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How many calories should each workout burn?

buckystars
buckystars Posts: 129 Member
edited January 18 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm talking specifically about when I'm doing my cardio days. I usually stay on the treadmill/elliptical/stair machine until I've hit 400 calories lost but should I be staying on for more? I do calisthenics afterwards and some weights so it's not my whole workout but I'm wondering if I should be staying on the machines longer.

Replies

  • Figs318
    Figs318 Posts: 67 Member
    I'm talking specifically about when I'm doing my cardio days. I usually stay on the treadmill/elliptical/stair machine until I've hit 400 calories lost but should I be staying on for more? I do calisthenics afterwards and some weights so it's not my whole workout but I'm wondering if I should be staying on the machines longer.

    There is no way to tell you how many calories each workout will burn, simply because no two people are alike. For example, I am a guy who weighs 225 pounds my wife who is much smaller will do the exact same zumba cardio session with me and by the end of it i will burn 500+ calories while she might only burn around 350-400. There is no real way of telling you how much each workout will burn. A heart rate monitor, although not 100 percent accurate can really help you realize the range of calories you are burning.
  • cmcmommy
    cmcmommy Posts: 197 Member
    Get a HMR once I did I was amazed the difference that the gym equipment stated compared to HRM.
  • legnarevocrednu
    legnarevocrednu Posts: 467 Member
    There really isn't an exact science, but for 150 pound person, I think 10 calories per minute is a good goal. The heavier you are, the more you burn.
  • notworthstalking
    notworthstalking Posts: 531 Member
    As above everyone is different. For me at 5'8 67 or so kilos, it takes over an hour to burn 500 cals. Most work outs, 3.7 km going as hard as I can run/walking I can do just over 200. This is with trying to push my heart rate up. I have started doing Jillian Michales Kickbox quickfix. My burn varies just because I can do all the technques in the first to and can go hard, so over 100cal in 20 min. I did the third one yesterday and struggled with the ab moves, I have never tried mountain climbers, a crappy 84 cals. Long story short, we are all different. Just go hard.
  • buckystars
    buckystars Posts: 129 Member
    Thanks for the info! I'm going to look into a body bug or fitbit.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    The American College of Sports Medicine guidelines are 300-500 calories per workout, 1500-2500 calories per week.

    The tricky part is accurately determining the calories. A good guideline (for cardio) is to average 5 days a week, 45 min per session (with a range of 30-60 min, so you can do a couple of harder, shorter workouts and some longer endurance workouts).
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