Exercise Question?
 

Ok so lately Ive been working out on the tred mill. Ive been doing 30 mins of 3 min intervals of Walking/Running/Incline. I know that the calorie thing on the treadmills are not accerate but it read about 275 burned by the end of it. Well the 3 min intervals where very hard on me and annoying.

So today I changed to 2 min intervals for 30 mins of Walking/Running. I didnt feel as exhausted and burned 288 calories according to the tread mill. Do you think I should stay with the 3 min intervals because I felt more tired at the end or do you guys think the 2 min intervals are just as good. I actually end up running more with the 2 min intervals.

With the 3 mins one I end up only running 8 mins. With the 2 min intervals I end up running 14 mins. Stupid question sorry...but Im really curious.

Maybe mix it up - do the 2min one day and the 3min the next.

What's your heart rate doing? Your goal should be to work at 75% of your maximum heart rate (ignore the calorie issue for now). I would say go for increasing the length of time you are running, and try and build up on it each week, or fortnight, depending on your base level of fitness. Have you got a heart rate monitor? I can't take my own pulse (the doctor once said I didn't have one!!! I think I was too fat for him to find it!!!) and use the heart rate monitor at the gym.

I dont have a heart rate monitor. I work out at home.

If you are interested in monitoring it, a heart rate monitor is not terribly expensive (its pricey but they last a while and sometimes you can find a good deal on ebay). The ones on the machines at the gym are notoriously unreliable, and if i were trying to track my heart rate, i definitely wouldn't use one of those.

Hey, Jtjoray, I have run into the same type of issue. If I put the tread mill at no incline and jog/run (at about 5 mph) for 30 minutes it says I burn 294 calories, and I defitnitely feel like I've worked incredibly hard. But if I raise the incline to 10% and walk at a brisk pace (3.7 mph) for 30 mins, it says I burn 340 cals, and I definitely don't feel like I worked nearly as hard as I did when I was jogging. Unfortunately, I've never been able to find the answer as to which actually burns more calories. It would seem like I should burn more calories if I work harder. I would really love to know the answer. But until I find the answer I've decided to do what seems more challenging, rather than do what the machine tells me burns more calories. Because I know those machines are pretty inaccurate anyway--they always overestimate.

It's true that aerobic exercise should be challenging, but it shouldn't be exhausting. If the 2-minute intervals make you feel both challenged and invigorated, but the 3-minute intervals make you feel wiped out, then stick with the 2-minute intervals until you build up more endurance.

Thanks....this helps alot.

Wow, Jtjoray. You are at the same crossroads I am at. Wondering if it is better to jog at a lower incline or do my usual 3 min speed walking intervals at higher incline. I've decided to do exactly what sotypical suggested. To mix it up. This way I keep variety and also keep my body guessing.

I have to think about which is more enjoyable. Sometimes I prefer the walking so I can watch a movie. I've discovered that other times I prefer to run. I won't take either or when I can have both.