Airsoft calories wise: sport or hobby?
 

Hi,

I always was curious, how many calories do you burn while playing a game?

has anyone attempted to mesure this?

Lot of people started playing because it got them moving while toying with replica.

With this question in mind, I runned into an androi app call CardioTrainer

This rigged with a bluetooth Polar heart rate transmitter will let me see how many calories are burned during a game.

I ll compile and share the result (comparing CQB, outside game, with and without real cap setting). I ll also describe the payload on me (assault, sniper, support, etc).

More to come

I don't know how much but surely much than playing golf!

well depends on the type of player too....

- some ppl jsut sit there and spray,
- some just dont move out of the spawn point because they are too exhausted from walking back after being hit
- some ppl like to run around, and sneak being ennemy lines...
- some just charge, get hit, walk back to spawn point, and charge again....

So the ammount of calorie spent in an Airsoft games varies...LOL

BTW: Airsoft could be a nice interval cardio training... if you do it right.. :P

Well, I'm betting on airsoft to help me get in shape, so I'm hoping it's a lot. Sure feels like it so far.

Indeed, player profile will have a big impact.

Field as well. (going on the last floor of the Mills in a game by itself)

In any case, I m curious to see what the calories number will look like.

If people have the same mesureament tool, we could compare.

This is a great idea! Can't wait to see the results.

I don't remember who said it on this forum but it says it best : "Airsoft will not get you back into shape but you need to be in shape to play airsoft."

Any exercise that's not done regularly might be beneficial in the very short term but will not improve your health or shape much. You would need to have games (where you're really active) about 3 to 4 times a week to really have an effect and even Barbie doesn't game that much! ;)

For my part I already train 3x a week and when I game I force myself to run everytime I move so as to maybe replace one training session (or add one).

yep thats 100% correct... :p

Funny, I was thinking of buying a heart rate monitor for the next phase of my trainning, and I was wondering how much calories I burned during a typical milsim.

I'm pretty sure that the most intense milsims can make you burn up to 2000 calories during the day if you run a realistic kit and give your 100% all day.

What kind of monitor did you buy? I saw the Timex Ironman that is less than 100$. I want something like this, with a chest strap, that is wireless and sub-100$.

I m gonna rig my smart phone with a Polar WearLink+ transmitter with Bluetooth wireless technology

Another crazy use for smart phone.

Considering US military will use the google nexus one for individual payload, I would not be surprise that they get a heart rate sensor to remotely detect fallen soldier.

Rig in a guncam (with IFF app that ID camo pattern) and a parrot UAV, you are cutting edge with civilan tech, until your parrot get blow to piece by 6 mm bullets ;)

http://dvice.com/archives/2010/07/defense-contrac.php

Indeed, it a good way to support other physical training. But unless we play 3 times a week, won t make much of a difference

that's why I need to be a millionnaire soon to build my own private airsoft facility that reproduces a complete town with a school and a supermarket with every detail including civilians and also zombies

Which will be called: Jimskitown

I want a subpen like St-Nazaire!

I m curious about difference in calories consumption in realcap vs normal game also. Realcap should make players move a lot more, less firepower on the field and people should have to aim.

Hum, I'll start looking for a bluetooth setup compatible with my Blackberry then.

here in venezuela you burn around of 700 calories hehen or more the temperature is on 33 Cº

old adage: Playing airsoft doesn't get you into shape. But you have to be in shape to play airsoft.

this could be a start of an interesting study, what we need now is a way to create a list of standards for this test and start gathering data

I burned 100 calories just reading this thread!

Great heart rate monitor and GPS: garmin Forerunner 305

If I remember correctly, it was 130$ at costco (boucherville) last week. A bit bulky on the wrist but hidden in a pouch it should do fine.

I'll put it on next Tuesday at Moogy's game and I'll let you know how many calories for a skirmish night.

Fong

All I know is that I can lose as much as 5 pounds in a Milsim on a hot day. Sounds exagerated but the scale at home doesn't lie. Verified it several times. A lot of it is probably water but I drink a lot during a game and we always stop for food and drink on the way back.

After a 1h run (pace 5.5 min/km), I loose around two pounds of water and the monitor says around 1000 calories burned. So 5 pounds in a day is quite possible.

Fong

I vote for Jimskipolis!

Lost about 8 pounds at last year 12 hours game organized by Isis (on Red Tiger field)...
Never regained theses lost pounds.

I can tell ya guys one thing!!! The pain the day after is getting less horrible... I remember when i started, not being able to walk the next day!!! Now, even tough i think i am gonna pay the very next day, i dont feel it as much... I think i have started building up a resistance to it, even by playing just once a week... Or maybe i just became a lazyer airsofter... :p

Depends on many factors :
1) play style
2) weight of fieldgear

On a hot day with my complete loadout german loadout (40 pounds in total :D), I can easily lose 6-7 pounds albeit most of it is water loss through perspiration.

At the Fort in Scotland most people tend to GAIN weight when they play.....bacon rolls in the morning, macaroni and cheese for lunch, followed by some chocolate and a packet of crisps! Ooops, knew we were doing something wrong!

