Do the Machines at the Gym Really Help to Lose Weight?

Exercise machines provide more than just a way to watch TV while working out. They're an effective way to burn calories at a high rate to help you reach your fat-loss goals. Whether you've recently committed to getting in shape or have just a few pounds left to reach your ideal weight, you're taking a step in the right direction by climbing on an exercise machine.

  1. Exercise Machine Calories Burned

    • Losing fat is the result of burning more calories than you consume, and exercise machines help you burn calories quickly. If a 185-pound person spends 30 minutes on the stair step machine or elliptical trainer, he'll burn 266 or 400 calories, respectively. The same person can burn 377 calories in a vigorous, 30-minute workout on the rowing machine and 466 calories during a vigorous, half-hour workout on the stationary bike. Treadmills also burn calories quickly; the same person can burn 200 calories walking at 4 mph and 444 calories jogging at 6 mph.

    Losing Fat

    • MayoClinic.com recommends creating a daily calorie deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories to help to lose 1 to 2 pounds of fat per week. Although you'll burn calories through your everyday tasks, a daily workout on an exercise machine can help you reach your daily calorie deficit. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that for extensive health benefits, you aim to get 300 minutes of aerobic exercise every week. Machines such as the treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical trainer and rowing machine can each provide an aerobic workout.

    Workout Variations

    • When you exercise on land, it can be challenging to quickly increase the intensity of your workout. For example, cycling uphill provides more of a calorie burn than cycling on flat ground, but it's not always possible to find a hill. A perk of using exercise machines in your workout is that you can make instant adjustments to the intensity. On a treadmill, you can not only increase the speed of the belt, but also boost the incline to add more of a challenge. On machines such as the stationary bike and elliptical trainer, you can increase the resistance with the push of a button.

    Exercise Machine Considerations

    • Exercise machines typically provide data such as the distance you've traveled and the number of calories you've burned. Don't get too caught up in the calorie data, warns "Shape" magazine. Machines often base the calorie data on averages that might not correlate to your weight. When you can enter your weight before your workout, the calorie data will be more accurate. Machines help you monitor the progress of your workout. For example, if you set a goal of jogging 5 miles per day, following your progress on the treadmill is simpler than using a GPS or pedometer app on your phone.