The proven way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume. If you burn 3,500 extra calories, you lose 1 lb. of fat. Any type of activity that raises your heart rate can help you lose weight, from carrying groceries upstairs to using exercise machines. However, some exercise machines burn calories more effectively than others. As you lose weight and get fit, add physical challenges to your exercise machine workout to increase calorie burning.
Treadmill Workouts
Doing high-impact movement on a treadmill raises your heart rate and makes you sweat. The faster your pace, the more calories you burn. Walking a leisurely 30-minute mile on a treadmill only burns 180 to 270 calories in one hour. However, jogging a 12-minute mile burns 580 to 870 calories in one hour. Run a challenging 7.5-minute mile on the treadmill, and you burn 980 to 1,470 calories in one hour.
Low-Impact Exercise Machines
You do not have to pound a surface to burn calories. Some exercise machines offer a lower-impact workout. A stair-climbing treadmill burns more calories than jogging on a regular treadmill. In one hour, you burn between 650 and 980 calories. For a full-body workout, row on a stationary rowing machine. You bend and stretch, boosting your flexibility; working your core, lower body and upper body muscles; and raising your heart rate. In one hour, you burn between 500 and 760 calories. Most elliptical trainers also allow an option for a full-body workout if you use the movable hand rails or pedal backward.
Resistance Exercise Machines
Doing strength, resistance and flexibility exercises on machines does not burn calories at the same rate as aerobic exercise on machines. However, the muscle you build replaces fat. Your heart works harder to support your new muscle mass, which raises your basal metabolic rate and burns more calories while you are at rest. Select machines that target your major muscle groups and use enough weight that you reach muscle fatigue within two to three sets of 10 to 20 repetitions each.
Increasing Challenge Level
If your exercise machine regimen begins to feel too easy, you need to adjust the intensity of your workout to ensure you burn the most calories. Several factors determine the challenge level of your workout. You can work out at a higher speed, or at a varied speed that includes some speed intervals. You can work out for a longer time frame. You can shorten your rest or recovery periods between workouts on a circuit program. Working out on a grade, an option on treadmills, also makes the exercise more challenging.
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