More calories lost or the harder speed/incline?

TheBrown81
TheBrown81 Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
I just recently started to go to the gym about 3 weeks ago and last week I walked about an hour on the treadmill at 3.9 speed with 0 incline and lost about 400 calories. Lately I've been doing it where for example I'll put the speed at 4.0 and the incline around 3.0 (15 minutes in) and every 5 minutes I bump up the incline and speed by 1 so I end up at around 4.5 speed and 5.0 incline. Today I ended with a 4.6 speed and 5.5 incline and lost about 300 calories. However what I'm doing now is a lot harder than 3.9 but I'm losing less calories! I sweat way more and sides start to hurt at around the 25-30 minute mark...not sure if that's good or what. Help! Thanks :)

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    these calories are off the machine ? 60 minutes in both cases ?

    Do you hold on when it gets steep by the way.
  • TheBrown81
    TheBrown81 Posts: 12
    these calories are off the machine ? 60 minutes in both cases ?

    Do you hold on when it gets steep by the way.
    I just go by the calories on the machine. I went 60 minutes at 3.9 speed no incline and lately 30 minutes at 4.6 speed/5.5 incline...just wondering which is better for me :) and sometimes (right when I'm about to finish) I hold on to the little heart monitor grip
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    the shorter more intense one is probably as effective, and takes half the time, so it would be my preference.
  • LCastile
    LCastile Posts: 10 Member
    I just recently started to go to the gym about 3 weeks ago and last week I walked about an hour on the treadmill at 3.9 speed with 0 incline and lost about 400 calories. Lately I've been doing it where for example I'll put the speed at 4.0 and the incline around 3.0 (15 minutes in) and every 5 minutes I bump up the incline and speed by 1 so I end up at around 4.5 speed and 5.0 incline. Today I ended with a 4.6 speed and 5.5 incline and lost about 300 calories. However what I'm doing now is a lot harder than 3.9 but I'm losing less calories! I sweat way more and sides start to hurt at around the 25-30 minute mark...not sure if that's good or what. Help! Thanks :)

    I believe what you're talking about is interval training and just read an article at my gym that type of workout will burn more calories faster than a steady rate/incline. I've been doing this the last few months and burn close to 900 calories in an hour. I notice others around me burning a lot less calories per time.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    get a HRM so you don't have to hold on to the handles to get your HR...that will make it more accurate.

    I honestly don't push and go as fast as I should, but my incline is pretty darn good! I usually max out at 3.5mph, but I do random hill intervals. The treadmill changes the interval every 45-60 seconds and on level 7 ( where I currently am) the incline varies from 5.6% down to 0.9% The program that I use usually has 5-10 intervals before it returns to flat for like 2 minutes, then another round of inclines...

    One thing I have noticed is that as you lose weight, you have to bump up your intensity to burn the same amount of calories. I always burn 200-250 in 35 minutes.

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