Okay, so I kind of did forget about this training page but I also thought you would get bored with my non-running AGAIN and me just talking about spinning and pumping iron. But here goes….hopefully, I will be running again in a week or two!!
Today was a 2.5 waterbottle kind of a day. I don’t know where I got the miniest waterbottle in the whole wide world but I downed that sucker in one gulp.
I always wear DARK colors to spin so that you can’t fully tell that my shirt and pants are COMPLETELY drenched!
I am starting to get used to HOUR LONG spin classes (the first one nearly ate me alive) and I went through 2.5 water bottles (probably a bad thing becuase that means I took approximately 28 breaks….it was a HARD CLASS).
After spin I wanted to do 15 minutes on the ellipctical so that I could read:) The girl next to me was talking to her NEW personal trainer. He told her to get off because you only burn 35 calories an hour on the ellipctical. I ASKED HIM if he really meant THIRTY-FIVE in ONE FULL HOUR on that thing and he said…….YES. He then said that running for an hour would double that number and be SEVENTY calories in ONE HOUR…….UM…….. crap, I guess 7 hours on the elliptical= 1 of my cupcakes last night.
My body bug said that the elliptical burned about 6 calories per minute on the elliptical and 10 calories per minute running….thoughts?
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WHAT WAS YOUR WORKOUT!!!
107 comments
Ellen @ Undercover Runner Eats
I think he should have said per MILE, not per HOUR. My long runs are about an hour to an hour and a half and burn 600-900 calories in that time.
Janae
I know!!!! I asked if he meant that but he said no… 35 per hour! He also said he has been a personal trainer for 19 years….. Ahhhhh!!!!
FashionablyFit
he must have been certified through the FOC organization…
aka full of CRAP!
Molly
That is SO far off the mark. He must have mis-spoken or been really, really misinformed. I feel bad for the girl he’s training!
Kate
Well, that Personal Trainer is dead wrong! Don’t worry, Janae. Angela, my partner, who is ALSO a personal trainer and has her M.S. in exercise physiology will back me up. That guy doesn’t have a clue what he is talking about. A lot of male personal trainers do not see the value in cardio. It’s ridiculous. Keep on ellipticaling! (is that even a word??)
Ashley @ This Is The Place
My Garmin says I burn about 105/hour when I run. This lines up with every article I’ve read about calorie burning while running.
I don’t know about ellipticals. The machines say they burn as much as running. I’ve heard it’s less…and based on my PRE I think it’s less. But it is definitely NOT as low as 35cals/hour! That trainer is so wrong!!
Heather Whipple
I’ve never checked with an elliptical but when I do my hour runs, I easily burn 500 calories according to my body bug!? I think homeboy is on crack… the stat I’ve been told, time and time again, is about 100 cals/mile when running. That’s proved somewhat true for me.
Hannah
Wow I hope that woman gets her money back from that trainer… yikes!
michele
I burn about 100 calories/hr running.
angie on maui
Um, is he for real? Those numbers are IMPOSSIBLE! I’ve always heard the general rule of thumb is about 100 calories per mile and I’ve always hit those numbers on my runs. I hope he was just distracted…girlfriend needs a new personal trainer! :(
Ashley
Exactly what I’ve heard!! From numerous sources as well….my calorie tracker on the elliptical usually indicates it’s about ~100 calories/10 minutes…give or take. Depends if i’m given’r ;-)
Allison
Rest for me today. I did a 14-miler yesterday that nearly KILLED me. I drank 40 oz. of water + Nuun on it. And it’s a sad, sad, day when you realize that you are now going to have to hit the road BEFORE 5 am to get it done because otherwise, it’s just too hot. :(
Mandee Pearson
um yes, I burn 500-600 calories per hour running….that guy is nuts!
Karin (allpointswhole)
Gotta love spin!
Stephanie
I burn approx. 90 calories per mile running. I would NOT want him to be MY trainer!!
Becky
Agreed. Home dude is totally nuts. I burn about 500-600 calories per hour running. And I think the rule above about 100 calories/mile sound about right.
