Enter your total body weight, total workout time, and select whether you are performing heavy or lighter lifting for the session to estimate your strength training calories burned.

Strength Training Calories Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the number of calories burned while strength training. 

C = IF * 3.5 *(BW/2.20462) / 200 * T
  • Where C is the total calories burned
  • IF is the intensity factor of your strength training 3.5 for light and 5 for heavy lifiting
  • BW is your body weight (lbs)
  • T is the amount of time in minutes

How many calories do you burn during strength training?

The amount of calories anyone burns during any kind of exercise is dependent on the intensity of the exercise and the size of the person.

For strength training, the typical amount of calories burned for a male of 180 lbs is 5 calories per minute of exercise.

How to calculate calories burned while strength training?

Example Problem:

The following example problem shows the steps and information needed to calculate the number of calories burned while strength training.

First, measure your body weight. For this example, the person weighs approximately 175 lbs.

Next, determine the total time of your workout. In this case, the total time is 45 minutes.

Next, determine your intensity factor. This is 3.5 for lighter lifting and 5 for heavy lifting sessions. In this example, the person is doing a heavy lifting workout.

Finally, calculate the total calories burned using the formula above:

C = IF * 3.5 *(BW/2.20462) / 200 * T

C = 5 * 3.5 *(175/2.20462) / 200 * 45

C = 312.55 calories