A Workout Calculator to Identify Your Optimal Energy Expenditure
The calculator allows visitors to check how many calories they burn during workout. While there are different online tools, including estimates and charts, calculators are more accurate.
The Formula Used
The tool factors in the sex, age, weight, workout time, and heart rate of the user. For example, a 27-year old woman who weighs 120 pounds and has a heart rate of 110 bmp burns 175.47 calories throughout a 30-minute workout. She will burn 207.54 calories if her heart rate is 120 bmp and 151 calories if her rate is 95. The following formula is used for women: [(Age x 0.074) - (Weight x 0.05741) + (Heart Rate x 0.4472) - 20.4022] x Time / 4.184 = Calories Burned. The formula is different for men: [(Age x 0.074) - (Weight x 0.05741) + (Heart Rate x 0.4472) - 20.4022] x Time / 4.184 = Calories Burned. Thus a men who is 32-year old, weighs 190 pounds and has a heart rate of 120 will burn [(32 x 0.2017) + (190 x 0.09036) + (120 x 0.6309) - 55.0969] x 75/4.184 = 792.91 calories.
If you don't have a heart rate monitor, you can take your rate on the tread mill. Take it at warm up and the beginning and end of intervals. For example, your heart rate is 120 at warm up, 156 at the beginning, and 168 at the end of intervals. Multiply by the time of each period and divide by three. The average rate will be 148.
How It Works
The formula is from the Journal of Sports Sciences and was developed by LR Keytel et al. The goal of the study was to identify the role of factors such as training, body type, and exercise mode and their impact on energy expenditure and heart rate. The researchers identified four factors that have relevance - age, weight, heart rate, and sex. They developed a formula based on the four indicators that accurately predict energy expenditure.
Choosing an Exercise Mode to Increase Energy Expenditure
Besides energy expenditure, there are other factors to take into account when choosing an exercise mode. Among them are goals, risk of injury, physical needs, equipment, and preferred physical activity. The intensity and length of the workout are also important. Intensity is one factor that can be adjusted to reach your optimal energy expenditure. You can choose from different modes of exercise - dancing, bicycling, low and high impact aerobics, running, swimming, and so on. The goal is to choose a mode of exercise with intensity that can be adjusted and made more demanding. There are sports that allow for low, moderate, and high-intensity intervals. This helps maximize energy expenditure.
Some sports, for example, rowing and swimming, involve the lower and upper muscles. While they involve more muscles, other sports such as running require more muscle mass. This means that you will expend less energy if you choose sports such as swimming and rowing. At the same time, swimming does not involve as much pressure on the joints and bones as running. This allows swimmers to exercise over a longer period and thus increase their energy expenditure.
Cross-training for Optimal Energy Expenditure
Some studies suggest that weight-bearing aerobic exercise results in the highest energy expenditure. Workouts improve weight control, endurance, heart health, and flexibility. They also improve muscle strength and balance provided that people stick to an exercise program. Given that there are different types of aerobic equipment, many people opt for a combination of several modes of exercise. This is a good idea as it reduces the risk for burnouts and injury as well as musculoskeletal risk. There are three modes to choose from - endurance, strengthening, and range-of-motion exercises which improve heart health and joint stability and build muscle.