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Treadmills burn most for less, study shows | |
| By The Washington Post If burning the most calories for the least apparent physical effort is the main concern in choosing an indoor exercise machine, a treadmill may be the ticket, a study suggests. The study found "substantial differences among exercise machines in rate of energy expenditure" - how many calories are burned at a given level of perceived exertion. Of six popular indoor exercise machines tested, the treadmill burned the most calories and put the most aerobic demand on the heart and lungs for the same amount of perceived effort on the part of the exerciser. Thirteen healthy young adults - eight men and five women - participated in the study. At least twice a week over a four-week period, each exercised 15 minutes on each machine. Participants were tested in three five-minute stages at what they perceived as exertion rates of 11 (fairly light), 13 (somewhat hard) and 15 (hard). Researchers measured the heart rate and oxygen consumption during the final minute of each stage of the exercise test. The rate of energy expenditure - calories burned - was calculated from the oxygen consumption. The six indoor exercise machines tested included a Schwinn treadmill for walking and running; a NordicTrack cross-country skiing simulator; a Concept II rowing machine; a Tectrix stair-climbing machine; a Schwinn Airdyne stationary bicycle, and a Cateye Ergociser cycle. The treadmill induced the highest rates of calorie-burning at each stage of perceived exertion. Next came the cross-country skiing simulator, the rowing machine and the stair-climbing machine, followed by the Airdyne and cycle ergometer. For example, working out on the treadmill at an exertion rate of 13 ("somewhat hard") burns about 700 calories an hour, compared with 500 calories an hour on a cycle. The research was conducted by a team from the Sports Performance and Technology Laboratory at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Milwaukee. Their findings appeared in last week's Journal of the American Medical Association. The five manufacturers of the equipment helped pay for the study. | |