Weight Training Burns Even More Calories Than You Think!

TomO · #1 (**permalink**) May 18th, 2007, 07:51 AM

Had to share this paragraph from the latest article in T-Nation:

Quote:

Calorie Burning During Weightlifting: Re-written! Here we see work from Rob Robergs and his research group in New Mexico really shaking things up (as they are wont to do). It appears as though quantifying the energy cost of resistance training has been seriously "under-supported by empirical evidence."
One tough factor to consider, of course, is getting a weightlifter into "steady state" in order to assess calorie expenditure accurately. That is, imagine me standing next to you in a lab coat and calmly asking you to steadily squat or bench, near your max, at a 20-reps per-minute pace for several minutes straight. It just ain't gonna happen.
So, these clever guys are having experienced lifters (another bonus for extrapolating the data to all of us) use 3- 25% of their maxes so they can keep going long enough to get good metabolic data.
By plotting a regression line at multiple points in this low range, the researchers can extend it out beyond 25% to say, 70% or 85% or more. Now, the predictability of caloric cost out to high loads isn't perfect, but here's the conclusion: Your heavy weight training bouts may be burning two to three times more calories than you have been told! Wow... just wow!

Steve · #2 (**permalink**) May 18th, 2007, 07:54 AM

Glad to see you are still reading t-nation, Tom!

TomO · #3 (**permalink**) May 18th, 2007, 07:58 AM

You were right about them. At first, it seems like a really cheesy site. But then you read the articles, and wow -- these guys know what they're talking about!

Steve · #4 (**permalink**) May 18th, 2007, 08:02 AM

Yup.

There are aspects of the site that really annoy me. But they have some of the best in the business when it comes to contributing writers.

Blancita · #5 (**permalink**) May 19th, 2007, 10:07 AM

I would agree with this from my own past experience. I used to maintain a healthy weight with 2 30 minute weight lifting sessions and maybe one walk a week for about an hour. And I am not a light eater by any stretch, so I'd say that was pretty minimal effort for working so well.

RhoRho · #6 (**permalink**) June 19th, 2007, 03:25 AM

Fantastic news! Another piece of ammunition in the struggle to explain (to my friends, invariably) why I find weight training necessary..

Whether or not the extent of calorific loss is proven, weight training is still an essential part of my workouts - the overall benefits far outweigh any supposed calorific deficit (compared to cardio, that is)..

Ta TomO