Cardio Machines - Calories Burned

[Womb Raider]

How accurate are these machines when they tell you how many cals you burned during a workout?

I normally do 60 min on the bike and it says it will usually say I burned around 700 cals.

Today I decided to hit the treadmill and do some interval training 60 min 6 miles alternating 4-7 mph and even inclined that bitch all the way up during the low mph. I felt I got a much better workout then my normal bike routine but it said I only burned like 600 cals. WTF?

Are these calories burned measurements accurate, slightly accurate, or are they full of shit?

BTW running hurts my shins so is there anything I can do do ease the pain?

 

[tomcat]

Nothing more than a Guestimate following an average..

 

[GenetiKing]

It depends on how much info the machine asks for before you start your session.

Some of them just start counting calories and don't require any data input from the person. There's no way a 120lb, 5'6", 45 year old woman with 23% bf is going to be burning calories at the same rate of a 220lb, 6' 2", 24 year old male with 5% bf. Both could go the same distance at the same speed for the same amount of time but their respective calories burnt will be drastically different even though the readout will say the same for both people.

I don't pay much attention to the readouts. Use them as extremely vague guildelines, nothing more.

 

[HeavyDutyGuy]

Almost totally worthless.

 

[Enock]

I use them, almost exclusively.

The way I see it is, even if the reading is totally off. It should be consistant with my level of intesity.

I.e. If I burn like 800 calories on the machine which really turns out to be like 600

and another time I burn 400 calories it should hopefully turn out to be 300.

I also use it to make sure I didn't puss out on my work out. Sure I can say I'll bike for 20min or something but, unless I'm watching the rpms constantly I can't be sure I did the same amount of work as last time. Now lets say I was a pussy about my workout and got to talking with a friend during it, and in that 20min I burn only 250 calories, now last time I achieved 325, I now realized I didn't try hard enough so 've earned my ass the right to sit on the bike for another 75 calories.

This still isn't that accurate, because whos to say that by pushing x harder I would burn y more calories even if I figured that I burn 30% less than it reads it wouldn't neccasrily only be that much.

Oh well I still use them, for the bike, Its not like a mill where you can set it at a speed and pretty much ensure the same intensity as last time.

 

[HeavyDutyGuy]

Most of the machines are fine, and should be used,, because they are safe and fairly efficient- just don't believe the canned read outs you get. The RPM's,time, distance are ok, of course, but the rest is guesswork.

 

[Womb Raider]

so should my primary goal be maintaining a target heart ?

 

[blood_drinker]

They are NOT worthless !
WTF: if they ask you age, weight, and they have your thr then it's all good.

NOW, the problem with these, is that most people don't realize that most of the calories burned come AFTER the weight training (60-90mins after).

So ultimately, they are worthless.

lol

 

[jennifer BFL chick]

It is weird. When I run, I feel like I'm working much harder then when I'm on the elliptical, but I burn more caleries on the elliptical. Both ask for my age and weight ect. I think its good just for comparison of your workouts, but don't go -------"ok, I have ate 2000 cal. and burned 500 running", because really, you don't know EXACTLY how many you burned, let alone how many you have burned during the day with normal activities.

I use to be one of those chicks that would have an apple and yogurt for breakfast, then go workout and "burn off" not only the caleries for breakfast, but the caleries for lunch as well, as if it was an exact science, and the readings were totally right, I was totally obsessed over the amount of caleries I burned, kind of drives you batty!

But it is good for comparison sakes!

Just my little thoughts on this topic

 

[fallenangel]

I feel that calorie counting is far too exact a science to be accuratly predicted by a machine (or a person for that matter) you have to take in genetics,bodyfat, food consumed etc! when i first started i lived on the calorie count when doing cardio! now i just do 15 miles on the mike on a slight gradient and try to beta my personal best! as an example there are two bikes of exactly the same make next to each other in the gym yet they both give different calorie counts even when on the same setting! on another note how can you estimate how many calories your weight workout has burned?