How accurate are cardio machines

i did 955 kcal in 60 minutes according to the elliptical machine today.

Is this number fairly accurate? It must be based on weight and cadence but then surely everyone's heartrate would be different? Are they over exaggerated or conservative figures?

I'd suggest that's over estimating. 955kcal in an hour sounds too much, especially on a machine aimed at girls

Hmm sounds high to me.
 
As a contrast I did 1469 calories in a two hour spin class during which my HR was 150-160 for 100 minutes of the class.  I am pretty sure my estimate is accurate as it is based off the output from a VO2 test I did recently.
 
To get the extra 200 calories need to match your hour of work I would have to be holding my HR at between 170-180 a big ask.  Where you working that hard?
 
As a point of reference I am 6'2" and 109kg.

kuotaboy


Hmm sounds high to me.

As a contrast I did 1469 calories in a two hour spin class during which my HR was 150-160 for 100 minutes of the class.  I am pretty sure my estimate is accurate as it is based off the output from a VO2 test I did recently.

To get the extra 200 calories need to match your hour of work I would have to be holding my HR at between 170-180 a big ask.  Where you working that hard?

As a point of reference I am 6'2" and 109kg.

No, my heart rate was between (140-160 according to the cross trainer)

I'm 6'4 and 151kg! Guys at the gym saI'd it must be down to how much I weigh? I also thought it was very high!

151Kg and you can do an hours cardio !!!!!!!, FFS you really are an animal.
 
That's seriously impressed me mate.

i like poached eggs


151Kg and you can do an hours cardio !!!!!!!, FFS you really are an animal.

That's seriously impressed me mate.

Cheers eggs. I have been slowly building up the duration for a couple of months. I've lost 11 kgs since the beginning of December.

My problem was I gave up lifting due to injury for about 6months but carried on eating like i was on a bulk. I was really down. But now I've got my arse in gear again and I'm hoping to get back to 120 before June!

I think you can use them as a very rough estimate. Generally, a decent cardio session on gym machines will burn around 600 cals in an hour, this is probably variable by up to 20% in either direction depending on a load of factors - too many to list.
 
The thing I would say is to try not to use the cardio as your defecit, partly because it's very hard to measure, but mainly because that's not the way the body works. The effects of cardio are cumulative and work over days, weeks, months (that's why the catabolic state stuff is utter gumph). Cardio will increase your overall fitness and ability to metabolise, thus reducing BF% and helping to increase lean mass %.
 
Diet is the biggest effect beyond this, you wanna grow eat more, you wanna shrink, eat less.
 
Obviously I'm assuming a level of dietary knowledge here too.

*animal*

i like poached eggs


151Kg and you can do an hours cardio !!!!!!!, FFS you really are an animal.

That's seriously impressed me mate.

Cheers eggs. I have been slowly building up the duration for a couple of months. I've lost 11 kgs since the beginning of December.

My problem was I gave up lifting due to injury for about 6months but carried on eating like i was on a bulk. I was really down. But now I've got my arse in gear again and I'm hoping to get back to 120 before June!

Do you have a journal?I had a look but I can't seem to find one. I think your quest to lose so much weight and the training you do to achieve it would be a very interesting read.

No i don't have one yet.. I have been thinking about it for a while. It would be good to put it up for everyone to see and keep me motivated.

Will get one up on the weekend I think

The figure will not accurate enough to use in any meaningfull way.

Firstly Weldone , and a journal is a great idea and all on here are sooooooo supportive they have helped me no end, I'm finding consistency is key , be honest and keep ur end goal in sight
Good luck mate