How accurate is calorie counter on elliptical?

[perp69]

How accurate do you think the calorie counters on my elliptical is? Says I burn 520 cal in 30min session. I put in age and that is it. HR around 180 to 190's.

 

[Synpax]

Well, technically HR doesn't count regarding 'calories' as those are units of energy. However, your body doesn't start to metabolize the 'fat' for about an hour.

 

[Tolstoy]

That HR is awfully high, how long are you at that HR? It's near the max and I can't see how you could maintian it for very long.

 

[dutchman063]

I always thought those calorie counters are very subjective since everbody's bodytype is different ....Im sure they're very middle of the road...

btw... working your heart rate that high (180-190) is good if your goal is anerobic excercise..not very good for plain ol aerobic training

 

[Fajitas]

I think it also depends on your body weight.

 

[perp69]

I am doing interval training right now because my body was getting use to the regular constant pace and it was harder to get my HR up. HR drops to 170's when I do the slow pace but jumps up of course when I do the fast pace. I do the max resistance for 30 mins. I am 31 yo 175lbs. I don't feel like I am getting much of a workout if I don't push it hard. Do you guys really think you burn more fat at lower HR?

 

[Synpax]

I am doing interval training right now because my body was getting use to the regular constant pace and it was harder to get my HR up. HR drops to 170's when I do the slow pace but jumps up of course when I do the fast pace. I do the max resistance for 30 mins. I am 31 yo 175lbs. I don't feel like I am getting much of a workout if I don't push it hard. Do you guys really think you burn more fat at lower HR?

One of these days I am going to post a FAQ and this will be the first question.

There are two muscle types in your legs- slow twitch and fast twitch. For the first near hour of a workout, both use mostly glycogen. The slow twitch use fat. But lets assume the fat burning begins at moment one.

As you speed up, you use up your slow twitch and then you start to use your fast twitch in addition. But only your slow twitch metabolize fat. The fast twitch metabolize glycogen from your muscles.

Since you can maintain a lower intensity for longer than a higher intensity, go with the lower intensity and stay there.

Regarding HR, well, there's a "rule of thumb" but it can vary widely. One of my coaches can't get her's out of the 120s. Another guy I know gets his near 200. Both are world-class elites.

I suggest you go by effort. Funny thing about the max fat burning area (normally zone 2) is that it feels pretty easy. You should be able to have a conversation with someone in that mode. If the goal is fat loss, try and do that for an hour. If you want to get scientific about it, go have a VO2 Max test.

 

[perp69]

One of these days I am going to post a FAQ and this will be the first question.

There are two muscle types in your legs- slow twitch and fast twitch. For the first near hour of a workout, both use mostly glycogen. The slow twitch use fat. But lets assume the fat burning begins at moment one.

As you speed up, you use up your slow twitch and then you start to use your fast twitch in addition. But only your slow twitch metabolize fat. The fast twitch metabolize glycogen from your muscles.

Since you can maintain a lower intensity for longer than a higher intensity, go with the lower intensity and stay there.

Regarding HR, well, there's a "rule of thumb" but it can vary widely. One of my coaches can't get her's out of the 120s. Another guy I know gets his near 200. Both are world-class elites.

I suggest you go by effort. Funny thing about the max fat burning area (normally zone 2) is that it feels pretty easy. You should be able to have a conversation with someone in that mode. If the goal is fat loss, try and do that for an hour. If you want to get scientific about it, go have a VO2 Max test.

Ok. I did some research on it and am sold on the fact that I should slow down to below target heart rate to burn more fat and that I should do cardio in am when I wake up before meals. However, to burn the extra calories I will loose by doing lower intensity I will have to do twice as long a workout, which I hate. I have a very hectic schedule and not to mention doing 1 hour at what will seem like a snails pace is goin to bore me to death. Any suggestions?

 

[pintoca]

keep up the higher intensity. What matters is cals in vs cals out.

My minimum working HR is 75% and I normally keep 80-83% for about 35 of the whole 45 mins I do cardio.

 

[Tolstoy]

What matters is cals in vs cals out

Bingo

 

[perp69]

keep up the higher intensity. What matters is cals in vs cals out.

My minimum working HR is 75% and I normally keep 80-83% for about 35 of the whole 45 mins I do cardio.

I agree the cals are important, which is the only stick I have been measuring with. However, it is easy for me to put on the pounds but it takes a act of Congress to loose fat so I need every possible advantage. There is a lot research supporting the fat zone buring 65% HR so I decided to simply incorp both. So today when I woke first thing I did 40 mins keeping 147 or below on HR and still burned slightly more cals than I usually do (according to my crappy elliptical counter). I still got a good sweat going on. The extra time didn't seem all that bad as I thought it would.

 

[pintoca]

I agree the cals are important, which is the only stick I have been measuring with. However, it is easy for me to put on the pounds but it takes a act of Congress to loose fat so I need every possible advantage. There is a lot research supporting the fat zone buring 65% HR so I decided to simply incorp both. So today when I woke first thing I did 40 mins keeping 147 or below on HR and still burned slightly more cals than I usually do (according to my crappy elliptical counter). I still got a good sweat going on. The extra time didn't seem all that bad as I thought it would.

Bro, I have dropped 65lbs in 8 months doing cardio in the way I mentioned before. Over 95% of that wright is fat...

so if your diet is consistent and your timing is correct, you will lose less muscle than you are afraid of.

Forget about fat-burning zones... It's really all about cals in vs cals out

BTW, I am not starving myself either (2000 - 2500 cals daily).

I have a couple of threads full of details and before-after pics... let me know if those are of interest.

 

[perp69]

Bro, I have dropped 65lbs in 8 months doing cardio in the way I mentioned before. Over 95% of that wright is fat...

so if your diet is consistent and your timing is correct, you will lose less muscle than you are afraid of.

