Do Exercise Machines Really Measure Calories Burned Accurately?

When you exercise, it’s natural to want to know how many calories you’re blasting as you sweat away on the elliptical machine or treadmill. Most exercise machines have a read-out that tells you how many calories you’ve burned exercising, but are they accurate?

Calories Burned Exercising: Are Exercise Machine Readouts Accurate?

To get a relatively accurate measure of calories burned on a machine like a treadmill or elliptical machine, you need to enter your weight. People who weigh more burn more calories than a lighter person on a treadmill or elliptical machine. If a machine doesn’t give you the option of entering your weight, it defaults to the profile of an “average user” who weighs 150 pounds. So, it’ll overestimate the number of calories you burn if you’re thin and underestimate them if you weigh more than 150 pounds.

Even if you enter your weight, you still may not get an accurate reading for calories burned on a treadmill or elliptical machine. How many calories you actually burn depends on your form. If you hold onto the handrails while running on a treadmill, you’ll burn fewer calories than the machine says. The same goes for the elliptical machine. The elliptical readout assumes you’re using good form when it calculates calories burned – pushing your weight forward and limiting side-to-side motion.

Your Fitness Level is Important Too

Another reason exercise machine readouts aren’t accurate is that they don’t take into account a person’s level of fitness. People who are fit usually burn fewer calories performing the same workout as someone who’s just starting out. A fit person’s muscles and cardiovascular system adapt to a workout as their body’s become used to the movements. The exercise machine readout assumes you’re a newbie when it calculates calories burned exercising. So, if you’re fit, you’re probably burning fewer calories than the machine says.

Calories Burned Exercising: The Bottom Line?

Most exercise machines aren’t entirely accurate due to variables such as form and level of fitness. On the other hand, they’re a good way to compare how hard you’re working relative to previous workouts – and it’s motivating to see those numbers go up as you exercise. Use them to monitor your progress, but don’t take the values as absolutes.

 

References:

Men’s Health. “How Accurate Are Calorie Counters?”

 

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