Calories Burned Curious???

ken4luvonly

So I am a runner but I am m learning that my sister who is doing the elliptical for 30 mins is burning more calories than me running for 20 mins at 4.7mph..so you dont burn more calories running? im LOST

MMAsac

Well, they're are differnt factors here. Body size, the incline of the treadmill vs the elyptical, the speed of each. But with everything the same, the Elyptical usually will bunr more calories than just jogging.

bwalters82

The amount of calories burned really depends on the person, and how vigorous they are doing the activity. On average, a good workout will burn about 5 calories per minute. The calorie burn estimates on this website are a little high, and the numbers on the elliptical are definitely subject to more investigation. Does your sister really move hard on it, use a lot of resistance and feel exhausted afterwards? If that's the case, then she probably burns more calories than you, but your heart is probably getting a better workout than her's. A recent study by ACE showed that a typical woman burns 4.5 (on average) calories per minute at 3 mph with no incline, so you are probably burning about 6 calories per minute. Overall, if you enjoy running, then keep running. Maintaing a healthy lifestyle has much more to do with enjoyment than a few extra calories being burned.

Brandon Walters
B.S. Health Promotion
C.P.T. National Academy of Sports and Medicine

swilson314

It depends on your speed and intensity. If she is going at a stronger pace for a longer period, she will naturally burn more calories. Its not a simple matter of which cardio exercise burns more calories, its a matter of the intensity in which you do it.