Does Carrying Heavy Dumbbells Burn a Lot of Calories?

Picking up a pair of dumbbells to take them from one side of the gym to the other might not seem like an exercise, but loaded carries are an exercise in themselves. You might be surprised about just how many calories carrying heavy objects burns and how they fit into your fat loss program.

  1. Be a Strongman (Or Woman)

    • One of the classic strongman competition events is the farmer’s walk, which simply involves carrying a heavy object in either hand. Strongman competitors will generally hold torpedo-shaped weights, but dumbbells work too. Not only is this type of training effective for building strength and muscle, it burns a high number of calories and burns fat too, claims strength coach Travis Stoetzel on his website. Trainer Charles Poliquin adds that strongman-style workouts burn more calories in less time than aerobic sessions.

    Getting Specific

    • The number of calories you burn each session depends on several different factors; mainly your bodyweight, intensity levels, genetics and related factors. As a general guide though, lifting weights burns between 180 and 266 calories in 30 minutes for those weighing between 125 and 185 pounds, according to Harvard Health Publications. Holding heavy dumbbells for a whole half hour would be almost impossible, so the number of calories burnt would also depend on how much of that half hour was spent holding and moving. If you simply held them every now and again and took long rests, you'd be at the lower end of the scale, but if you had a grip of steel and could carry them for most of the time, you'd likely top 266 calories.

    Busting the Myth of Heavy Training

    • The term "heavy" often comes with connotations of bulging muscles and huge physiques, but this isn't the case. Choosing heavier weights actually increases fat burn over light weights, as your post-workout calorie burn increases, according to trainer Mehmet Edip. The heavier the dumbbells you carry, the more calories you'll burn.

    Be Creative

    • Rather than just taking a stroll with the dumbbells, or congratulating yourself on a few extra calories burned by carrying a pair of dumbbells from the bench back to the rack, find ways to incorporate weighted carries into your program. Strength coach Dan John recommends two types of dumbbell carry. The waiter walk involves carrying a single dumbbell overhead, while the suitcase carry consists of you carrying one or two dumbbells at your side as you would a suitcase. Perform both of these as part of your warm-up, as a conditioning circuit, or use them to burn some extra calories while you're resting between sets of squats, deadlifts or pullups.