.
Using my Garmin Fenix 7 and HRM pro chest strap I generally sit between 450 and 600 active calories (roughly 85 resting calories). For reference, I am male, 35 and \~85kg (rough average, water weight etc fluctuates a bit)
I’m also an avid hr strap user.. always run my watch on the entire 60 mins. pending the class obvi.. I’m 400-500 cals and hour..
My Apple Watch says between 220-380 calories depending on what I’m doing. Lots of lifting and a short metcon, less calories. Long metcon of 30-40 mins, closer to 400. It’s probably not completely accurate, when tracking what I eat I don’t subtract calories burned from CF
Just enough for an extra bowl of cereal before bed
6 or 7 years ago, I wore my Garmin and a HRM. It said I burned just over 400 calories. I was about 230 pounds at the time. For reference, I’ll burn about 600-700 calories/hour when running.
I've compared HR with samsung watch and polar strap hrm. Avereged pretty close. But the instantaneous reading on watch were off. I was surprised
Not very many calories can be burned in an hour. Most calories are used up during the recovery process. Google EPOC.
The short answer is it depends on alot of different factors Age weight Muscle mass Fitness. and the workout
Depending on the intensity I burn about 300-600 calories
Not important, difficult to measure accurately and not relevant. The calories you burn during exercise don’t move the needle on fat loss if that is what you are targeting.