Elliptical

kizzaii
kizzaii Posts: 52
edited November 12 in Fitness and Exercise
Im trying to get into the swing of the elliptical trainer, but I'm really struggling to get past the 5 min mark. I managed 6 mins today, fed it into my diary and it's saying I burned 101 calories. Is this figure as ridiculous as it sounds to me?
Naturally I'll be able to increase the time as i used it more, but I'm just wondering if the calories burned estimate is right?
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Replies

  • SwindonJogger
    SwindonJogger Posts: 325 Member
    sounds a bit high to me. It depends how hard you were working. If You were running at 80-90% of max heart rate (around 160-170 for me) then it's possible.
  • britexmom
    britexmom Posts: 145
    sounds really high to me. when i used the epiliptical at the gym and had it set on one the programs i would do 25 mins and burn about 290. on my treadmill at home if i really pyush myself and do intervals for 35 minutes i am burning about 380. where you going at an really fast pace nonstop for those 6 minutes ? if so then that is why you cant make it past that time period...slower, steadier would be better for you.....you want to work out for at least 20 mins to get the best return from your workout.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    Yes. It seems you can burn 1000-1200 calories in an hour effortlessly on an elliptical. I think its crap though. I am completely unable to get the same intensity on an elliptical that I can on a treadmill, and somehow the calories burned are always higher on the elliptical.
  • Andrea_McQ
    Andrea_McQ Posts: 56 Member
    I did 35 mins on mine last night and burned over 400 cals as per my hrm, finally found a way to use it that I can maintain for that long which works me hard but doesn't make me want to crawl off it after 10mins! I used a program that alternates between lowest, middle and highest levels - L1x2, L5x2, L9x1 - I used the level 1 sections to recover, slowed down a bit on those, and pushed harder on the higher 2 levels. I'd like to build up to being able to go for that long on one of the higher levels at a reasonable pace, hoping that will come with time/practice!

    The cals on the machine are about as accurate as the distance is I reckon! And the cals on mfp don't take speed/intensity into account, only time spent on the machine, so I don't even look at those and manually enter cals based on my hrm.

    Good luck with it!
  • mohanj
    mohanj Posts: 381 Member
    101 calories in 6 minutes seems way to high. May be you want to consider lowering the intensity and workout longer.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    Ellipticals generally post pretty high numbers for calories burned. 100 calories in 6 minutes of cardio is feasible (more so if you weigh a lot), but it's pretty tough to hit that high of a burn rate.
  • paleseptember784
    paleseptember784 Posts: 29
    I LOVE the elliptical!! I go to the gym 3x/week (I want to go 4, but I just took it down a notch because I was getting... a little obsessed! haha)... anyway, I do 50 minutes on the elliptical and 10-15 on the stationary bike.

    I feel like the elliptical is the "most bang for your buck" because you burn SO many calories and get a whole body work out if you use it properly. I do intense intervals on both pieces of equipment... I do 2 minutes of moderate pace and 2 minutes of very, very intense work out, alternating until time is up :)

    I didn't start out at 50 minutes-- keep working and increase it a little every week or two. It does take getting used to! Don't push yourself over the top if you aren't ready. It will happen!
  • mlightvt
    mlightvt Posts: 12
    I do 30 minutes of elliptical training on most days and depending on how hard I push it, I burn between 295-310 calories, according to the machine.

    By my count, that's about 10 calories per minute, so the max I'd burn in 5 minutes would be 50. 100 seems super duper high for that period of time, it would equate to 600 calories burned per half hour. Something seems off there.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    Trusting the numbers spit out by an elliptical is the best way to fail at weight loss!
  • sharae216
    sharae216 Posts: 162 Member
    Is it your diary on here thats telling you 101 lbs or is it the actual machine?

    I know when I enter on here the total burned for the time is over what I actually did so I click on the number and change it to reflect what the machine read as calories burned.
  • burg1801
    burg1801 Posts: 124
    I use the Elliptical daily at Level 25 (highest) doing an average 3.0 MPH and I burn between 650-700 in 30 minutes. At 5 minutes, I'm usually at 120+ kcal burned. My average heart rate is about 150 per 30 minutes which is right for my age.