Jess Wakasugi
Good lord, I hope he was kidding! 70 calories in an HOUR of running? I agree with ‘Angie on Maui’, I think you get burn around 100 calories per mile.
Angie
Not that I am miss trainer by any means, but I think the trainer you overheard is full of it. Everybody is different but 35 calories in an hour?! Get real…..you can def burn more than that, crank up resistance and go to town! I thought the same thing a/b the 10/min running…..
Jess (Daly Authenticity)
Lol. This made me laugh. That guy had no clue what he was talking about. Who was he kidding? Poor woman.
Emily@RunningPerspective
that guy is RIDICULOUS! could you imagine if that girl based the amount of calories she ate on that burned number…sometimes i dont understand how some people can be “certified” yet give advice like that
kari @ Running Ricig
I was wearing dark colors running the other day when a woman said, “wow, you don’t sweat at all! you look amazing.” to which my running buddy responded, “actually, her shirt wasn’t that color when we started…it’s ALL sweat.” Yay for friends :)
Katie
Wow- he’s way off! According to my HRM, I usually burn 400/hour on the elliptical going at a reasonably fast pace (not killing myself), and can do 500-600 running. So weird to hear of someone actually UNDERestimating calories burned for once!
Bess @ Bess Be Fit
Okay if he was being serious he needs to be fired. You burn more than that BREATHING.
Holly @ Pink Runner
Haha you’re not foolin anyone with that soaking wet purple tank! Yoga with weights tonight!
Mary
That’s crazy! Once I met with a trainer at my gym when I first joined it because they offered a free session, and she said “you’re running a marathon? how many miles is that?” There was also a small cardio room with a large tv screen that they played movies on all the time and really blasted the AC and fans. One time I was running on a treadmill and the same trainer came in and told one of her clients that he needed to get out of there because you don’t burn any fat in the AC. Unfortunately not all trainers have the credentials that the good ones have!
Paula @ Eat: Watch: Run
Maybe 70 calories in 10 minutes! That girl needs to find her a trainer that has a clue. :-)
Brittany *Sparkles*
WOWOWOW! What an idiot – do you wonder how he can even be a personal trainer??
I know that the elliptical machines are not necessarily the most accurate, but depending on the resistance I put it at mine usually says I’ll burn 600-900 cal/hour.
Running on the treadmill usually tells me ~750cal/hour if I’m running at a 7mph speed (which I can only do for about 20min before I slow down lol).
I would think a body bug may be more accurate though – does it take into account your heart rate and weight or what?
LOVE that you’re staying hydrated while working it out! also… that you wear the darks to not show sweat – I have to do that too! I’ve completely banned grey from my typical wardrobe bc it seems to show sweat the worst!
Gen
That trainer doesn’t make a whole lot of sense…..my elliptical shows about 5-8 calories a minute depending on my intensity!
I went to a trampoline class (fun!) and ran for 20 minutes today!
Danielle
i actually laughed out loud when i read this! 35 calories in an entire hour?! not possible! you could burn more than 35 calories in an hour just standing in place!
Dana
Yay, you’re back! There’s no way that guy was right. I’ve always heard that it’s around 100 calories per mile for running.
Lauren
Umm…WOW…this personal trainer is actually employed? I’m pretty sure you could steal all of his clients by only telling them that they will burn 10x more calories working out with you :)
Holly
haa, he’s on crack! I am resting today after my rough 10k on Saturday and will start up again early in the morning. Gonna have to make an effort to run outside if I don’t want these hills around here to eat me up come race time!
Ashley
The 100 cal / mile thing is a little misleading, its actually more like (your weight in lbs x .7) / mile. The 100 cal/mile just makes it easier to approximate how much you’ve burned. I’m only ~125 lbs, so I usually use ~90 cal / mile to approximate. It varies a little bit based on intensity too, you’ll burn calories faster during an interval run than a long slow run.
