Calories burned on gym cardio equipment

numinousnymph
numinousnymph Posts: 249 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've heard/read that many machines overestimate the amount of calories it tells you you are burning, even when they have the option to input your weight and age. Has anyone else heard of this? Does anyone know if it is true? To offset this potential overestimation, I always enter my weight as 15 lbs lighter than I actually am, and then work out until the machine tells me my calorie goal. Do you think that works, or is just stupid? Any help on this issue would be appreciated...

Replies

  • afortunatedragon
    afortunatedragon Posts: 329 Member
    I have no idea as I am not using any treadmills.
    Get an HRM and try it out.
    (Would be the best and most accurate option anyway)
  • DaveMurphy6
    DaveMurphy6 Posts: 130 Member
    I stopped worrying about the "number". I do 6, 30 minute workouts a week. I go as hard as I can. I have had success doing it this way so why change. Your body will count the calories the right way.

    If you are not having success. make corrections in your eating habits and/or increasing exercise. Let the scale and the mirror be the judge not what the machine says.

    I keep track of my exercising to make sure I hit my 6 30 minute workouts every 7 days....26 30 minute workouts a month....78 workouts every 90 days. My routine doesn't change much so my counts don't either.

    Continues success
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I've heard/read that many machines overestimate the amount of calories it tells you you are burning, even when they have the option to input your weight and age. Has anyone else heard of this? Does anyone know if it is true? To offset this potential overestimation, I always enter my weight as 15 lbs lighter than I actually am, and then work out until the machine tells me my calorie goal. Do you think that works, or is just stupid? Any help on this issue would be appreciated...

    Calorie burns depend upon height, weight, age, gender, exertion level & more. Without these inputs machines will estimate.

    Example: machines will default to male unless gender is required. Men burn more calories than women because they have more muscle mass.

    Heart rate monitors (with a chest strap) compare your resting heart rate against your heart rate while working out constantly.....this is used as the exertion level (an estimate). Machines have no way of detecting if a workout was hard for you or not. HRMs are designed for steady state cardio....so treadmill numbers should be pretty good.

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