20-minute 300-calorie treadmill workout

I just read this in Fitness magazine. I am going to try it next time I go to the gym. Sorry about all the dashes but it wouldn't format spacing properly.

Minutes---------MPH---------Incline
0:00 - 3:00------3.0-----------1
3:00 - 3:30------3.5-----------2
3:30 - 4:00------3.5-----------4
4:00 - 4:30------3.5-----------6
4:30 - 5:00------3.5-----------7
5:00 - 6:00------5.0-----------1
6:00 - 7:00------4.0-----------1
7:00 - 7:30------4.5-----------2
7:30 - 8:00------4.5-----------4
8:00 - 8:30------4.5-----------6
8:30 - 9:00------4.5-----------7
9:00 - 10:00-----3.5-----------1
10:00 - 11:00----6.0----------1
11:00 - 12:00----3.5----------1
12:00 - 12:30----5.0----------2
12:30 - 13:00----5.0----------4
13:00 - 13:30----5.0----------6
13:30 - 14:00----5.0----------7
14:00 - 16:00----3.5----------1
16:00 - 17:00----6.0----------1
17:00 - 20:00----3.0----------1

Wed. Nov 9, 9:53pm

Please do - cause I'm not seein' it

Most of those are just barely above a fast walk - incline or not.

I would have a hard time seeing how you could really burn that many calories in a 20 minute workout where you barely break into a job a couple times for 1 minute.

Not that it doesn't sound fun - it does, but I'm skeptical of their claim. Please update after you try it!

Thursday, November 10, 2005, 10:13 AM

you are not seeing it?!

4.5 MPH an hour a is decent jog and faster than that is a full on run. So it has 7 minutes of running and when you do anything over a 3% incline you can certainly feel the difference. Try it, unless you are a marathon runner already you won't have to see it, you'll feel it. The three minutes at the beginning and end I would gradually increase and decrease because I feel like 3.0 MPH for me would be too slow.
I will try it.
~~Barbigirl

Thursday, November 10, 2005, 10:42 AM

The calories burned also depends on your weight. Someone who's 200 lbs is going to burn more calories than someone who's 120lbs.

Thursday, November 10, 2005, 1:51 PM

I posted the above and I work out on a treadmill almost daily - 4.5 mph is a quick walk and 5 is almost a run for me. I do have long legs, but after 20 minutes at 6.5 mph at a 3% incliine I am usually right at 250 calories burned. I know treadmills are not entirely accurate with their calories but that workout doesn't seem 300 calories intense....

I'm not here to get into a pissing match with anyone, and I'm genuinely interested in the results, but I'm not gonna do it - just wondering how accurate my workout is......

Thursday, November 10, 2005, 2:48 PM

I read recently that treadmills are much more accurate at calculating calories than newer machines like ellipticals, because treadmills have been around so much longer and therefore have been tested much more extensively.

Thursday, November 10, 2005, 2:57 PM

I'm also not trying to start a pissing match, but I can tell you, I'm pretty short (5'1") and not a runner, and 4.5 mph is a ridiculously brisk walk, or a decent jog for me. I can sustain a jog of 5.0 or maybe 5.2mph for about 12 minutes - 1 mile - and then I'm exhausted. 6.0mph is a very fast pace for me! This workout sounds very hard to me! But, again, I'm short!

The workout sounds like it is very dependent on height!! If you have a long stride, up all the speeds until parts are close to a sprint, and other parts are good walking, power-walking, and jogging paces.

Thursday, November 10, 2005, 3:11 PM

I think everyone's numbers agree about as well as you should expect them to. When the speeds aren't wildly different, the sheer distance covered matters more than the speed, and as someone already mentioned, the person's weight matters.
About running compared to walking, I wish I had note of the reference, but there was an article (probably in Scientific American) some years ago about efficiency and various forms of movement in people and animals, and one of its points about walking vs. running is that walking is more efficient at slower speeds, and running is more efficient at faster speeds, and there is a crossover usually between 4 and 5 mph for people. I'd think that people with short legs would have their crossover point at a lower speed. I know that for me, walking 5 mph is considerably harder than running 5 mph. It's also something you have to make an effort to learn. But at that speed or faster, you'd burn more calories per mile walking. If you wanted, you could find books about racewalking for specific advice about technique. (I thought about it once after reading an article but decided it was more fun to get there faster.)