Today’s workout is indoor soccer playoffs. I ran 6.5 miles Saturday (4.5 at HM goal pace. yay!) and ~9 miles yesterday (about 30 sec / mile faster than I was planning bc I ran with my bf. It felt good though, I didn’t realize how fast we had been going til we stopped our watches at the end). A little less than 7 weeks til my next half marathon. If training keeps up this well, I may have to re-evaluate my goal pace. :)
emily
dude needs to go back to school. poor girl. next time you see her at the gym, pull her aside and give her the 4-1-1 about calorie burn. there’s not a set number of calories for “x” number of minutes in any type of workout anyway. intensity is a huge factor that must be considered. i could burn only 35 calories in an hour on an elliptical. if i just sat there and turned the magazine pages while chewing a piece of gum.
Shari @ Chicago Cuisine Critique
That trainer sounds like he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You definitely burn more than 75 calories in an hour by running (as you clearly know)..
emily
oh! my workout = 5.5 mile run at 5:30 a.m. the sunrise was INSANE this morning. i didn’t have my phone to get proof. sigh.
Kaitlyn
I think it’s true! That’s what I had read in my personal training books as well. Alot of times I think online calorie burning resources are wrong! My dad was once told 500+ calories for half an hour on a recumbent bike, not working hard at all.
Lindsey
I only know from my Garmin but a 8km run (35 miniutes or so) burns about 400 calories for me. Silly trainer!
Leila
I think its save to say we are all in agreement that the personal trainer SUCKS. A good rule of thumb IS about 100 cals/mile. That guy is an idiot.. and he basically admitted that he has been giving incorrect information for 19 years.
Tara @ texasrunnergirl.com
See I like to flaunt my sweat. Like, yeah, I just kicked some butt…. don’t touch me. Poor hubs always gets grossed out because after running I’m always going to him and saying things like, “hey, look how sweaty my sports bra is”. Pride baby!
You should totally tell that woman, if you see her again, that her trainer is an idiot!!!
Oh, have you done a review or post on your body bug? I’m interested!
Rebecca
I’m pretty sure most people burn 100 calories per mile running — more if they go faster than 9 minute pace.
I think that trainer was high. How discouraging to hear such nonsense.
Barefeet In The Kitchen
That is absurd! Seriously, I’d have said something. Good grief, even the machines will tell you that you’re burning more than that!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
Um, that trainer is SUSPECT! I don’t believe that for a hot second.
Danielle
You burn an average of 100 calories an hour running and depending on your intensity level on the elliptical, a similar amount there – it is exertion based burning – if you are trotting along with zero resistance and no incline, you should be happy to burn 35 cals….
my workout is going to be speed in the heat, can’t wait…not
Melissa @ Green Mountain Runner
Wow what a bad personal trainer!!!! He clearly has no idea what he is talking about!!!!
corey @ Learning Patience
What?!? That’s ridiculous… I always thought it was about a 100 cal/mile = about 9 minute miles… Anyways – it looks like you got a good workout in! Today was a great running morning followed by some Tracy Anderson – man she kicks my butt!!
Lizzy @ runbakerace
That personal trainers sounds like he doesn’t know anything. That’s not good at all!!!! I always read that you burn like 100-110 calories a mile running. With his calorie counting, it would take forever for anyone to burn off any food. YIKES
Camilla
I burn about 105cal/mi. running… that dude is crazy!!
Emily @ Sweating Sugar
Maybe he is telling her that so she won’t over eat her results? Just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt because he is clearly nuts……BUT it totally depends on the resistance setting as to how much you burn!
Nicole @ Of Cookies and Carrots
Yeah ummm that is not true on either count. I’m almost 100% positive and while I’m not a personal trainer or anything even remotely related to one, having used heart rate monitor before I’m fairly confident that it burns more than that per HOUR. Actually I htink sitting on your butt for an hour probably burns 35 calories.
Per this, if you put in MY stats I burn 46 calories per hour sitting/studying
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/burned/calories_burned_Sitting_studying_general_including_reading_and_or_writing.html
Obviously it’s all subject to variation based on your body but still…
<3
n
Katey
That guy illustrates why I dislike most personal trainers. They seem sorely mistaken on many accounts. I once heard a trainer telling a client that she should check with him on any dietary issues and questions…even if they come from a doctor!
