how does a treadmill work?

suziblues2000
suziblues2000 Posts: 515 Member
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
How do treadmill's work? I mean, how does it know how many calories I burn? Does it weigh me when I step on it?
Because if I was lighter, I wouldn't burn so many calories no matter how fast or long I walked than if I was heavier.
How does it know how much I weigh to calculate the calories I burn? I sure don't see any scale on my treadmill!

Anybody know this?
THANK YOU.

Replies

  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
    The calories a treadmill tells you that you burn is just an average and could be way off from what you are burning. Some ask for your age and weight to get a better average, but bottom line is calorie burn is different for everyone. The only way to get a better reading is to get a heart rate monitor.
  • suziblues2000
    suziblues2000 Posts: 515 Member
    Thanx, Nelski, thats what I thought.

    The treadmill has a heart rate monitor. I grab these bars and it will read my heart rate. But it 'knows' my calories before I do a heart rate and I never had to program my age or weight in. I bought this treadmill used and I wonder if it was already programed to somebody else's age, weight etc?

    BUT the calories on my treadmill do match up with the calories on MFP regarding walking etc.
  • debmac63
    debmac63 Posts: 459 Member
    If the treadmill you have doesn't have the ability to input your age, weight, etc. then it is going to give you results for an average person that weighs 150 pounds. You can Google "calories burned" during running, walking , etc. and you'll find many web sites that will somewhat calculate your calorie burn. Before I got my HRM I would go to 3 or 4 sites and average the results. They are usually pretty close.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    The treadmill at my gym asks for my weight and I put it in so the calories burned estimate is pretty accurate, I'd say. The elliptical is the same way.
  • suziblues2000
    suziblues2000 Posts: 515 Member
    Thank you one and all. I wish my treadmill had a weight scale because I don't have one yet. Every time I visit my daughter I weigh myself on her's.
    Thanx again people, I appreciate your input.
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