Arm use during cardio!!!

StrengthInPain

So at my usual gym, i often do the elliptical for 30 minutes and burn about 285 calories. I'm c urrently staying at my cousin's house for a week, an hour away from my usual gym, so he got me a guest pass to his gym. I quickly found an elliptical that resembles the one i use, and hopped on. I did my usual resistance at my usual pace, and at 20 minutes, I had only burned about 135 calories... definitely not on pace to burn 285 in 30 min. I calculate all my calories based on my HRM, so i checked my average HR and it was significantly lower than usual. Now i know as i become healthier i will burn less calories, but this is compared to 3 days ago, so i knew something was off. i picked up the pace and my HR went up to close to my average, but not quite there. I resolved to the fact that i would have to do about 45 min to get to my 300 calories. A few minutes later, i realized, my arms weren't moving. the machine was the exact same machine but with stationary handles!!

moral of the story: moving your arms during cardio burns more calories!!!

aippolito1

wow, lame!!! the one i use at my usual gym is like that, with stationary handles. i like it better because i do the elliptical to trim out my legs and my stomach/waist so i don't really need the arms. when i go to the other location, their arms on their ellipticals move and i end up with a better work out if i hold onto the heart rate handles and just watch my HR (the one at my normal gym doesn't have that so i just go by calories burned).

PixieGoddess

The machine at my apartment building's fitness center only has the HR moniters on the stationary handles, which I hate because I have to constantly switch if I want to move my arms and moniter my heart rate. The machine's at my university's rec center had moniters on the stationary handles AND the moving handles....I miss that.....