P.S. This morning I taught Zumba. I’ll probably do a jog tonight too. I’m in the “mood”
Hayley @ Hayley Daily
That trainer sounds like a flaming moron. He has absolutely no idea what he is talking about! Elliptical away, sister!
Amylee
You had to stop running again?! Janae!!!! THAT SUCKS!!! I was wondering what happened to your training page- this is the portion of your blog that I look forward to the most. Are you attempting to heal your shin splints? (I was out of town for a few days so I probably missed you explaining why you arentt running right now.) So sorry!
I was wondering if you could do a segment on what your favorite full marathon course in Utah is- maybe break it down by speed of the course, spectators, views. I’m wondering what your take is.
Trisha
HAHAHA! Reading what the dumbest personal trainer in the whole world told you made me laugh SO hard! I am so confused how he thinks that’s even possible. I’d burn more calories than that just sitting in one place for an hour.
Yikes! she definitely needs to get a new trainer.
kristi (sweet cheeks)
So that means we should only be eating…a couple hundred calories per day then? What planet is this guy from?!!
HolliMarie
Is that trainer even certified? He’s surely mistaken. About 100cals/mile running and the elliptical is very dependent on speed and resistance but anywhere from 400-600cals/hr seems to be average for most people.
Lindsay @ Live, Love, Run VB
What???!! I’m pretty sure I burn 35 calories an hour taking a sweet nap, so if that’s all I’m burning on the elliptical, I know what my new favorite exercise is…
Stephanie
I’m really glad I’m not the only one who purposely wears dark colors to spin class to avoid the awkward “did that girl just take a shower during class?!” stares…
Laura
I would say about 300/hr elliptical, 500-600/hr running, assuming you are running at a nice clip.
about 50/hr for sleeping.
looks like yet another stupid personal trainer walks among us, what a shock.
Kayla Carruth
It’s completely incorrent for him to make such a generalized statement like that! That makes me question is training knowledge.
The amount of calories burned for any type of workout depends on the person’s workload which is affected by their individual strength and fitness level and calculated by their heart rate, weight/height, and amount of time carrying the load. Another important factor is a person’s different heart rate zones (1-5), and how long they stay in each, which determines the type of calories they are burning. Since each person’s zones are a little different, the machine’s have to guess at how many calories are burned.
That is all! :)
Janae
I KNOW!!! Poor lady….I tried to tell her this, I hope she doesn’t go the rest of her life thinking that he is right:(
Angela
You look super cute in your workout clothes! I wish I looked that put together for my workout!
Rene' Whiteley
You burn 100 calories per mile on average when you run. Sometimes when I wear my heart rate monitor etc…It says i burn much more. i am sure you burned off your cupcake!
Britt
That personal trainer was lying to his client, there is no standard amount of calories a piece of equiptment will make a person burn in an hour. There are too many other factors like lean muscle mass, hydration level, intensity, etc. I don’t think that this trainer is a creditable source.
Lisa Jameson
thats hilarious that he gave her that info. I do know that running does burn more calories than running though due to it getting your HR up faster. there is no exact number of how many calories you burn bc it depends on your speed. I’ve noticed that for my half marathons (keep in mind the distance doesn’t change)- the faster I go, the more calories I’ve burned. So for the 13.1 mile distance I’ve ranged anywhere from 1200-1800 depending on my time (according to my garmin which i’ve plugged all my personal data into)
Ellie@fitforthesoul
I have no idea about this burning calories on elliptical stuff! Haha, I don’t have anything to measure those stats and I just do workouts at home. One thing that for sure will burn a lot though, is muscling up! :D If you do that, you will certainly keep burning for hours on end hehe
Caitlin R
So crazy in college we calculated how much we burn to make sure we are properly fueling and I’m small and I burn 83 calories/mile!!!
jaci
wouldn’t you have to be at the gym all day then…? he sounds a little dingy to me!
