One Easy Mistake To Avoid When Counting Calories On Workout Machines

Most calorie counting mechanisms attached to cardio equipment in your gym are calibrated to an average 150 pounds of active muscle mass as the basis for determining how many calories the user is burning.

Unfortunately, very few of us are 150 pounds, and even those of us that are probably do not carry 100 percent of that 150 pounds in lean muscle mass. In order to make as accurate as possible a caloric assessment without forking over the extra dough for advanced equipment to determine the exact number of calories you're expending during your workout, you'll need to do the following:

1. Have a certified personal trainer or other qualified professional use callipers, sonogram or another method of determining your body fat percentage.

2. Calculate your LEAN body weight. For example, if you weigh 120 lbs. with 20 percent body fat, multiply 120 X .2. You are carrying 24 lbs. of inactive weight. Subtract this from your actual weight. Your lean body mass is 98 lbs.

3. Use your lean body weight when inputting information into your cardio equipment for the most accurate determination of calories burned during your workout.

While this method is not the most accurate available, it is far more accurate than inputting an amount including your inactive fat mass which does not assist in burning calories during a workout.