Fitness Myth Busted: Cardio and Extended Calorie Burn

Wed, 08/15/2007 - 2:30am by FitSugar

4,394 Views - 8 comments

Do you work under the assumption that your aerobic workout boosts your metabolism for hours after you stop working out?
This statement is actually true -- but the calorie burn is probably not nearly as much as you think!

According to coach Eric Harr, author of The Portable Personal Trainer, your metabolism will continue to burn at a slightly higher rate after you finish an aerobic workout. Unfortunately, the amount is not statistically significant. In fact, it allows you to burn only about 20 extra calories for the day. Harr says there is a little bit more of a metabolic boost after strength training, but still he says it is marginal.

Moral of the story: Just because you are working out doesn't mean you can consume all the calories you want.

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8 comments

Goons Gal

But - isn't it true that a pound of muscle burns an extra 50 calories per hour versus a pound of fat (which only burns 9)? That's reason enough to strength train and do cardio. More muscle = larger calorie burn throughout the day.

46 weeks 3 days ago

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mrbunsrocks

Hey, 20 calories is 20 calories! If you think of it this way, if you workout every day, you'd burn a bonus two pounds every year. I'd rather burn two and gain two! Smiling

Muscle cells definitely burn more calories than fat cells though. It's always good to add onto your muscle poundage.

fluffyhelen

I think this is more for those people who go to the gym so that they can eat curry. Eye-wink
Or grab a chocolate bar thinking the aerobic workout they just had is TOTALLY going to swallow up those calories fast.