If your primary reason for working out is to lose weight, knowing how many calories different workouts burn is one of the best ways to find out which will be the most effective choice. Kickboxing and running on an elliptical machine are two very different workouts. Both burn calories, but they burn them in different ways and at different rates.
Calorie Basics
People count calories when losing weight because you burn fat by expending more calories than you take in. A calorie is a measure for energy, just like a meter is a measure for distance. One lb. of fat consists of approximately 3,500 calories worth of extra energy eaten or expended.
Kickboxing and Calories
An hour-long kickboxing session isn't just 60 minutes of kickboxing. A typical class will include about 30 minutes of practice on a bag or in the ring, 15 minutes of vigorous calisthenics and 15 minutes of lighter activity like stretching or receiving coached instruction. According to health resource website HealthStatus, a 150-lb. person will burn between 500 and 600 calories in an hour of that kind of activity.
Elliptical Machine
Running on an elliptical machine for one hour means 60 minutes of the same, cardio-intensive activity. Elliptical machines are designed to give the same kind of workout you'd get running on a treadmill, while cushioning the blow of each stride with an elliptical motion similar to pedaling a bicycle. HealthStatus reports that 60 minutes of moderate effort on an elliptical machine will burn between 750 and 800 calories for a 150-lb. person.
Other Considerations
At 3,500 calories per pound, it would take more than 10 workouts to burn a pound's worth of extra energy on an elliptical machine as compared to a kickboxing workout. Although it's technically true that one session on an elliptical will burn more than one session of kickboxing, what really matters for weight loss is how many calories you burn in multiple sessions over time. Ultimately, you will burn the most calories with the exercise program that you find most enjoyable and convenient.
References
- Health Status: Calories Burned by Exercise
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Dr. Walter Willett; 2004
Member Comments