Treadmill Question....

mcrowe1016

While on the treadmill today, I worked pretty hard, with some intervil running and incline walking. The woman walking next to me walked on a high incline for about the same amount of time and held onto the treadmill the entire time for balance and support.

When she was whiping down, I saw that she had burned more calories than I had at that point. (I try not to look at those things, but I did this time)

I am all for someone getting a good calorie burn, but I wonder how accurate the calorie counter on the treadmill is if you are holding on while walking a steep incline. I was wearing a hrm and didn't hold on for any support, however I was walking a lower incline. This woman was also probably ten to twenty years older than me, and at least 50 lbs lighter, so I cannot understand how her calorie burn was more than mine. (Jealous, I know...)

Just wondering if anyone knows how inaccurate the calorie counter on a treadmill is if you are holding on. My hrm and my treadmill are relatively the same.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

12by311

I don't hold on when I walk on a higher incline....but I know my workout is definitely tougher there.

I don't think treadmill calories burned are accurate in any case.

a_stronger_steph

Did you see if she entered her weight into the treadmill at the start of her workout? (Do your treadmills let you enter your weight at all?) If there's no option to enter your weight, I think most treadmills use an average weight of 150-160 lbs to estimate calories burned. If there is an option, it's possible that she just left it at the default, or put in a higher weight.

As for how accurate it is when you're holding on... who knows? To be honest I don't think it's that accurate when you're not holding on, either. If you're wearing a HRM your estimates are probably going to be way lower than the treadmill's anyways, so don't worry much about it.

sprinkies

honestly i can't imagine what the good of it is if you hold on. it makes it too easy! her calorie burn could not be right. and maybe she didn't set the weight on her machine correctly either. i often don't because the treadmill starts at 150 pounds, but i don't care what i burn anymore cause i use MFP numbers and they're always lower so i leave it on that and my calorie burn is 50% more than i actually would burn

MarsChallenge

humm.. good question. I would love to hear the answer to that myself.

marksolie

I assume the treadmill calorie computation is assuming she didn't use the handrails for support. I don't have a heart rate monitor but thinking of getting one . What I do is either subtract 10% from what my treadmills readout says or when I reach a number I like I'll go until I'm 10% past it.

mcrowe1016

These treadmills you do enter your weight unless you do quickstart (that might be what she did). But it is not embbarassing at all because you just punch in the numbers, no waiting for it to climb. (you should never be embarassed of the number. Be proud that you are doing something about it!)

I didn't see what she put in when she started. Thanks for the responses!

Azdak

There is no way that a treadmill can "sense" that someone is holding on.

These are not thinking machines. They have equations programmed to estimate energy expenditure at different workloads. If it's a commercial TM at a club and you enter your weight and don't hold on, the calorie numbers for walking should be as accurate as you need. Other types of cardiovascular machines are not as accurate, but treadmill are usually pretty close.