How many kcals do you think an NBA basketball player burns in a typical game? 1000? 2000? Well, if you're Mario Chalmers(right), at 190 pounds and playing about 31 minutes, then you'll rack up about 393. If you're LeBron James at 250 pounds and you play 41 minutes, you'll torch about 691. Seem low to you? Probably because everyone underestimates how much effort it really takes to burn off the kcals.
It's also why I laugh when I hear 120 pound people tell me they burned 1000 kcals in a Zumba dance class. I don't think so. Was it more taxing than playing NBA basketball? Please.Sports Science did an analysis for a recent ESPN the Magazine which calculated a MET level of about 8.55 for NBA basketball games. What's a MET? According to Dr. Barabara Bushman, "it stands for metabolic equivalent and reflects the energy expended by the body at seated rest. MET values for activities are the ratio of the rate of energy expended during an activity to the rate of energy expended at rest." The NBA 8.55 MET number means that the players are expending 8.55 times the energy they would if resting.
METs Can therefore describe the intensity of any activity. Most modern cardio equipment, for example, display METs so you can determine your intensity level. Anything over 6 METs, except for older or challenged individuals, is considered vigorous exercise.Of course, METs are estimates only and do not account for individual differences in body composition, environmental factors and so forth. But, using a simple formula, you can get a good estimate of your caloric expenditure for any given activity. Check the Compendium of Physical Activities which can be found online.
Your formula is : MET value X 3.5 X weight in kilograms / 200= kcal per minute.
Then, multiply by how many minutes you expended that energy level. Did you work as hard as LeBron? Good for you! Let's get together for a little 3 on 3.
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