This elliptical calorie calculator can help you estimate how many calories you’ll burn on an elliptical trainer. Have you ever wondered how many calories an elliptical trainer burns? Read on to find out more!

Check out our calories burned calculator, and steps to calories calculator if you want to know how many calories you burn with other activities.

How to Use Our Elliptical Calorie Calculator: A Step-by-Step Guide 👣

Using our tool is designed to be straightforward and intuitive. Just follow these steps to get your personalized results in seconds.

Step 1: Select Your Preferred Unit System

First, you will choose your unit of measurement. You can select “Imperial (lbs)” or “Metric (kg).” This flexibility ensures that the calculator is easy to use for a global audience.

Step 2: Enter Your Body Weight

Next, input your current body weight into the designated field. This is the most critical variable for an accurate calculation.

Step 3: Specify Your Workout Duration

Enter the total time you spent on the elliptical using the hours, minutes, and seconds fields.

Step 4: Choose Your Elliptical Effort

Select the effort level that best matches your workout from the drop-down menu. The options include “Light,” “Moderate,” and “Vigorous,” each with a corresponding MET value. If you have a specific MET value you’d like to use, you can choose “Enter custom MET value” and input it directly.

Step 5: Click Calculate and View Your Results!

Once all the information is entered, simply click the “Calculate Calories Burned” button. The calculator will instantly display a comprehensive summary of your results, including the total calories burned, kilojoules, and an estimated fat loss in both pounds and kilograms.

Training on an elliptical machine

Elliptical trainers, or cross-trainers, are stationary exercise machines that allow you to stair climb, walk, or run without causing too much impact on your joints. With cross-trainers, you can exercise at varying intensities (depending on the resistance settings and the speed you set). There are several health benefits to this kind of exercise, such as:

• The risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced;
• A better way to manage weight;
• Some types of cancer and type 2 diabetes are reduced;
• Controlling your blood pressure better;
• Bones, muscles, and joints that are stronger.

For adults, the WHO recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week (or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week).

What is the calorie burn rate of an elliptical machine?

It is important to know how many calories an elliptical machine burns and the simple answer is that on average, an elliptical machine burns 350-450 calories per hour when exercised moderately. Using the following equation, you can get a more accurate estimate:

calories = time * MET * 3.5 * weight / (200 * 60)

In which,

time is the time spent exercising in seconds;

weight is your weight in kilograms; and

MET is the Metabolic Equivalent of Task, which varies anywhere from 4.6 to 5.7 on an elliptical.

MET is a unit for measuring how much energy a task consumes compared to being at rest. Below is some basic information about the metabolic equivalent:

1. A MET is:

• One kcal per kilogram per hour is burned during this activity;
• Amounts to the energy cost of sitting still;
• The oxygen uptake per kilogram per minute is 3.5 ml;
• At rest, it represents the rate of energy expenditure.

2. In its original form, MET was intended to represent the level of activity involved in completing a nutritional survey.
3. Guidelines and recommendations for physical activity often use the idea of metabolic equivalents.
4. Calculate how many calories were burned by knowing the MET value and duration of the physical activity.

Elliptical calorie calculator

A calorie calculator for elliptical equipment uses the formula in the paragraph above to estimate the calories burned. There are three resistance levels (and MET values) to choose from:

Activity type	MET
Level 2 of resistance, light effort	4.6
Effort level 5, resistance level 5	4.9
Level 8, vigorous effort	5.7

Based on the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities Reference List, the elliptical calorie calculator uses MET values.

Exercising on an elliptical and burning calories

Using a practical example, let’s calculate the number of calories Richard burns when he exercises using an elliptical machine every other day for 45 minutes.

1. Here is a formula for estimating calories burned:

calories = time * MET * 3.5 * weight / (200 * 60)

2. To convert minutes to seconds, you need to do the following:

45 minutes * 60 = 2700 seconds

3. Suppose Richard trains with moderate effort on his elliptical trainer set to resistance level 5 (MET = 4.9).
4. In order to solve the equation, we need to substitute the numbers as follows:

calories = time * MET * 3.5 * weight / (200 * 60)

calories = 2700 * 4.9 * 3.5 * 75 / (200 * 60)

calories = 3,472,875 / 12,000

calories = 289.4

During his training, Richard burns approximately 290 calories.

A low-intensity workout does not significantly burn calories, but could help keep the body relaxed. People with medical conditions may benefit from a low-intensity workout. Additionally, it improves insulin sensitivity and lipid levels.

Although moderate intensity workouts are not strenuous, they can burn significant calories, especially if you spend at least 30 minutes on the machine. Using moderate intensity, the table below shows how calories are burned as workout time increases.

Weight	5 min	10 min	15 min	30 min	45 min	60 min
120 lbs (54.4 kg)	23	47	70	140	210	280
140 lbs (63.5 kg)	27	54	82	163	245	327
160 lbs (72.6 kg)	31	62	93	187	280	373
180 lbs (81.6 kg)	35	70	105	210	315	420
200 lbs (90 kg)	39	78	117	233	350	467
220 lbs (100 kg)	43	86	128	257	385	513

A reduction in daily calories (or an increase in calories burned) of 500 calories a day leads to 1 pound (approximately 454g) of weight loss per week, which is considered healthy.

So, how long would it take for you to burn 500 calories on the elliptical at each intensity level?

Weight	Low intensity	Moderate intensity	High intensity
120 lbs (54.4 kg)	114 min	107 min	92 min
140 lbs (63.5 kg)	98 min	92 min	79 min
160 lbs (72.6 kg)	85.5 min	80.5 min	69 min
180 lbs (81.6 kg)	76 min	71.5 min	61.5 min
200 lbs (90 kg)	68.5 min	64.5 min	55.5 min
220 lbs (100 kg)	62 min	58.5 min	50 min

References:

Wikipedia: Elliptical Trainer, Elliptical Calories 

Healthline.com: Elliptical Training, Burn Elliptical Calories