| cheekymo
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Hi Everyone,
I have noticed that lots of people (myself included) like to be able to rely on the "calories burned" number on a piece of cardio equipment to gauge how much they're really burning. I used to love to rely on this number too - plug in my weight and sex, and BOOM! A number to help me "measure" how well I did.
I read a couple of years ago, however, that those fitness machines usually assume a certain percentage of body fat, and so therefore, they are not as accurate for larger people, who may have a higher fat:muscle ratio than someone who is more fit. Therefore, the readouts can be misleading (also due to things like improper form, leaning on handlebars, etc.). The article I read said that machines often over-estimate your calories burned by anywhere from 10%-30%, depending on how much lean body mass you actually have. Therefore, the article suggested putting in a lower weight (it didn't say by how much, though), or just reducing the amount of calories the machine says that you burned by around 15% or so. Wouldn't it be great though, to know what manufacturers input as a "standard" body-fat %? I've looked, but can't find the information anywhere.
I can't find the article now, but I thought I would mention this anyways, for those of us that are working out like mad but still not sure why the weight just won't go.
Hope it's helpful :wink: |
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Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:00 pm |
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