Driving to the game we stop at a fast food restaurant (Tim Horton) and get a sandwich (eggs, bacon, cheese) with coffee for the road, Ham sandwich and Red Bull while respawning, lots of water during game play, ribs and beer after the game, still manage to lose 5 pounds. Wish it would stay lost:) Tried skipping the ribs and beer but when I do that I feel like hell the next day so I might as well enjoy the food and company:)

That im not sure about, I would expect people to move alot more in speedball type skirmishes, thats how i used to play it back in hong kong, sprint to the centre of the field and keep going on from there :)

haha, no way, that's how it SHOULD be done!! ;)

mmm... bacon rolls...

I highly doubt this. You are probably weighing yourself at a different time of day. In order to get your relative weight you need to eat regularly as well as weigh yourself at the same time. You will probably see that your weight changed very little.

Yep, I know i can be 5lbs lighter after 1 night of sleep...LOL

Same for height measurement... we are about 5-8cm shorter at the end of a day compared to the morning....

But makes a good placebo effect on some ppl :p

lol ever try driving range for 2 hours indoors? gets sweaty! but yea no way as much as even 20 minutes of hard airsoft

if ur getting sweaty golfin' u need to wrk out more....jk

I had a friend who had a breast reduction and lost 5lbs - just a thought - goodbye bitch tits, hello stealthy body....winner, winner, low fat chicken dinner!

A guy?.... wtf...

seriously, have you tried for two hours straight? I think you will know then. I'm not talking marathon running sweaty, but a lot sweatier than you'd think.

well...if you are doing a realistic impression and carrying a combat load then you will get in shape........
I have worn my Suunto a number of times and have seen sustained 140ish HRs.
Never did a calorie calculation but time in training zone was effective.

So when you guys trying to get in shape using airsoft are making gear choices then lightweight plastic is out....and real steel is in! LOL

I tend to wear heavier kit in CQBs... last time I weighted just my gear and gun before the game (with 3L Camelbak filled, 8 metal mags loaded) and if I remember correctly it summed up to about 53 pounds... and I only had fake plates (I'm planning on buying training plates, which weight as much as the real thing, before the summer).

As it's close to my body, I don't feel it that much when running (as opposed to wearing a 55lbs backpack) so it's not much of an issue. But then I'm young, I'm not too sure it'll be the same in 30 years XD

So... yeah, depends on the gear. I know some people who play with no LBE at all, just 3 highcaps in their pockets. I'm pretty sure they sweat much less...



Considering my two main hobbies (besides chairsofting) are airsoft and hiking, I train with these activities in mind... it happened a few times that I wore my PACA with plates filled with sand (under a sweater of course) and a 30lbs backpack when doing my morning 5km run. That helps a bit, cause just going to a few games definitely wouldn't be enough to stay in shape.

Okay, for those wondering about the calories:
- 3h30 of skirmish (from the start of the first briefing to unloading all my gear at the end)
- 25 pounds of gear
- total distance traveled 1.65 km (it was indoor so the GPS reading might not be super accurate...)
- Avg heart rate 130 bpm
- 832 calories burned, less than a 50 minute jog!

Hope it helps!
Fong

that is interesting data - If the skirmish would have been outdoor I am sure the calories burned would be much higher.

I dunno, it was gummy, oily sand where we played, makes running about twice as hard as it needs to be. Unless you're outdoors on a beach, I'd say it would be about the same.

5-8 cm? I dont think so... Maybe .5 - .8

depends if you play in the woods and the wood is very dense; it is actually harder than just having unstable ground. One thing is for sure playing in the winter, it is way harder and you much more energy.

this is heading for a CQB vs. Outdoor argument. sit back and watch kids. shit's 'bout to get realz

One thing I found to be very effective : you know that miracle protein based paste for starving people in Africa and elsewhere (that I weirdly can't find here)?
Do some exercise and eat that stuff. It is designed to restore muscle tone and of course brings carbohydrates but while making exercise it is extremelly effective.
By exercise I mean you have too run and do something, not just staying there spraying. Even better if you have a "propper" load out. I used to have german and multicam version in France about 15kg (suck it Imperials :D), now with GBBR once my PC will be be propperly loaded it will easily be 20kg.

Record after a 24 hours milsim (non stop game) : about 1.2kg of extra body mass. And given how easy push ups and other exercise were afterwards it was not fat.

Plus you help support a useful product for once (says the game who makes video games). ;)

I don't about you guys but I wasn't even sprinting anywhere and I was soaked. A good airsoft match burns off as much as a basketball game for me.

Just my 2cents

Bumpy bump.
I just got a heart monitor (Suunto M2) I tried it under my body armor and it does not feel like it will be problematic.

Now I will wear it to the next milsim and post the results.

Long_Bong: Any results so far?

I don't think you will get in shape while playing airsoft, but it surely helps to achieve it. You need to play really often or do something else beside airsoft to stay in shape. It also depends a lot on the style of the player.

With full loadout body armor and medbag plus bullets etc. for a 4-6 hour patrol all my kit was weighing in at 95 pounds give or take 10 or so. That was A good workout not practical for airsoft but try it see how it goes just stay hydrated