Don't Get Burned by Calorie Counters

Human and equipment errors can overestimate calories burned during exercise.

ByABC News via logo
February 27, 2010, 10:21 PM

Feb. 28, 2010— -- One thing everyone sweats at the gym is the question of what makes a good workout.

For those who rely on exercise machine calorie counters to determine results, the numbers might work everyone up, but they aren't necessarily working everyone out.

The Science

The University of California at San Francisco's Human Performance Center, which specializes in physiological analysis, uses a VO2 test to track fat burning down to the last calorie. The test works by measuring the maximum capacity of an individual's breathing while