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Any expert serious amateur trainers out there?

Just wondering how accurate the calorie values given by treadmills, rowers and step machines are.Obviously the ones that ask for age/weight are gonna be much more accurate. I also assume that very fit people will be using a lot less calories than average joe getting fit.

From my experience, they're not that accurate. Like you said, the age/weight ones are going to be better, but when I was at my peak physical condition, I was 210 pounds. To the machine, it probably calculates more like I'm a 5'9 guy with some weight to lose rather than the reality of being 6'3 and in good shape. There are too many variables for it to guess well. If you want to get a more accurate number, I recommend getting a heart rate monitor.

ehhhh
really the best metric is you... you know if you're pushing yourself a little more every weak (don't overdo it of course) or if you're just being lazy.
heart rate monitors can be beneficial, but are certainly not necessary.

I found them inaccurate and I'm using heart rate monitor instead.

When I used two elipticals by different manufacturers in the gym they were displaying quite a different numbers .

I agree with everyone else here, in that they really aren't that accurate. Calories burned is primarily a factor of how much muscle mass is activated. Most cardio machines do their calculations based on an average. Some allow you to input your height/weight/sex to get a more accurate guestimation of how much muscle mass you have, and use your heart rate to get a more accurate estimation of the intensity.. But even still that leaves some room for error. Luckily though it's basically inconsequential, as calories burned specifically through cardio are basically inconsequential.

Don't get me wrong, cardio is good for you. It strengthens your heart, especially high intensity cardio, and aids in the flow of nutrients to your organs and extremities in addition to helping with organ purification and regularity. It's vital to your well being, but it's not the best way to approach weight loss.

If an average adult male burns an average of 125 to 150 calories an hour. Jogging for an hour will burn 300-400. That seems like a lot, twice your normal rate until you consider that unless you're going to jog for several hours a day, it's the difference between 3600 and 3800 calories. Over time that will add up, but only provided you control your diet. 200 calories is less than a single coke or about as much as a slice of bread. In addition by gaining four pounds of muscle you burn close to that many extra calories a day resting.

So basically although cardio is essential for health, you shouldn't even worry about the extra calories you burn with it. Everything helps, but If weight loss is your primary goal, then dietary control and increasing your muscle mass are going to be much bigger factors. It seems to be a pretty common myth, especially among women, that focusing on cardio is the fastest way to lose weight.

I agree with everyone else here, in that they really aren't that accurate. Calories burned is primarily a factor of how much muscle mass is activated. Most cardio machines do their calculations based on an average. Some allow you to input your height/weight/sex to get a more accurate guestimation of how much muscle mass you have, and use your heart rate to get a more accurate estimation of the intensity.. But even still that leaves some room for error. Luckily though it's basically inconsequential, as calories burned specifically through cardio are basically inconsequential.

Don't get me wrong, cardio is good for you. It strengthens your heart, especially high intensity cardio, and aids in the flow of nutrients to your organs and extremities in addition to helping with organ purification and regularity. It's vital to your well being, but it's not the best way to approach weight loss.

If an average adult male burns an average of 125 to 150 calories an hour. Jogging for an hour will burn 300-400. That seems like a lot, twice your normal rate until you consider that unless you're going to jog for several hours a day, it's the difference between 3600 and 3800 calories. Over time that will add up, but only provided you control your diet. 200 calories is less than a single coke or about as much as a slice of bread. In addition by gaining four pounds of muscle you burn close to that many extra calories a day resting.

So basically although cardio is essential for health, you shouldn't even worry about the extra calories you burn with it. Everything helps, but If weight loss is your primary goal, then dietary control and increasing your muscle mass are going to be much bigger factors. It seems to be a pretty common myth, especially among women, that focusing on cardio is the fastest way to lose weight.

You know muscles outweigh fat right?

I do agree proper dieting is the best way to lose weight. However, building mass to lose weight sounds very contradictory to say the least..

To OP, those machines just display a random number as far as I'm concerned. I dont' know why they even display calories, when clearly Joule is the derived unit of energy. Who really cares how much energy it takes to heat 1 gram of water from 14 to 15 Celcius (I believe something like that is what we call a calorie).

not accurate. Plus most of the time its a big waste of time. Look around what kind of people you see day in and out in the cardio section, they are not losing much weight..are they?

Do weight lifting, with weights that make you work. then do cardio, but do HIT or HIIT (high intensity training or High intensity interval training) and please..figure out what good food is and how it will help you.

You could even lose weight if you only did weight lifting and dropped the cardio

You know muscles outweigh fat right?

I do agree proper dieting is the best way to lose weight. However, building mass to lose weight sounds very contradictory to say the least..

haha yes, doing weight lifting will make you look like Hulk Hogan in no time.

Seriously, its very hard work to 'build mass', you need to eat a lot, really a lot and train like a beast. If you are like the avarage guy and just do weight lifting 2/3 times a week you will lose a lot more bodyfat and get more toned.

It's a big misconception that you grow big very fast, i think its because you see a lot of big guys around the weights. Just ask them next time: How much do you train? How long have you been training? and how do you eat?

It will be a big eye opener for guys that are afraid to 'get too big' if they started weight lifting

Keep your intake lower then what you need (don't go to far with this, you dont need to starve yourself), so first figure out what is it you need.

If you keep it lower you will lose bodyfat.

You don't want to become a skinny fat person.

not accurate. Plus most of the time its a big waste of time. Look around what kind of people you see day in and out in the cardio section, they are not losing much weight..are they?

Do weight lifting, with weights that make you work. then do cardio, but do HIT or HIIT (high intensity training or High intensity interval training) and please..figure out what good food is and how it will help you.

You could even lose weight if you only did weight lifting and dropped the cardio



haha yes, doing weight lifting will make you look like Hulk Hogan in no time.

