How Many Calories Do I Burn in a Gym Session? Ask a PT

In our last article we discussed motivation, and whether it was as helpful as it is made out to be. In my opinion it has its place, but building habits is a better option. 

This week we’re talking about calories burned during a gym session, and why the number looks so small. 

How Many Calories Do I Burn in a Gym Session?

Question: I read recently that it takes 40 minutes of jogging to burn off a Mars bar, is this true?

Answer: Technically, yes. It would take around 30-40 minutes of jogging to burn the 244 calories found in a Mars bar. But it really is best not to think about it that way. For starters, your metabolism can burn those 244 calories watching TV for around 3 hours.

That’s right! A 70kg person will burn 221 calories just by sitting down and watching TV. You could sit down for 4 hours, eat a Mars bar, and LOSE weight.

Secondly, the act of eating the Mars bar itself burns calories, this is called the thermic effect of food. So 15% of those 244 calories will be burned off just by eating the Mars bar and then digesting it. Leaving you with 200 calories to play with.

As you can see, the calorie debate is a lot more nuanced than people like to pretend. You don’t need to jog to burn the calories from a single Mars bar, the jogging should be performed for other reasons.

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Exercise is Overrated for Calorie Burning

The fact is, exercise does not burn as many calories as people assume, and if you are using it as an excuse to eat more Mars bars, then you are probably not going to lose or even maintain weight.

But, burning calories through exercise (and walking) is still very valuable. Not only does it give you an extra 200-300 calories to play with each day, but it also allows you to improve your body composition.

More muscle, better endurance, increased strength, reduced injury risk, boosted testosterone levels, and significant mental health benefits are all associated with regular exercise.

How to Eat 100 Mars Bars Without Gaining Weight

The benefits of exercise are cumulative, and should not be looked at it individually. Sure, 244 calories burned is very little when most men are consuming 3,000 calories each day. But exercise for 100 days and that’s an extra 24,400 calories that you’ve burned. That’s enough to burn 3kg of body fat (or to prevent 3kg of body fat from accumulating). You could eat 100 extra Mars bars, and stay the exact same weight!

My advice for anyone looking to lose weight is to focus on your diet, grab some high-quality fat burners (such as IKO Cut or Hunter Burn), sleep better, and then start exercising regularly. In that order.

But the exercise is more for muscle building, improved health, and increased energy levels. The fat burning aspect is an added bonus.

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