which exercise machines burn the most calories?

jim_n_virginia · December 2012

I only have 45 minutes to run on a machine at the Y in the morning. What machine do you think burns the most calories the fastest??? I have been running on an elliptical machine which burns 500 calories for me at a med pace. I tried a machine where your legs swing back and forth it only burned 300 calories in 45 minutes.

There are probably 8 different machines at the YMCA where I go. Two different kinds of elliptical, one with arm movement and another without. stairsteppers, recumbent bike, stationary bike, treadmills etc.

Which one do you think it the most efficient and burns the most fat???

meshashesha2012 · December 2012

fat burning primarily takes place off machines whereas while you're exercising you're primarily burning glycogen . glycogen is an easier energy source to convert to fat.. so as long as you're eating less than your TDEE you're going to be burning fat.

to make sure you're burning the most fat while you're losing weight i'd day do a combo of cardio some days of the week and full body strength training with progressively challenging weights the other days of the week.

chocolatecroissant · December 2012

In simple terms, machines where you support your own body weight, eg treadmill rather than bike. However it will also depend on how hard you work and what you do.

SoopraBint · December 2012

i believe ellipticals and rowing machines are the best...

aalpass · December 2012

My biggest cardio calorie burns have come from 30mins on an elliptical with an interval setting followed by 20minute HIIT on the treadmill (1min sprint, 1 min walk, 1 min sprint etc.)

WaterBunnie · December 2012

Elliptical for me out of that lot because my heart rate gets a lot higher but really your body will benefit most from alternating what you use so that you are developing a larger range of muscles.

IronSmasher · December 2012

The one I'M on.

Boom

tameko2 · December 2012

Long term? A barbell and plates.

But since you want the highest burn during that 45 minute period, rowing, if you're capable of rowing hard, but otherwise, whatever you can keep the highest heart rate on for the longest. Running on a treadmill will burn more than biking but biking is WAY easier when you're out of shape, or running may not even be possible yet. Etc.

jstandfield · December 2012

Jacobs ladder burns the most followed by stairmaster. Then treadmill followed by elliptical.

melaniecheeks · December 2012

If it was me, I'd chose a different machine each day rather than the same one all the time. That way you're using different muscles, and also your body isn't going to get used to just one type of movement.

One thing I like to do with a limited amount of gym time is an indoor triathlon - 10 mins rowing, 10 cycling, 10 running. Add in a few sets of ab exercises and that's 45 minutes well spent.

gjulie · December 2012

I dont think it really matters a personal hrm will give you a better idea of what you are burning those machines way over estimate calorie burn if you work to the best of your intensity you will be burning what you can anyway no matter what it says!

neverstray · December 2012

Weights

abrahamsitososa · December 2012

You will get lot's of different opinions on this. But due to recent research and scientific discoveries I would say cardio.

katy_trail · December 2012

plyo

jump squats and other plyometric are super fast at getting your heart rate up
and challenging your muscles

a 45 min plyo workout is killer for the legs
simply alternate strength moves like lunges holding db
then a plyo move like jump squats
strength like ...um I can't remember another example, but that's the basic idea

other plyo examples jumping side to side, box jumps, speed skaters and so on
obviously we can't do plyo everyday, and it's not for the beginer
but it is great for challenging the legs and fab for those days when you're short on time
even 5 mins of any plyo exercise is very hard.

if you're not ready for plyo, or on another leg day, regular squats also burn a huge number of calories
use a heavier weight

building up the muscle, then you'll burn 24/7

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/CalorieBurnChart.htm
squats burn .96/calories per min that's close to 1 calorie a min
which is almost the same as .95 cal/min of running an 8 min mile.
jumping rope is also very high .754 .80 or .89 depending how fast you are jumping.

i have looked for a calculator to say how many cal. burned during jump squats, but
that's closest I could find. I'm sure comparing exercises on the rest of the chart
is helpful too.

don't forget to alternate working on different body parts to give time to rest
your muscles grow and repair during rest

martinh78 · December 2012

If it was me, I'd chose a different machine each day rather than the same one all the time. That way you're using different muscles, and also your body isn't going to get used to just one type of movement.

One thing I like to do with a limited amount of gym time is an indoor triathlon - 10 mins rowing, 10 cycling, 10 running. Add in a few sets of ab exercises and that's 45 minutes well spent.

I used to do this as well, but I'd do distance rather than time.

The rower is the best whole body exercise, in that it uses the most muscles of any of the cardio machines/exercises. More muscles used=more calories burned.

Have a look at HIIT as well, intervals may be your best bet for getting the most out of your cardio time. The rower isn't the best for this though, the treadmill, bke or elliptical would be suitable.