What Exercise Machines Burn Calories Most Efficiently?

You don’t have to spend all day at the gym on an exercise machine to effectively burn calories. Choosing machines that efficiently burn calories means you can spend less time working out, but still meet your calorie-expenditure and weight-management goals. If your goal is weight loss, burning an extra 500 to 1,000 calories daily can help you lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, according to MayoClinic.com.

  1. High Calorie-Burning Machines

    • Exercise machines that produce high calorie expenditures include treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, rowing machines and ski machines. With the exception of a treadmill when used for running, these exercise machines are fairly low impact and easy on your joints. The amount of calories you’ll burn using one of these exercise machines depends on your body weight and the duration of your workout. The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends completing 2.5 to five hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on a weekly basis.

    Calories Burned

    • With the exception of walking on a treadmill, you’ll efficiently burn at least 400 calories in 60 minutes of jogging on a treadmill treadmill, on an elliptical machine, a stationary bike, rowing machine or ski machine. Harvard Health Publications reports a 155-pound person will burn 520 calories using a stationary bike or rowing machine at a moderate pace for 60 minutes, 670 calories exercising on an elliptical machine and 706 calories using a ski machine. A 155-pound person burns about 744 calories per hour jogging on a treadmill at a pace of 6 miles per hour, according to Harvard Health Publications. The more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn.

    Lower Calorie-Burning Machines

    • If you choose stair steppers or weight-training machines for your workout, you will burn slightly fewer calories. Stair step machines help155-pound individuals burn about 446 calories in an hour, while weight machines yield calorie expenditures of 224 to 446 calories per hour -- depending on your workout intensity -- according to Harvard Health Publications. The harder your work out, the more calories you’ll burn.

    Considerations

    • Although treadmills create high calorie expenditures when used for jogging or running, walking on treadmills burns far fewer calories. Harvard Health Publications reports a 155-pound person who walks at a brisk pace of 4 miles per hour will burn 334 calories in 60 minutes. To boost your calorie expenditure while walking on a treadmill, use a steep incline to simulate walking uphill.

    Alternatives

    • You don’t have to use an exercise machine to burn calories efficiently. Running or biking outside can burn just as many calories as using a stationary bike or treadmill. Swimming and participating in aerobics classes are efficient calorie-burning exercises as well. Harvard Health Publications reports a 155-pound individual burns about 744 calories swimming the breaststroke for an hour or doing high-impact step aerobics for the same duration.