Ellipticals burn that much?

P

Pinkpuffer

Active Member
Hi,

I was wondering if ellipticals really burn as much as the console claims. It seems so much easier than being on a treadmill but the panel says it burns twice as much. Is this for real?
 
I seriously doubt that they do, if yours is showing readings similar to mine. My elliptical regularly tells me that in an hour I'm burning between 800 and 1,000 calories, depending on how hard I work. Is that what yours says? On average, people burn about half that in a good, hard cardio workout.

I just use mine as a guide to let me know how hard I'm working in comparsion to past elliptical workouts. If you want a true reading, you should probably purchase a heart rate monitor.
 
Generally speaking, the Calories Burned reading on any cardio machine is usually waaaaaaaaaaaay off. My TM tells me I've burned way more than I know I have. I agree that a heart rate monitor is the way to go, but even those can be iffy. I know that mine shows a much higher count than I'm burning.
 
>I know that mine shows a much higher count than I'm burning.


How do you know? Just wondering. :)

Carolyn
 
I never pay attention to the calorie burn on the console of my Elliptical. I think it is way high. I have always used Heart Rate Monitors and with the chest strap I think you get the most accurate calorie burn info...just my 2 cents...:)
 
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>>I know that mine shows a much higher count than I'm burning.
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>How do you know? Just wondering. :)
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>Carolyn
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Because I'm positive that I'm not burning, say, 700 calories when I do Step Blast:p
 
I read somewhere once, long time ago, that you should subtract 15 percent from whatever the machine calorie counter says. I can't remember though if that applies to machines that let you put in your weight.

I burn 400-500 calories on my elliptical per 45 minutes. I like to think it's accurate. :p

Sparrow

Even after all this time the earth never says to the sun, "you owe me." Look what happens with a love like that.

It lights the whole sky.

- Hafiz
 
I always have thought to myself, "boy, if I am burning this many calories and I am not eating that many calories, I should be skinny as a rail". So no, I do not put stock into caloric burn, and focus instead on setting little goals throughout my workout-which is why those itrains and cardio coach workouts are so great.
 
At the gym they say to take off about 25% of the readings.

A good estimate for the average person would be 100 cals per 15 minutes. If you weigh more or less, it's minor fluctuations in calories burned.

Namita
 
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>>I know that mine shows a much higher count than I'm burning.
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>How do you know? Just wondering. :)
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>Carolyn
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Because I wear my Polar F11 and it usually shows 1/2 to 2/3 the calorie burn the machine does.
 
I've heard cals burned calculations on most of these machines are based on the AVERAGE person. I'd wager no one on this board could be considered "average" when it comes to fitnes.

Furthermore, the calculations are based on the "average 25 YO male." So that right there leaves probably 99.9% of us out.

Finally, some machines don't allow you to enter your weight & age. If those aren't factored in, any estimate of cals burned would be completely useless.

That said, I do about 40 minutes on the arc trainer & recumbent bike every Sunday & estimated cals burned according to the machines is 440. That actually sounds pretty accurate based on how I feel & my HRM results from say, Rhythmic Step or PowerMax.

Maybe this is a long post that says who the he!! knows, just do what you enjoy. ;-)
 
Hi. Lauramax is correct. The readouts on the machines are "bogus". It is better to go by a heart rate monitor, even if you don't have one that tracks calories. Just pick for the day what intensity you want to work at and then try to stay there for the duration of the workout. For me, some days I do interval training (HR between 136-175) and other days I like to stay around the 70-80% of my max. Don't count on the machines for accurate reading.

Kristen
 
I use an elliptical regularly, and I never even LOOK at the calorie burn. it seems ridiculously high. I find it much harder to get my heart rate up so do treadmill first and then finish on the elliptical. I think the treadmill burns more calories regardless of what the company says. treadmill effort ( for me) is greater and my heart rate is higher. I still like the elliptical because my heart rate stays up if I jump right over and it's definitely less impact. but I have never believed the calorie burn is greater because the perceived effort is less and the heart rate monitor doesn't lie.
 
Like Shannon, I just use mine as a guide to let me know how hard I'm working in comparsion to past elliptical workouts. And my HRM just died and I've never enjoyed a workout so much! Tracking the numbers makes me crazy!
 
i have a HRM and don't agree that the calories burned are less on an elliptical. if i run a mile, i burn about 75 calories (i am running anywhere from an 8-8:30 pace). in that same time on the elliptical, i burn about the same or more. the more effective you become at whatever you are doing (running, elliptical, step), the less energy your body needs and the less you will burn. i don't really use my HRM to count calories, but more to make sure i am training in the range i want to for that day.

since i got my HRM, i have been keeping a spreadsheet of the exercise i do, maxHR, avgHR, kcal, and time. i have noticed that based on times of the day, times of the month, or just doing one thing more than others, that i can get different readings. it's actually quite interesting.
 
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