Elliptical question

allysonb80
allysonb80 Posts: 109 Member
edited December 17 in Fitness and Exercise
I bought a used elliptical off of Craigslist so it didn't come with a manual. I have tried searching for a manual online and have been unsuccessful. I was wondering if someone here might be able to help me out. It is a Stamina Conversion II Elliptical/Stepper. When I use it I of course don't trust the calories burned results. But it also tells me speed and distance. I just can't figure out how they are measureing them. For 20 minutes on the elliptical I can usually go 4.27 in distance at a speed of 12.3. I am NOT going all out super fast. I would put it at a moderate pace. There is no way this is Miles or KM. Any guesses??

Replies

  • It could be that you are going 12.3 miles per hour and that you are going a total of 4.27 miles. (If you divide 60 minutes by 12.3 it's 4.87)... maybe. I could be totally wrong though. :)
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,131 Member
    12.3 mph seems awfully fast....
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    It's probably not miles. Some ellipticals measure in "laps," but what those laps are depends on the machine. I'm not familiar with that one in particular.

    Mine actually tells me revolutions (or how many "steps" I've taken).
  • MissLuana
    MissLuana Posts: 356
    It sounds like the 4.27 number is laps and the 12.3 is the average calories burned per minute at whatever pace you are going. Does the 12.3 number go up and down depending on your speed? If so, it's probably cals burned at that speed.

    Arc Trainers at my gym allow you to monitor you laps and cals/minute.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    Maybe it isn't speed, but MET measurements? I haven't done the elliptical in a while, but I don't remember it showing me speed, but it did show me MET's. 6 was easy peasy like swimming, 10 was pretty stiff, and 12 is very intense, like hill intervals or running an 8 minute mile.

    MET is Metabolic Equivalent of Task. It measures the energy cost of an exercise. The more MET's the more difficult something is.

    http://www.brianmac.co.uk/mets.htm
  • fionawilliamson
    fionawilliamson Posts: 110 Member
    I use my eliptical every morning. I do 30 min and go approx 3 miles doing 5.4 MPH. Its a moderate rate. Based on that i would say yours is in km.
  • jenschnack
    jenschnack Posts: 112 Member
    Get an HRM then is really doesn't matter what the machine says at all.
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