Elliptical with Weights

lorrpb wrote: »

You would add the weights to your body weight, but I don’t know about the burn you mention. My rule of thumb is 10 Cals per minute for a very hard workout. I read that elite athletes working very hard burn about 15 per minute.

Ditto. My rule of thumb is 100 calories/10 minutes if really pushing.

MarkInTheHV wrote: »

I am a backpacker/hiker that would like to push things to the next level. However, due to work, I am unable to get on the trail as much as I would like to.

Another option for backpacking/mountaineering training is stairs with the pack. One group I was training with used the indoor stadium/running track at the university with the following...run 1 lap (1/6 mile) then climb up and down each aisle in that section, then run another lap,...

"According to this formula, if I weigh 200 pounds, I would burn 432 calories every 30 minutes."
Formula based on what intensity level? Which machine with which range of motion or resistance setting? What power output? What efficiency ratio?
Honestly wouldn't give much credence to that estimate at all.

432 - highly unlikely. That rate of burn would take a remarkable level of fitness and working really, really hard. 496 - hell no, unless you are a high level competitive athlete perhaps and pushing to maximal levels.

Do you have access to a machine that's gives more reliable calorie estimates based on power? A high quality indoor bike or a Concept2 rower perhaps?
Or can you run non-stop for 30 minutes?

These would give you a far better idea of what you are actually capable of burning.

I'm not sure if wearing your backpack on the elliptical would actually provide as much benefit as you might think. Since the resistance is set by the machine and not your body weight, I don't think it would really make a difference. There would be some benefit just by virtue of the fact that you are supporting slight more weight but it would probably be more akin to the benefit you'd get from wearing the backpack while sitting or standing still.

The parallel I would draw is wearing the backpack on a stationary bike. The overall effort you expend isn't as much dictated by your weight as it is by the resistance level you choose on the machine itself.

Note that weight driven calorie burn differences are driven by the fact that larger bodies in general require more energy to sustain themselves and not because of a function related to specific amounts of resistance. Case in point - heavier people burn more calories than lighter people while lying down. If your premise were directly true, you could theoretically increase your calorie burn by lying down with your backpack on.

MarkInTheHV wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

Do you have access to a machine that's gives more reliable calorie estimates based on power? A high quality indoor bike or a Concept2 rower perhaps?
These would give you a far better idea of what you are actually capable of burning.

I have the Sole E35 elliptical (2008 model), so not sure how accurate the calorie counts are from the machine.

I would guess very exaggerated unfortunately.
Closest comparison I can give you to your numbers is a friend of mine who is ridiculously fit and hit a maximum of 936 (net calories) in an hour on a bike. He was a podium finisher in a national 24hr bike event to give you an idea of how fit he is.

Obviously I don't know your fitness level and you haven't described your intensity but 432 or 496 for half an hour is very, very high.