burning calories gym what is going on?

poohpoohpeapod
poohpoohpeapod Posts: 776 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am having issues getting my hr up. I did 30 minutes stairstepper my hr only went up to120. Tried the arc trainer 30 minutes hr never exceeded 116. took forever to burn 500 calories . I see people on her do the arc trainer and list 700 calories. Am I getting fitter.

Replies

  • poohpoohpeapod
    poohpoohpeapod Posts: 776 Member
    anyone?
  • glin23
    glin23 Posts: 460 Member
    From your reply I'm going to assume that you are just going off of the numbers given off by the machine, which in some cses can be next to useless. Keep in mind that the formula that these machines use to calculate calorie burn is weight and age related. I'm guessing that they put a higher weight than you did mainly and possibly they put ore effort when using the stair stepper.

    Howewver that all means basically nothing. They are who they are, you are who you are. Weight loss is a long term thing. As long s you are consistent and dedicated, the weight will come off. But it all takes time.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    I am having issues getting my hr up. I did 30 minutes stairstepper my hr only went up to120. Tried the arc trainer 30 minutes hr never exceeded 116. took forever to burn 500 calories . I see people on her do the arc trainer and list 700 calories. Am I getting fitter.

    are you pushing yourself/getting in an intense workout or do you have these things set at the easiest level? also don't compare yourself to anyone else at the gym especially when it comes to how much they burn - weight/height/intensity all affect how many calories a person burns.
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
    Do you have a chest strap HRM?
  • 9jenn9
    9jenn9 Posts: 309 Member
    Yeah, the calorie counts on gym machines are pretty useless for most of us. If you are relying on your hrm to count calories, that's more accurate, and probably a much lower calorie count than the machine would show. Keep in mind that some people are using the machine calorie counts, which will show a huge burn, but might not be accurate.

    Here's a tip for getting your heart rate up. After I warm up, I do some high intensity intervals. I bump up the resistance/ incline for a few minutes till my heart rates gets into the 150's. I back off for a minute or two, then bump it back up. My heart rate monitor is my guide. As soon as my heart rate slows to 70/75% of max, I bump it up again.

    That said, it still takes me close to an hour to burn 500 calories.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    What kind of resistance do you have the machines set at? I can walk for an hour on the treadmill at 3mph and never get my heart rate above 115-120, but if I run for a few minutes at 6mph it's up around 150-160.

    Same thing with the ARC trainer, no resistance setting on and just going slowly, no increased heart rate. Intervals of resistance 5 and 10, pushing myself as hard as I can, heart rate up.

    Just moving won't get your heart rate up, you need to put the effort into it to make your heart rate go up.
  • poohpoohpeapod
    poohpoohpeapod Posts: 776 Member
    I use a Polar f4 hrm. The resistance on the arc was the highest 20. Stairstepper was on 7 that was all my legs could push.
  • poohpoohpeapod
    poohpoohpeapod Posts: 776 Member
    Yeah, the calorie counts on gym machines are pretty useless for most of us. If you are relying on your hrm to count calories, that's more accurate, and probably a much lower calorie count than the machine would show. Keep in mind that some people are using the machine calorie counts, which will show a huge burn, but might not be accurate.

    Here's a tip for getting your heart rate up. After I warm up, I do some high intensity intervals. I bump up the resistance/ incline for a few minutes till my heart rates gets into the 150's. I back off for a minute or two, then bump it back up. My heart rate monitor is my guide. As soon as my heart rate slows to 70/75% of max, I bump it up again.

    That said, it still takes me close to an hour to burn 500 calories. this make sense. I have found lately intervals like you said, are what I have to do. I think our bodies become super efficient after working out daily for 2years..lol. I WAS working, I was drenched in sweat.

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