Seriously, its very hard work to 'build mass', you need to eat a lot, really a lot and train like a beast. If you are like the avarage guy and just do weight lifting 2/3 times a week you will lose a lot more bodyfat and get more toned.

It's a big misconception that you grow big very fast, i think its because you see a lot of big guys around the weights. Just ask them next time: How much do you train? How long have you been training? and how do you eat?

It will be a big eye opener for guys that are afraid to 'get too big' if they started weight lifting

Keep your intake lower then what you need (don't go to far with this, you dont need to starve yourself), so first figure out what is it you need.

If you keep it lower you will lose bodyfat.

You don't want to become a skinny fat person.

I never said building mass is easy, I was replying to Super_Fish who said building mass is a good way to lose weight.

You can also lose weight by doing only cardio, or only dieting, but that's not really the point of discussion here. Caloriecounters are full of shit, I think that should be pretty clear now to OP.

it is not a good way of losing weight. But you don't want to lose weight, you want to lose bodyfat. You can gain weight, and look slimmer then before while you lost a lot of bodyfat and gained some mass

Gaining mass will never go fast, but losing bodyfat will with eating right and weight lifting. Atleast for almost all beginners it will.

Like Super Fish said, good luck losing a lot of bodyfat with only doing cardio at the gym. Fair chance you will give up because you are not getting the results you want.

And since OP is asking a question about the caloriecounters on a cardio machine I am pretty sure he can use this information too.

My heart rate monitor also tracks calories burned. In addition to the age/weight information, it asks for the level of intensity (3 levels each for running and cycling) to better estimate the amount burned; similar to Super_Fish's argument. Thus, intensity and the specific sport play a big role. http://tinyurl.com/369xkrt

Most of the time the machines aren't getting a continuous heart rate from you anyway, unless you have a chest strap which most machines will pick up the signal.

+1 to the heart rate monitor suggestions. http://tinyurl.com/2c88kft

I agree with a lot that is said here. Would like to add....eat multiple small meals a day (more food)....and do not skip breakfast.....to increase your metabolism. Your workouts will also be much more enjoyable (more energy).

5 stars to not worrying about actual weight-loss (unless a sport depends on it). Each pound of muscle needs about 50 calories/day to maintain itself. That is the idea behind building muscle=burn fat. Get a tape measure AND/OR get a body-fat test.


AND....rowers will kick your butt if you do it right. Amazing and they are usually vacant at the gym!

BTW...most important question....What are your goals?

Cardio machines is a best way to burn calories and get strong muscles. As you wrote that it is different at the different ages. But my point of view is that if a person take care his self and keep strong/effective hold on his eating habits then it is not probably chances of consume more calories. A person who cannot go out side he can do it by using exercise machines.

They are not that accurate on calories burned as there are too many factors to make it univesal for all.

Ellipticals suck imo. I have been doing it for 2 years straight (45min, 3 times a week) only thing I have noticed is that I am not getting any fatter. So does it work a tiny bit.

My friend started going to the gym with me at the same time and these 2 years he has gone from having 37% body fat to 8% body fat doing NO CARDIO. No treadmills, no ellipticals. He looks great, toned and the luck sack now gets all the chicks too. Meanwhile I am still overweight and feeling like crap.

He goes to the gym 3 times a week for 1hr. I go at least 3 times for 2hrs a time but get no results. Why? Simple, I AM LAZY. I hate working and just go hard (Yes, alot of effort) on the elliptical the whole time. I cannot stand boredom, weak will power, I enjoy hanging my ipad on the elliptical rack and watch Survivor, Top Chef and poker videos. Time goes by much faster once I am watching these videos.

My friend on the other hand just grinds Starting Strength the whole time on his ipod and looks shredded. It's true, Starting Strength works, the bastard does zero cardio but is in great shape.

it all really doesnt matter what you do, unless you have a propper dieet...
dont trust the computers on those things, they dont know your bodyfat % and all that stuff (unless its like a super expensive fitness one, but i doubt someone buys that for home use)

Look at your heart rate, try to work between 120 and 150, here you will burn the most fat.
If you plan is like mine, lose fat and gain muscles, then dont step on the balance every day, because it doesnt matter how much you weight, you can gain weight but still get slimmer (loose fat gain muscles)

calculate your body fat % this is the most important thing to consider.

AND USE A PROPER DIET !!!
a easy & healty day meal (and this isnt a "pro" dieet or whatever, its just a good simple one)

morning : 3 roasted eggs (use olive oil) 4 slices of brown bread, 2 with 2 slices of turkey whites, 2 with 2 slices of chicken whites.

middag : 4 slices of brown bread, 2 with 2 slices of turkey whites, 2 with 2 slices of chicken whites. all of them mixed with tuna

evening : either chicken turkey of fish, together with rice or some pasta (watch te amount of pasta) and some vegetables.

drink A LOT of watter, like 2l a day, dont drink soda & cola, if you want to drink them drink ZERO or LIGHT

^ this is only a start, because if you start working out, you will be in need of way more proteins, try getting whey shakes, its just a pure form of proteins, drink them in the morning and before you start your workout.

btw a workout only has to last like 30min, you can train at home if you invest like $200 you can get everything you need, a barbell with some weights, some dumbbells, a bench and a squat reck will get you verry far.

In my experience as a beginner, try to workout every muscle group only once a week to not over do it (like i said, its an adviser for BEGINNERS)

mon : chest & tricpes
tue : rest
wed : shoulders and legs
thu : cardio (switch it, swimming, biking, running, elliptical etc etc)
fri : back, biceps & forearm
saturday : rest
sunday: cardio & abs (abs only about 10min)

again, this is just a simple beginners program, there are a lot of better ones out there, but as a beginner its nice to know where te start.

good luck