Treadmill Calorie Calculator: How Many Calories Do You Burn?
Table of Contents
- Treadmill Calorie Calculator: How Does it Work?
- How To Use A Treadmill Calorie Calculator?
- How Many Calories Can I Burn On A Treadmill?
- 8 Factors that Affect How Many Calories You Burn on a Treadmill
- Can You Lose Weight by Walking or Running on a Treadmill?
- How to Burn More Calories on a Treadmill
- Final Words
Estimate how many calories you spend per treadmill workout by using this treadmill calorie calculator and learn how to burn even more calories.
Whether you use the treadmill to warm up before your leg session or use it as a tool to lose weight, it’s tough to know exactly how many calories you’re burning.
If you want to make each of your treadmill workouts count, then Welltech’s treadmill calorie calculator is what you were looking for.
Here’s how to use it to achieve your goals.
Treadmill Calorie Calculator: How Does it Work?
Walking on a treadmill can lead to great calorie burn, and this calculator, which was developed and verified by Welltech experts, can help you see how you can maximize this process.
The Treadmill Calorie Calculator can help you choose the most appropriate treadmill settings for your goals by allowing you to see the amount of energy spent under different conditions, such as different speeds or inclines.
This calculator is great for assessing the number of calories you need to burn or eat daily to achieve your fat loss goals or maintain your weight, but it can also be used as a tool to assess your fitness performance and progress.
Calculation Method of the Treadmill Calorie Calculator
This treadmill calories calculator takes into account both set and flexible parameters to calculate the calorie expenditure as accurately as possible.
Naturally, the equations differ for walking and running. And it takes into consideration resting metabolic rate, overcoming gravity, and the metabolic cost of movement for each activity as set parameters.
Meanwhile, speed, gradient, weight, and time are variable data based on the user’s entries. Weight, speed, and inclination grade allow us to determine energy expenditure, while time is used to determine the energy expenditure across the duration of the specified activity.
The formulae used for the Treadmill Calorie Calculator are [12]*:
For walking: (3.5 + 0.1 * (speed * 1000 / 60) + 1.8 * (speed * 1000 / 60) * grade) * weight / 1000) * 4.9 * time
For running: (3.5 + 0.2 * (speed * 1000 / 60) + 0.9 * (speed * 1000 / 60) * grade) * weight / 1000) * 4.9 * time
The above equation takes into account the following factors:
- 3.5 is the resting metabolic rate (in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute).
- 0.1 * (speed * 1000 / 60) or 0.2 * (speed * 1000 / 60) accounts for the metabolic cost of moving at a certain speed. The values 0.1 and 0.2 are specific to walking and running respectively.
- 1.8 * (speed * 1000 / 60) * grade or 0.9 * (speed * 1000 / 60) * grade accounts for the metabolic cost of overcoming gravity at a certain incline (grade). The values 1.8 and 0.9 are specific to walking and running respectively.
- weight / 1000 is the user’s weight in kilograms (converted to metric units from pounds if necessary).
- 4.9 is the conversion factor from milliliters of oxygen to kilocalories.
- time is the duration of the activity in minutes.
If imperial units are selected, the calculator will automatically convert speed and weight values to metric units to enable a more accurate calculation. The result is then rounded, and your calorie expenditure is displayed on the screen.
Be sure to enter your data as accurately as possible in order to obtain the most precise estimate of your calorie expenditure.
How To Use A Treadmill Calorie Calculator?
Here is a quick guide on how to use this treadmill calorie calculator:
- Select your preferred measurement unit between metric and imperial.
- Select the type of activity undertaken.
- Input your weight.
- Input the speed of your walk or run expressed as km or miles per hour.
- Input the percentage grade of inclination of the treadmill.
- Input the time spent on the activity.
- Click the “calculate” button to obtain your calories burned estimation, or press “clear all” to start a new submission.
How Many Calories Can I Burn On A Treadmill?
Walking outdoors roughly burns 100 calories per mile, but this is different when walking on a treadmill, as the latter allows you to walk or run under specific and controlled settings. So then, how many calories do you burn on a treadmill?
On average, people can burn between 100 and 300 calories in 30 minutes on a treadmill, although this highly depends on one’s weight, speed, and grade of inclination.
For example, a 70kg person would burn around 122 calories walking at 5 km/hour at 0% inclination grade for 30 minutes, while a 55kg person would roughly burn 96 calories under the same conditions.
