Do the Numbers on Your Gym Equipment Lie?

Do you ever wonder if those 200 calories your elliptical machine says you’ve burned in 30 minutes is truly accurate? If you’re trying to lose weight with a diet and exercise program or are in training, it’s important to know whether or not the amount of calories the cardio equipment at the gym says you burned is truly proportional to how much energy you expended. Some cardio machines can overestimate how many calories you burn by up to 15%. Three factors determine how many calories you’ll burn: your weight, the gym equipment and your level of intensity during a set duration. First, if a machine doesn’t ask you how much you weigh, it probably assumes that you weigh 150 to 160 pounds. But remember, the more you weigh, the more calories you burn, and the less you weigh, the less calories you burn. If you’re looking to lose weight, treadmills and elliptical machines tend to burn the most calories, but again, you have to consider the previous factors as well as the time you spend on each machine. Finally, the higher the intensity of your workout, the more calories you’ll burn in less time. Increase the resistance on your bike and peddle faster, or set the incline of your treadmill to 5-10% to bump up the intensity and challenge your body to work harder. Also, try choosing your workout setting on something other than manual, like random or hill, and if you’re on a machine with handles, don’t lean on them. All of these tips will help you to get the most out of your workout, but if you’re still worried about getting an accurate calorie burn, we suggest investing in a heart rate monitor, which will personalize your calorie burn better than anything else.