Treadmill Discrepency

kgool
kgool Posts: 177 Member
edited September 26 in Fitness and Exercise
Just to point out the variance in calorie count by device here is a testimonial. I work out mornings at two different gyms depending on my mood and how early I get up. One has Precor treadmills and the other LifeFitness. I do a solid 3 miles on each and however much more I can do in 45 minutes plus cool down. I run/walk/stagger at a fairly constant 4mph with burst of 5.5 every 6 minutes and an incline average of around 5.5%.

The LifeFitness machines are always over 600 if not 700 calories for this work out.
The PreCor machines are somewhere between 450 and 500 calories for this work out.

Replies

  • Melis25Fit
    Melis25Fit Posts: 811 Member
    This is why investing in your own HRM is a great choice.
  • blakjac6
    blakjac6 Posts: 41
    1 mile = 100 calories, 5.5 miles = 550 calories and so on, measure this way.
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
    Never mind, I misread....
  • mattyh21
    mattyh21 Posts: 14 Member
    1 mile = 100 calories, 5.5 miles = 550 calories and so on, measure this way.

    Yes this is consistent but i dont think it is a good way of trying to get as accurate as possible. The best way to go is invest in a heart rate monitor as they provide instant feedback on how hard your heart is working. Calories burned on the two machines could also be programed for two different weights which is why the discrepancy happened. You probably know already that your weight depends on how much you burn during a workout. A 105 pound female is going to burn less calories than a 150 pound man running at the same speed, which is why say 100 calories per mile is a good starting point but not super accurate. The longer you workout as well the more calories you will be burning exponentially, meaning that in the beginning of your workout you will not be burning as much but by the end, you should be burning it faster because your heart rate is so elevated.

    I hope that helped! Have a good run/walk/stagger!
  • kgool
    kgool Posts: 177 Member
    Thanks everyone. I will be buying my HRM ASAP. It definitely shows not to trust the machines. I am ~240 lbs so I have been figuring more like 160 calories per hour.
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