    Your number seems about right to me.
  • jessie580
    jessie580 Posts: 87
    typically my burn is 100 cals every 10 minutes.
    depends on your settings :)

    ALSO. the longer you stay on, the easier it is lol - for me anyway, after 10 minutes my legs don't hurt as bad, and it's easier to tolerate.
  • Flixie00
    Flixie00 Posts: 1,195 Member
    I use the elliptical for anything from 30 - 60 mins 4-5 times a week. I estimate that I burn 200 cals per 30 mins worked out doing cardio in the gym as I cannot use a HRM, and the estimated calories burned both in the gym and on MFP are too high.
  • kraz4fun
    kraz4fun Posts: 31 Member
    100 calories sounds way too high. I input my weight/age on the machine and trust what it tells me. I also try to take my heart rate every 5 minutes so that's incorporated as well. I usually do 30-40 minutes at a nice, steady pace and burn between 300-400 calories.
  • MrsLVF
    MrsLVF Posts: 787 Member
    Im trying to get into the swing of the elliptical trainer, but I'm really struggling to get past the 5 min mark. I managed 6 mins today, fed it into my diary and it's saying I burned 101 calories. Is this figure as ridiculous as it sounds to me?
    Naturally I'll be able to increase the time as i used it more, but I'm just wondering if the calories burned estimate is right?

    That depends how hard you're working.
    I do 30 min and depending on how hard i work I burn from 320-420 calories.
    Sometimes I do circuit training & do maximum intensity & speed for 1 min & burn 30-40 calories
  • jennifer52484
    jennifer52484 Posts: 888 Member
    typically my burn is 100 cals every 10 minutes.
    depends on your settings :)

    ALSO. the longer you stay on, the easier it is lol - for me anyway, after 10 minutes my legs don't hurt as bad, and it's easier to tolerate.

    I am the same way.. usually for every 10 mins I'm on the machine its saying 100 calories burned...
  • brittyc1988
    brittyc1988 Posts: 35
    I love the ellipitical and when I first started I couldnt do more than 15 minutes when I was slightly active but now I do it for 45 minutes and love it. It definitely takes time to build up to but you'll get there! When I enter my ellipitical time on here I go by what the machine tells me of course after entering my age weight and selecting the program I do! In about 45 minutes it says I burn around 350 - 400 cals. The counter on the site spits out a really high number that just doesnt seem logical
  • SunKissed86
    SunKissed86 Posts: 51
    Im trying to get into the swing of the elliptical trainer, but I'm really struggling to get past the 5 min mark. I managed 6 mins today, fed it into my diary and it's saying I burned 101 calories. Is this figure as ridiculous as it sounds to me?
    Naturally I'll be able to increase the time as i used it more, but I'm just wondering if the calories burned estimate is right?

    100 seems a little high but it's most likely correct, depending on your weight, age, etc.

    What I did to be able to stay on longer... now I can stay on for 30/45/60 minutes with ease
    **not EASY, just not passing out haha**
    At the 5 minute mark..I peddled backwards at about half the speed I was doing 30 seconds
    then right as it hit 5:30 I punched it forward and pushed through it... then do this for 10 mins, 15 mins, 20 mins, 25, 30. That mini "rest" for 30 seconds can do wonders when you're training yourself to use the machine..gives you something to look forward to

    -Dara
  • Bomber989
    Bomber989 Posts: 24
    If you are relying on the elyptical machine to calculate your calories burned, I would us that as a basic value. If you would really like accurate data to input to MFP, I would suggest a reasonably priced Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) as this will allow you to use different exercise methods and still account for the calories burned. I'm not sure how accurate the calculation are for MFP but l'm sure they are "close". I really like the HRM approach because I can bike for a while and then use the elyptical and then run...if I want, and all the time the HRM is keeping up with the calories being burned.
  • 10acity
    10acity Posts: 798 Member
    I think what some people tend to forget is that a heavier person is burning more calories doing the same activity for the same amount of time than a smaller person would. This is why I can burn 200 calories on the elliptical in a snap, and my sister next to me only does around 100.

    I have read in several different places that the average margin for error in the calorie-burn output on a given machine is 10%. So I take whatever the machine/MFP tells me my calorie burn was, and I subtract 10% before I log. I'd rather underestimate than overestimate!
  • janeite1990
    janeite1990 Posts: 671 Member
    I use the elliptical for anything from 30 - 60 mins 4-5 times a week. I estimate that I burn 200 cals per 30 mins worked out doing cardio in the gym as I cannot use a HRM, and the estimated calories burned both in the gym and on MFP are too high.

