What Exercise Equipment Burns the Most Calories?

Working out with exercise equipment is a great way to burn calories. Standard equipment typically found in a commercial gym or fitness center includes treadmills, exercise bikes, elliptical trainers, rowing machines, and a variety of weight or resistance training devices. Many of these items can be adjusted to fit different body types and fitness levels.

Focus on Cardio

The treadmill is a popular fixture at gyms. The treadmill provides the option of walking, running, hiking, or jogging. The incline and speed on most treadmills can be adjusted, making the workout more intense. For a person weighing around 150 pounds, running on the treadmill will burn about 300 to 400 calories per half-hour session. Walking on a treadmill burns about 150 calories for every 30 minutes. Increasing the incline on the treadmill will increase the calories burned.

Exercise bikes are another popular piece of exercise equipment at the gym and at home. An indoor bike gives the user the freedom to do other activities, like watching television or reading, while exercising. Riders can anticipate burning anywhere from 250 to 400 calories for each half-hour. The amount of calories burned depends on the intensity of the exercise and the resistance settings of the bike. Exercise bikes are generally easy to adjust to increase the calorie burn. Riders can also escalate the burn by doing short sprints throughout the workout.

The elliptical machine is great for people who want a workout that is easy on the knees. The average user will burn about 300 calories for one half-hour session. Users can burn even more with elliptical machines that include movable arms. The elliptical doesn't burn as many calories as other machines, but it is a good choice for people who need a more gentle approach to their exercise due to health concerns. It's also easy to increase the resistance for a more difficult session.

The rowing machine is an excellent full-body workout machine. The machine mimics the movement of a boat rower, giving a good cardio and strength workout for both the arms and the legs. Like the elliptical, the rowing machine is a low-impact machine. A 150-pound person rowing will likely burn about 250 to 350 calories per half-hour at a moderate pace. It's easy to boost the burn by changing the intensity of the workout. Quick bursts of faster pulls will also turn up the burn on a rowing machine.

Combined With Strength

Cardiovascular exercise is always a good choice for a workout session, but weight training is an important part of a full-body workout. Weight training strengthens the muscles and helps to burn more calories, even when the body is at rest. Lifting weights and using certain weight machines at a gym is a great way to work on muscles. Rotating through different types of exercise is a sure way to improve calorie burn by constantly challenging the body.

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