Thread: Calories on cardio machines - how realistic?

Ok, so I figure that the cardio machines in the gym use formulas to figure out how many calories that you lose.

How realistic is this number?

I know that there are a lot of "ranges" in the equations and the companies can play with them to make it seem like you always lose more calories on their machine.

Oh, I don't know - I guess I am just fishing for opinions on this issue.

If the elliptical machine says that I burnt 550 cal, should I consider that a true number or take 3/4 of it or......

I'm just rambling now and so I will end this post.

Thanks, in advance, for your responses.

How's Your Form?

by Liz Neporent, M.A.


How is your form?

Studies show that using poor form on exercise machines can mean as much as a 50 percent reduction in calorie burn. That’s something to think about every time you lean your elbows on the stair climber’s frame, grip the handrails of your treadmill or employ sloppy stepping on the elliptical trainer. To squeeze every last bit of calorie-burning potential from your workout without adding any additional minutes, use this week to perfect your technique. Here’s the lowdown on using proper form for six popular workouts: walking, running, stair climbing, stationary bicycling, elliptical training and strength training.

Walking

Head, shoulders and chest: Keep your head up and centered between your shoulders. Focus your eyes straight ahead. Keep your shoulders back and down. Your chest should be naturally lifted, as if there were a string attached to the center that gently pulls it upwards.
Arms and hands: Your arms should be bent at 90 degrees. Swing them back and forth -- not side to side -- and keep them close to your body. Keep your hands loosely cupped as if you are holding a butterfly that you don’t want to escape but you don’t want to crush either.
Abdominals: Pull your belly button gently in toward your spine and tuck your pelvis forward ever so slightly so you feel tall, stable and upright.
Hips, thighs and feet: Power your movements from your hips rather than your thighs, but keep your hips loose and natural. Take short, fast strides that still feel natural rather than awkward. Land firmly on your heels and roll smoothly to push off with your toes. Think of planting your heel and then "pushing the ground away from you" as you roll through your foot.
Breathing and heart rate: Your breathing will be loud, but concentrate on keeping it even and steady. Your heart will be thumping, but focus on keeping the beats steady and regular.
Treadmill users: Use the handrails as little as possible unless balance is an issue for you. Avoid "water skiing" -- that is, putting the treadmill on an incline, gripping the rails for dear life and using your arms to soak up the bulk of your effort. (This goes for walkers and runners!)

Running

Head, shoulders and chest: Keep your head up and centered between your shoulders. Keep your chin up and focus your eyes straight ahead. Don’t allow your shoulders to round forward or creep up toward your ears. Keep your chest lifted naturally and don’t twist from side to side as you run.
Arms and hands: Your arms should be bent to slightly less than 90 degrees. Swing them back and forth -- not side to side -- and keep them close to your body. Keep your hands loosely cupped as if you are holding a butterfly that you don’t want to let escape but you don’t want to crush either.
Abdominals: Pull your belly button gently in toward your spine and tuck your pelvis forward ever so slightly so you feel tall, stable and upright. This will also protect your lower back.
Hips, thighs and feet: Power your movements from your hips rather than your thighs, but keep your hips loose and natural. Align them with your shoulders so you can stride with maximum power. Lift your knees and extend your back leg to slightly lengthen your stride. Land firmly on your heel and roll smoothly to push off with the toes. Think of planting your heel and then "pushing the ground away from you" as you roll through your foot.
Breathing and heart rate: Strive to keep your breathing deep but steady. It helps to time your breathing so that it is in rhythm with your footfall.

Stair Climber

Loosen your grip: Rest your hands -- or better yet, your fingertips -- lightly on the bar in front of you or on the side rails. Don’t grip the rails any tighter than you’d grip a paper cup. And never reverse your wrists so that your fingertips are pointing toward the floor and your elbows are turned up to the ceiling. You really should be able to use the stair climber without holding on to the railing at all, but using the railing for balance within reason is okay. If you must hang on in order to keep up with the machine, you’re going too fast.
Stand tall, sort of: Stand upright with a slight forward lean at the hips. Don’t overcorrect your form by standing upright like a Marine at inspection. A slight forward lean helps keep your knees from locking and protects your lower back from overarching.
Don’t shake it: Take even, moderately deep steps. Don’t take short, quick hopping steps, a technique known as "shaking the machine." This technique is hard on your calf muscles and cuts down on the number of calories you burn.
Use your whole foot: Keep your entire foot on the pedal. This helps your rear end and thighs get a full workout and prevents you from overburdening your calf muscles.


Stationary Bike

Learn to adjust: When the pedal is at the lowest position, your leg should be almost, but not quite, straight. You shouldn’t have to strain or rock your hips to pedal. Your knees shouldn’t feel crunched when they’re at the top of the pedal stroke. You should be able to hold the bar so that your arms extend out at shoulder level.
Pedal right: Riding a bike with the foot straps is much more comfortable and efficient than pedaling without them. Don’t pedal with just your toes, or you may bring on foot and calf cramps. Instead, press from the ball of your foot and through your heel as you pump downward on the pedal, and pull up with the top of your foot on the upstroke.
Don’t hunch over: Rounding your back is the way to develop back and neck pain. Don’t get your upper body into the effort, either. Unlike some other machines, riding a stationary bike is not a total-body workout -- don’t try to make it one. If you have to rock wildly from side to side, grit your teeth or clench the handlebars, you need to lighten your load.

Elliptical Trainer

Don’t pedal backwards: Contrary to popular belief, pedaling backwards does NOT work out your buttocks more than pedaling forward -- and it may even be hard on your knees. Both motions emphasize the front thigh muscles.
Be versatile: To adjust the intensity of your workout, you can pedal faster, raise the incline, increase the resistance or any combination of these.>
Pedal properly: Rather than pressing your foot into the pedal and flat-footing though each stride, lift your heel up at the end of each pedal stroke exactly as you would if you were walking or cross-country skiing. You’ll find this a more natural way to move -- plus it’s easier on your ankles, knees, hips and lower back.
Remind yourself to stand up straight: Although the elliptical trainer lends itself to better posture than the stair climber, you can still commit a big no-no by leaning too far forward and hugging the console.

Weight Training

Keep it quiet: If you hear a lot of banging and clanging when you weight train, it’s probably because you’re lifting too quickly and without enough control. Slow down. Make sure you’re using the machine or doing the exercise as intended.
Do it right: Do you know the proper technique of each move? If not, take the time to review your workout with a trainer, a reliable exercise book or video. Correct technique is your best defense against injury and your biggest assurance that you’ll get the results you’re looking for. In general, good technique means keeping your belly button pulled into your spine to protect your lower back, avoiding the full straightening of elbow and knee joints, and going through a complete range of motion without exaggerating a movement.
Remember to breathe. Exhale through your mouth as you exert an effort to lift the weight, and inhale through your nose as you release the effort. Proper breathing protects your lower back, helps you control your lifting pace and gives your ab muscles an extra workout.
Maintain order. Work your larger muscles first and your smaller muscles toward the end of the workout. You need your smaller muscles to assist your larger muscles during the big lifts -- if they’re tired out, you won’t be able to lift as much and it will take longer to see results..