Lauren
From Runners World
What’s the Burn? A Calorie Calculator
You can use the formulas below to determine your calorie-burn while running and walking. The “Net Calorie Burn” measures calories burned, minus basal metabolism. Scientists consider this the best way to evaluate the actual calorie-burn of any exercise. The walking formulas apply to speeds of 3 to 4 mph. At 5 mph and faster, walking burns more calories than running.
Your Total Calorie Burn/Mile
Your Net Calorie Burn/Mile
Running
.75 x your weight (in lbs.)
.63 x your weight
Walking
.53 x your weight
.30 x your weight
Adapted from “Energy Expenditure of Walking and Running,” Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise, Cameron et al, Dec. 2004.
Janae
LOVE IT!! Thanks for linking this!!! This sounds a little bit more realistic!
Lara
Haha yeah that guy’s an idiot, and no offense but so are most trainers at 24 Hour Fitness and I go there too! I burn about 75 calories/mile running and at the very least probably 55 calories/10 minutes on the elliptical. There’s no way it can be half as much as running, don’t believe him!
Janae
I KNOW!! RIDICULOUS!! I just feel bad for the peeps that don’t know anything about nutrition and working out that believe him because he is a ‘trainer’!!!!
lindsay
where is this guy getting his stats? haha. 7 hour of running for a cupcake, lets do it!
jk!
Janae
I KNOW!!! I think he just really wanted this lady to continue with him because than he threw out how many calories she would burn with HIS workout….something like 800!!!
Meghan
whaaaaaat that trainer is crazy!! When I have worn my HR monitor I get the same stats for the elliptical and running :)
My workout today was an 8 mi run. Get those shins better soon!!!
Kristen @ notsodomesticated
My workout today was walking my mom’s dog, and then coming back and doing some interval stuff on the treadmill for 30 minutes. :)
Ashlyn
That doesn’t make sense at all!!! I wouldn’t listen to him, just like everyone else said!
Also, I didn’t know you have a bodybug….what do you have it for?!
Janae
HEY ASHLYN!!! I used to have one when I was training for my first marathon to make sure I was getting ENOUGH calories…I had no idea how many calories I would be burning while training and I wanted to make sure I was refueling properly:)
Ashlyn
haha oh that makes sense! I just never heard you mention it before and i’ve been curious about them! By the way, I think you burn 35 calories an hour just from BREATHING! :)
Sarah
There is no way he can be right! I usually average about 100 calories/mile. I do know that ellipticals do not burn as many calories as running, but there it has to be more than 35 calories/hour. That’s how much you burn when you sneeze or something! :)
Lizzi
Total bullshit (technical term :p). Besides, he’s a personal trainer – he should know better than to think # of calories burned = the quality of the workout. There is sooo much more to a workout than that!
That said, my boyfriend is a PT and he’s banned me from the elliptical (for a while at least!) because he says it’s doing bad things to my posture.. which is sadly true :(
Meredith
what a dum-dum!! there is no way to burn 35 calories an hour on the elliptical OR 800 calories with his workout. i do all sorts of crazy workouts and tried them with my body media as well. i get about 7ish cal/min on the elliptical and 10ish cal/min running. and strength training depends on how many intervals i do inbetween. obvisouly just lifting weights is going to be low, but if you add in sprints and burpees and everything else, it can get up there. what a nin-com-poop!
side note: you will get back to running in no janae! i pulled my right groin muscle earlier this year and was down for the count. once i could start running again, i was SOOOO EXCITED. then came the shin splints. no so excited. but never fear because i have been running for the past several weeks and it is GLORIOUS! you will get there – i promise! pinky swear!
Janae
AHHH THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH ME….that helped big time to know that you got through it!
Meredith
and you will too! i KNOW it!
Brynne
STOP what a horrible trainer! That’s so scary that people turn to them for guidance and knowledge and THAT’S what you get.
My workout was spin and a strength circuit :)
Hannah
um what? this guy is a total idiot! so untrue!
elliptical is a great whole body workout, and so is running and there is no way in hell that you ONLY burn 35 calories in one hour. i can burn more calories than that sitting on my ass all night!
brandy
I’m sure this has already been said eleventy-billion times, but that personal trainer clearly forged his certification and most likely is dealing/doing crack as well.
