# Weight lifting as a primarily calorie burning excercise
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weight-lifting-as-a-primarily-calorie-burning-excercise/483147
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 26, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weight-lifting-as-a-primarily-calorie-burning-excercise/483147 "2009-01-26T23:37:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weight-lifting-as-a-primarily-calorie-burning-excercise/483147/21 "2009-01-28T02:44:11Z")
Back in high school, we’d weight train all summer long in preparation for football. We’d get quite a bit stronger in those three months, but we were always amazed and dismayed at how unfit we were cardiovascularly. We could run an 8 minute mile, but it’d clean our clocks. So, you’ve got to have some cardio.
---
### Author:  [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2009, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weight-lifting-as-a-primarily-calorie-burning-excercise/483147/22 "2009-01-28T03:05:01Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> Ask your husband if it’s possible to travel back in time to before you over-ate. Or better yet, ask him if _he’ll_ travel back in time to give me that advice.
I wish, you wish, and my husband wishes, too. He’s a personal trainer with excess bodyfat–because it’s really hard to give up things that give us pleasure. He doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t do any recreational drugs–but he loves to eat, and he loves to eat dessert, snacks, Coke, all those things. I understand completely, and so does he, believe me.
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> I over-ate to recover from over-drinking. Ask your husband about the ease with which it is possible to simply avoid over-drinking.
It’s hard as hell. But it’s easier to quit drinking or smoking–you can cut those completely out of your life, and go on living.
But give up eating? Not possible. You (me, everyone who is trying to lose weight/get in shape) has to control their eating every single day, every single meal.
It’s f\*cking hard.
---
### Author:  [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weight-lifting-as-a-primarily-calorie-burning-excercise/483147/23 "2009-01-28T03:07:30Z")
> [@DigitalC](#):
>
> This is what i came here to post. I was told one pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day at rest, if you gain 10 pounds of muscle (500 calories a day, 3500 a week) then you’ll be burning a pound a week without doing absolutely anything.
Excellent. Because I’m still all shaky and quivering from doing my stupid workout. Weight training is hard bloody work.
---
### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weight-lifting-as-a-primarily-calorie-burning-excercise/483147/24 "2009-01-28T04:20:31Z")
There’s weight lifting and then there is weight lifting. People waving around light weights for a couple reps will accomplish something because they are using muscles in a way they never have. But a real weight lifting regimen can be a rough workout. I was a competitive lifter when I was a kid and I carried no extra weight. I worked upper body one day and lower body the next. I could barely make it up the steps sometimes to go to bed.
I am old now (65) and I still lift a bit. I have a dumb bell with 35 lbs on it and I do curls and tricept exercises while I am on the computer. I also play racketball 4 times a week for cardio.
---
### Author:  [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weight-lifting-as-a-primarily-calorie-burning-excercise/483147/25 "2009-01-28T15:42:22Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> Ask your husband if it’s possible to travel back in time to before you over-ate. Or better yet, ask him if _he’ll_ travel back in time to give me that advice.
Umm… “Losbang”… perhaps you can talk Lu-Tze into helping you with that.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weight-lifting-as-a-primarily-calorie-burning-excercise/483147.md?page=1)