    Yes, this is about my calorie rate on elliptical. 100 in 5-6 minutes is probably not happening. Sorry! I wish it were so!
  • monkeypantz
    monkeypantz Posts: 288 Member
    Push yourself by 2 minutes at each time, listen to some good music or watch a long tv show whilst your own it, to keep your mind of what your actually doing.

    I started off in January using the Elliptical and couldn't manage more than 5-10 mins but now I do an hour 3-4 times a week (yesterday I did an hour and half to really push myself).

    Calories burnt can vary so much according to your heart, age, weight etc.....I don't focus too much on it, more of how tired I am, sweaty etc....if you feel like it's a good work out for you keep it up!
  • cjaharmon
    cjaharmon Posts: 46 Member
    I love the elliptical but like you struggled at first to get past 5 minutes then 7 minutes. Then once I could do 10 minutes it seemed to flow to 30 minutes pretty easily. I do 30 minutes on just cardio days and do the "fat burning" or "cardio burning" programs that keep my heart rate between 121 and 141 depending on which one I do...either way I burn about 400 calories according the machine in a 30 minute session. The machine I use puts in your age, weight, etc and calculates the calories. If it's right I am not sure...am I losing weight between that and what I do on the site You beat I am! Do I feel better after a good work out...absolutely! I actually only clicked on this because i miss my elliptical time this week...have been fighting a sinus infection and trying to let my body rest a little the last two days. Can't wait to get back tomorrow!
  • CherryPie606
    CherryPie606 Posts: 44 Member
    According to MFP I can burn 378 cals in 30 minutes on the elliptical but the machine itself normally puts me at about 320. I use the lower figure. And just to be doubly sure I don't normally eat back all my exercise calories anyway. It'd be interesting to hear from others who use their HRM while using the elliptical
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    What you burn depends on too many things to say if it's right or not - your weight, height, age, the resistance setting etc.

    I'm m, 35, 236lbs and I burn about 100 cals in 15 minutes of medium resistance on an elliptical - just slightly higher than what I would burn walking on a treadmill at 3.5mph for the same amount of time.
  • RandomMiranda
    RandomMiranda Posts: 298
    I completely screwed up my weight loss for a month or so by assuming the calorie burn my elliptical gave me was correct. It gave me crazy numbers like 1000+ calories in 45 minutes. Make sure you enter your weight and age info and take your heart rate readings and it might give you a more acurate burn. Watching a tv show definitely helped me stay on longer.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    I completely screwed up my weight loss for a month or so by assuming the calorie burn my elliptical gave me was correct. It gave me crazy numbers like 1000+ calories in 45 minutes. Make sure you enter your weight and age info and take your heart rate readings and it might give you a more acurate burn. Watching a tv show definitely helped me stay on longer.

    Don't forget to take the end result and divide it by 2. :)
  • vyanadevi
    vyanadevi Posts: 134 Member
    Hey how do you calculate based on your heart rate? I think that when I exercise on the Elliptical for 30 mins it says I burned 493 calroies and I am not sure if that is right. So I think if I knew how to calculate based on the heart rate it would be more accurate. I am usually at about 167-171 to sometimes 181 when I used the Elliptical to calculate my heart rate.
  • 10acity
    10acity Posts: 798 Member
    I use the elliptical for anything from 30 - 60 mins 4-5 times a week. I estimate that I burn 200 cals per 30 mins worked out doing cardio in the gym as I cannot use a HRM, and the estimated calories burned both in the gym and on MFP are too high.

    Yes, this is about my calorie rate on elliptical. 100 in 5-6 minutes is probably not happening. Sorry! I wish it were so!

    I see you only have 8 lbs to lose. I assume this means you're just 8 lbs from a healthy weight? Which means you're burning significantly fewer calories doing the same activity than those of us who are heavier. ;)
  • Tbowman30
    Tbowman30 Posts: 16
    The elliptical is actually my favorite machine when i first startded out it was HE!!....I could never make it past five....From the first time i used this machine i loved it so because of that i wouldnt give up. Now i can do 45min straight ,prob an hour if i really wanted to! just stick with it and dont give up it'll come!!!
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