Forget about fat-burning zones... It's really all about cals in vs cals out

BTW, I am not starving myself either (2000 - 2500 cals daily).

I have a couple of threads full of details and before-after pics... let me know if those are of interest.

I have dropped 45lbs since January doing cardio to the max and a little help from my friend clen but now I am kinda leveling off some and just can't seem to get to that point where I can see some abs poking through yet. Hell I would be happy with a 1 or 2 pack much less a 6 pack. I am hoping to change something up and maybe shock my body some.

 

[pintoca]

I have dropped 45lbs since January doing cardio to the max and a little help from my friend clen but now I am kinda leveling off some and just can't seem to get to that point where I can see some abs poking through yet. Hell I would be happy with a 1 or 2 pack much less a 6 pack. I am hoping to change something up and maybe shock my body some.

The trick for me when I plateaued was:

1. early detection, after 2 weeks of the weight not going down I took action.
2. Did a mini-bulking cycle at Maintenance level (50%C, 35%C, 15%F) for 2 weeks and NO CARDIO during those 2 weeks.
3. Came back to cutting with a vengeance: Lower caloric level (but only for 8 weeks) and full cardio 6 times/week...

a shock to my body it was!!!

 

[Synpax]

Ok. I did some research on it and am sold on the fact that I should slow down to below target heart rate to burn more fat and that I should do cardio in am when I wake up before meals. However, to burn the extra calories I will loose by doing lower intensity I will have to do twice as long a workout, which I hate. I have a very hectic schedule and not to mention doing 1 hour at what will seem like a snails pace is goin to bore me to death. Any suggestions?

I'd suggest first ignore the other responses hear based on circumstantial data and people who may be using drugs which alters the equation entirely. T3, Clen, etc. aren't relevant to you.

Diet will do a lot for you - more than any exercise can. South Beach is a good start. Atkins is complicated so unless you are obese, I'd start with SB.

One hour of cardio is hard. I suggest music or TV. Yahoo Music with a "play for sure" device is about $5 a month - it's like the old Napster but better quality, more complete, and legal.

Look at it this way - if you were me, you would have to run at zone2 for 1:45 and then get on your bike for another hr on Saturday followed by 3 hours on bike on Sunday followed by a 15 minute run.

The Following weekend is a 2 hr run followedb by an hour on bike, and the on Sunday it's 3:30 on bike and 20 min run.

Music makes the difference. With Yahoo Music, you can constantly mix it up. Or maybe pick up some good pod casts.

 

[pintoca]

I'd suggest first ignore the other responses hear based on circumstantial data and people who may be using drugs which alters the equation entirely. T3, Clen, etc. aren't relevant to you.

Diet will do a lot for you - more than any exercise can. South Beach is a good start. Atkins is complicated so unless you are obese, I'd start with SB.

One hour of cardio is hard. I suggest music or TV. Yahoo Music with a "play for sure" device is about $5 a month - it's like the old Napster but better quality, more complete, and legal.

Look at it this way - if you were me, you would have to run at zone2 for 1:45 and then get on your bike for another hr on Saturday followed by 3 hours on bike on Sunday followed by a 15 minute run.

The Following weekend is a 2 hr run followedb by an hour on bike, and the on Sunday it's 3:30 on bike and 20 min run.

Music makes the difference. With Yahoo Music, you can constantly mix it up. Or maybe pick up some good pod casts.

BTW; just for the record, my only "drugs" are whey, dextrose and maltodextrin. Im not taking any caffeine (not even coffee), or gear, or tren or anything...

I guess "cycle" is word you cannot use lightly around here... I take it back

but still stick to my guns that cardio at 65% MHR will not get you there faster or more effectively than 75-85% MHR.

 

[perp69]

BTW; just for the record, my only "drugs" are whey, dextrose and maltodextrin. Im not taking any caffeine (not even coffee), or gear, or tren or anything...

I guess "cycle" is word you cannot use lightly around here... I take it back

but still stick to my guns that cardio at 65% MHR will not get you there faster or more effectively than 75-85% MHR.

I guess the bottom line is I need to change something. If the cardio change doesn't do it then the next thing I was thinking was what you did- a bulking cycle and then hit cardio hard again.

 

[pong21]

I do 45min at level12 on my elliptical. It says I get about 3.5miles and burn around 850 cals. I dont think that I burn that many cals, but that is what the machine tells me and I have no other way to really find out.

edit: I bumped this because I was going to start a thread similar to this, but found one already like it.

 

[Dial_tone]

If it doesn't factor in weight also I wouldn't trust it.

 

[necr0potenc3]

One of these days I am going to post a FAQ and this will be the first question.

There are two muscle types in your legs- slow twitch and fast twitch. For the first near hour of a workout, both use mostly glycogen. The slow twitch use fat. But lets assume the fat burning begins at moment one.

As you speed up, you use up your slow twitch and then you start to use your fast twitch in addition. But only your slow twitch metabolize fat. The fast twitch metabolize glycogen from your muscles.

Since you can maintain a lower intensity for longer than a higher intensity, go with the lower intensity and stay there.

Regarding HR, well, there's a "rule of thumb" but it can vary widely. One of my coaches can't get her's out of the 120s. Another guy I know gets his near 200. Both are world-class elites.

I suggest you go by effort. Funny thing about the max fat burning area (normally zone 2) is that it feels pretty easy. You should be able to have a conversation with someone in that mode. If the goal is fat loss, try and do that for an hour. If you want to get scientific about it, go have a VO2 Max test.

funny... I didnt know muscles choose between energy supplies... all my study and yadda yadda tells me muscles use energy from whatever they can get their hands on

do you have ANY idea of what you're talking about?