If you're trying to choose between an elliptical trainer and another piece of exercise equipment like a treadmill or an exercise bike, one of the most popular questions is

'How many calories can I burn with an elliptical trainer?'

You want to get the most bang for your exercise buck - that's understandable. Here are some calories burned estimates for elliptical workouts - and several tips to burn more calories with your elliptical trainer!

General Estimates of Calories Burned with An Elliptical Trainer:

- 150 pound woman, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 387 calories

- 180 pound man, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 464 - 500 calories

- 120 pound woman, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 310 calories

General Estimates of Calories Burned (According To Elliptical Manufacturers)

- Elliptical manufacturers claim you can burn up to 720 calories an hour with an elliptical workout.

Factors that dictate how many calories you burn include:

>> Workout Duration

>> Interval Training

>> Elliptical Tension Settings

>> Body Composition (Muscle to Fat Ratio)

>> State of Cardiovascular system (regular exerciser or new to exercise)

>> Weight

>> Sex

>> Upper Body Arm Usage

Here are several tips to increase your calorie burn with your elliptical trainer:

- Build in Intervals

Most elliptical trainers offer incline and or tension that you can increase or decrease while workout out. Try building in 30 second incline intervals every couple of minutes to your workout.

This will not only push your body further and burn more calories during your workout - but it can also elevate your calorie burn for up to 24 hours after your workout.

- Use Upper Body Arms

Many ellipticals offer you upper body arm bars that you can use to build your arms muscles into your workout. More muscles worked = more calories burned. If there are no upper body arms, grab a couple of 2 - 5 pounds handweights and swing your arms while striding.

- Take Advantage of the Forward and Backward Directions

Using more muscles (and one you may not have used before) also ups your calorie burn, even after your workout. So take advantage of the fact that most ellipticals allow you to go forward and backward. Switch up your routine every few minutes to up your calorie burn.

- Break up your Workout

Experts are now telling us that 2 mini-workouts may even be better than 1 long workout as far as calories burned. Why?

Any exercise will temporarily rev up your metabolism - so if you can do 15 - 20 minutes in the morning, and 15 - 20 minutes in the afternoon, your metabolism will stay charged up for a longer time. (If you can't do this, don't worry - remember that a 30 minute workout will still burn more calories than a 15 minute workout!)

So there are some tips to skyrocket your calorie burn on your elliptical. Good luck and have fun blasting those calories!