Suey
That trainer is off his rocker :) How are your shins feeling?! I hope I still get to see you in NYC this fall!
Krista @ Journey To A Healthy Berg
I agree with everyone else on here. I think you should find out where he got certified and let us know so that no one else makes the same mistake if they want to become a personal trainer.
Catherine
I burned 35 calories just scrolling this post….that guy is crazysauce!!! Hope that girl looks up your blog and cuts bait! Fast!!!
Michelle
As everyone else has said, that is just weird! Poor lady who has to train with him!
Shelby
OMG what an idiot.
I am a personal trainer and I do triathlons…and let me tell you he is WAY off! Not only does it depend on your body weight/gender etc…he is WRONG!
I burn 100 calories per 1 mile I run. He is an idiot!
You should pull that poor woman aside he is training and say RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!
chacha
Haha! Well, it’s really a crapshoot with trainers at the big chain gyms (i.e. 24 hr, LAF, etc), some know what they’re talking about but some are completely clueless. Unless that chick weighs like 40 lbs, then, maybe that would be the calorie burn per hour.
Today was yoga during my lunch hour – 15 miles yesterday so the legs are a bit pooped today.
RoseRunner
what a douche-tard. I’m sure he’s telling the lady to eat only 200 calories a day then if that’s how he thinks calories work. Can’t believe that a trainer doesn’t know, after 19 years, what I knew by the time I was 13 thanks to adults who actually know how to communicate with athletes
RoseRunner
Also, I just want to note that I’m REALLY surprised that you even questioned whether he could be right. You’ve been running for long enough that you should be able to confidently call him out on that in an instant
Kayla Romney
I track my workouts on livestrong.com and according to that you burn 622 cal/hour. I’m pretty sure that website would be a lot more accurate then this crazy trainer guy. If it were only 35 cal/hour then nobody would ever lose weight!
Carla @ I Run, You Run
I always thought it was about 100 calories per mile running. 60/hour seems ridiculously low.
Monika @ Monika's Miles
I burn 35 calories an hour breathing… guy is off his rocker. He’s either trying wayyy too hard to get this girl as a client and stealing her money on an hourly basis, or he’s plain crazy. You sure he was a real trainer??
On a side note… what in the world is a body bug?
Christianne
I don’t believe that personal trainer! I always feel like I burn tons of calories on it! I heard that the more you’re in shape, the more you sweat- is that true?
Yolie @ Practising Wellness
Dude, you are drenched, lol! :-D That is awesome…you must have worked soooo hard…YAY YOU!! Do you find you work harder in spin classes (with an instructor) that you do working out on the bike/elliptical on your own? Or do you LOVE pushing yourself either way? :-) I know you push yourself crazy hard with running, lol! I cannot believe what that guy said…surely that cannot be right? :-P I love your training page! xyx
Angie
I can’t believe the personal trainer told you that!! An hour of running equals 70 calories?? That’s completely absurd! It really ticks me off that these “professionals” don’t know their stuff. That’s what they are getting paid to do! UGH so annoying!!! Don’t listen to him!
ERin
Unfortunately, I have had trainers like that before. One told me that I was fat (he actually used those words) and I was in like high school at that time. Then ushered in the period of my major food issues, that I am still trying to work through today (I just graduated college). Trainers, at least in my experience, have been terrible and have no idea what they are talking about.
Leisan
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Laura @ Cookies vs. Carrots
I learned the hard way that gray pants are not acceptable for spin class. Black only!
rumfunandsun
My thought….he is an idiot! :-)
Mia
this literally made me LOL. 70 calories an hour running?? so you would only burn 140 calories running a half marathon (less if you’re an accomplished runner), and 280 for a marathon. That would also mean elite runners barely burn any calories because they run too damn fast. what an idiot, i feel bad for this girl who was actually paying him for his advice!
Leonor
No way! He’s waaay off. Hey…I look like that after workouts!!