8 Factors that Affect How Many Calories You Burn on a Treadmill
As you probably already gathered, estimating the number of calories burned on a treadmill is not that straightforward, as it depends on a wide selection of factors.
Below, you can find the main ones.
Weight and Body Mass Index (BMI)
Weight and BMI directly impact the amount of calories burned. In fact, the more you weigh and the higher your BMI, the more calories your body burns both at rest and when moving. [1]
Speed
Running has a greater metabolic equivalent of task (MET) compared to walking, as it requires more metabolic adaptations, even at similar distances.
Walking or running faster also enables you to cover a greater distance within a set timeframe, which further aids calorie burning. [2]
Incline
Walking up a steep mountain requires more energy than walking on a flat path, and the same happens with treadmills.
This is because as you increase the inclination, you also increase the force of gravity, resulting in amplified physical effort. [2]
Handrails
Handrails usage can modulate your energy consumption. In this regard, holding onto handrails is unadvised if you aim to lose fat, as it takes the weight off you, resulting in a lower calorie expenditure. [3]
Age
Your age influences the amount of calories you burn. This is because we consume less and less energy as we age.
This partly happens due to sarcopenia, the physiological loss of muscle mass that occurs during aging. [4]
Sex
Studies showed that women tend to burn fewer calories than men due to physiological differences in their metabolic pathways.
In fact, women tend to utilize energy less efficiently than their male counterparts during endurance exercise. [5]
Distance
Distance has an impact on the amount of calories burnt when walking or jogging on a treadmill, as your body will utilize more energy the more miles you cover.
For reference, you can burn 65 to 130 calories by walking 1 mile, 300 to 400 calories by walking 4 miles, and between 700 and 1200 calories when walking 10 miles.
Time
The amount of time spent on the treadmill impacts the number of calories burned. The longer you run or walk, the more distance you cover, resulting in greater calorie expenditure.
Can You Lose Weight by Walking or Running on a Treadmill?
Yes, you can lose weight and body fat by walking or running on a treadmill, as long as you stay in a calorie deficit, which means you eat fewer calories than your body burns throughout the day.
This is because treadmill workouts are forms of aerobic training, and they are great for burning calories.
Performing aerobic training regularly can help you use fat for energy production more efficiently as it increases the number of mitochondria present in your muscle cells.
Mitochondria are the little powerhouses that use oxygen and fat to produce energy. Therefore, the more mitochondria you have, the more effectively your body will use and burn excess fat. [6] [7]
How to Burn More Calories on a Treadmill
There are several ways you can increase your calorie expenditure on a treadmill.
- You can try walking or running for a longer period of time, you can move faster, or both.
- Don’t forget to change the gradient, as the amount of calories burned on an inclined treadmill is greater than when walking on a flat surface.
- You could also wear a weighted vest to increase your carried weight and augment your calorie expenditure.
- Finally, if you want to maximize fat loss, you should give high-intensity aerobic workouts a go, as higher heart rates were found to be linked with increased fat oxidation. [8] [9] In this regard, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or Sprinting are fantastic treadmill-friendly workout options to lose weight, as they significantly raise the heart rate at regular intervals. [10] [11]
Final Words
If you want to start walking on a treadmill and are keen to know the number of calories burned in each session, a calorie calculator is exactly what you’re looking for.
A treadmill calculator takes your individual characteristics and workout settings into account and provides you with the most accurate information in regard to how many calories you need to burn.
Here you can find the main key points about Welltech’s treadmill calculator and energy expenditure:
- This treadmill calorie calculator can support you in your weight loss journey as it allows you to assess the amount of calories you should eat and burn daily, but it can also help you assess your fitness progress.
- To get your estimated calorie expenditure, all you need to do is input the required data, making sure it is as accurate as possible, and click on the “calculate” button.
- The calculation method takes into account the metabolic cost of movement and overcoming the gravity of walking and running, resting metabolic rate, speed, inclination grade, weight, and time.
- The main factors that affect the number of calories burnt on a treadmill include weight and BMI, speed, inclination grade, the use of handrails, age, sex, distance, and time.
- Walking or running on a treadmill can make you lose weight as long as your calorie intake does not exceed the number of calories burned.
- Aerobic training helps you lose weight by increasing your body’s efficiency in burning fat.
- You can maximize your energy expenditure and fat loss on the treadmill by increasing the duration, distance, gradient, or speed of your exercise session, wearing a weighted vest, or performing high-intensity workouts such as HIIT or sprints.
*Additional sources:
[12] Liguori, G., & American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) (2021). ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (11th ed). LWW