Thursday, November 10, 2005, 6:40 PM

OK, I tried the workout!

Well, on the treadmill it said I burned 160 calories. Actually, it says "KCal" - I've seen that before; is it the same thing? However, I do have to say, this is a hell of a workout. I broke a really good sweat and I was even feeling it in my abs. So for anyone who only has time for 20-minute cardio, I would highly recommend it. Also, it takes a lot of your mental energy to focus on constantly changing the incline/speed, and that actually makes it feel like the workout goes faster.

For reference, I am a 5'9" female who weighs 150 lbs. and I work out a lot, if that means anything.

Friday, November 11, 2005, 12:21 PM

kCal is the same as Calories in this case - it's because what is called a Calorie in exercise or nutrition is actually 1000 calories in scientific units (one calorie is the amount of energy required to heat one gram of water one degree celcius, and k is the abbriviation for one thousand, but that translates to an apple having 60,000 or 70,000 'scientific' calories, which is awkward to write and might make all our dieters faint in shock.)

The long and the short of it is that we have two units with the same name, which is rather stupid from a clarity point of view (hence the notation kCal...it's trying to keep them straight), but it's what we've got, and the likelihood of either one changing is very slim.

As a side note - they are often written calorie for the one that is used in biology and physics and Calorie for the one that is used in food/nutrition/exercise in an attempt to keep them straight. Luckily for us, I don't think we'll get too confused - we're all trying to burn Calories!

Friday, November 11, 2005, 1:13 PM

Ok, I am going to try this and see what results I get. I will do it tomorrow morning. For reference I am 5'2 and 165, I use my treadmill every day for at least 45 min., my average speed at a brisk walk is 3.7, a jog for me is 4.5 anything above that is a good run. I will post tomorrow and let y'all know what figures I come up with. This should be interesting....

Friday, November 11, 2005, 3:44 PM

Workout

This would be a brisk walk for me for the majority of the workout. It definitely depends on height and stride. Sometimes you just want to do this workout at home and need to get your walk in and this can work over time. I'd probably go about 5 minutes over to make sure I burned eough calories.

Link

Thursday, January 05, 2012, 6:44 PM

Related Content: How To Lose Weight- The Basics Weight Watchers Points System The Fat Smash Diet The Eat To Live Diet The Beck Diet Solution How To Get The Motivation To Lose Weight		How To Be Successful Using PEERtrainer How To Burn Fat Online Weight Loss Support- How It Works Does Green Tea Help You Lose Weight? Tips On Using PEERtrainer Visit The PEERtrainer Community Diet and Fitness Resources
Fitness Weight Watchers Meetings Learning To Inspire Others: You Already Are Writing Down Your Daily Workouts Spending Money On A Personal Trainer? How I Became A Marathon Runner		Preventive Health How To Prevent Injuries During Your Workout Flu Season: Should You Take The Flu Shot? Are You Really Ready To Start PEERtrainer? Super Foods That Can Boost Your Energy Reversing Disease Through Nutrition
New Diet and Fitness Articles: Weight Watchers Points Plus How To Adjust Your Body To Exercise New: Weight Watchers Momentum Program New: PEERtrainer Blog Archive Review Of The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program		Weight Loss Motivation by Joshua Wayne: Why Simple Goal Setting Is Not Enough How To Delay Short Term Gratification How To Stay Motivated How To Exercise With A Busy Schedule
Real World Nutrition and Fitness Questions Can Weight Lifting Help You Lose Weight? Are Protein Drinks Safe? Nutrition As Medicine?		Everyday Weight Loss Tips How To Eat Healthy At A Party How To Eat Out And Still Lose Weight The Three Bite Rule Tips On How To Stop A Binge