How Many Calories Can You Burn with a Bodyblade?

I'm usually not one to buy into "As Seen on TV" products. And normally, something like the Bodyblade would have no interest from me. However, my friend gave me one because she never used it. And, I found that you can experience a pretty good calorie burn from the Bodyblade.

That is as long as you put in the effort I do. I'm always looking for ways to safely amplify or gamify any exercise.

What is the Bodyblade?

The Bodyblade is a device that is essentially a long, thin, piece of flexible metal with weights at the ends. The idea behind the Bodyblade is to generate micromovements in your muscles to further tone and define them.

It's quite a simple device, really. And, I've found it to be one of those things that can be fun in the right hands.

The best part is that it's an exceptionally easy way to get in a bit of a workout. This means pretty much anyone can use it regardless of age or personal physique.

I Have a 12.75-per-minute Calorie Burn with the Bodyblade

I use my Fitbit Charge 4 to track a myriad of things. In this case, it's calorie burn based on my physical activity and heart rate. After tracking 14 individual workout sessions with the Bodyblade, I find that I can burn 12.75 calories per minute.

To put this into perspective, I can burn just over 9 calories per minute during a 30-minute, 3.5-mph walk during the summer.

The tests I ran varied between 20 and 23 minutes depending on the day. For the most part, I would listen to music and then stop after the last song if it was over 20 minutes.

My maximum average heart rate ranged around 163 bpm, while the overall average per workout was closer to 136 bpm.

Now, keep in mind that everyone is different. We all have a unique physiology that impacts how we burn calories. So, what is an average for me may not be the same for you.

But, out of all the things I've tried over the years, the Bodyblade is quite efficient at working up a sweat.

How Do I Maximize Calorie Burn with the Bodyblade?

Although the unit comes with a sheet depicting different poses to work on specific muscle groups, they seem a bit mundane and boring for me. In fact, I found that my method had a much higher calorie burn when using the Bodyblade.

Because I'm always interested in trying to make things more fun and effective, I added a bit more to the experience.

Getting into the Workout

First of all, I never stand in one place. I always keep my feet and body moving about when swinging the Bodyblade. I throw on some music and envision myself making a dance video with the device for YouTube.

Yes, I know...it's north of being silly. But for me, it works to keep my mind engaged and pushing through the next 20 minutes.

Then, I'll mix a variety of movements with the Bodyblade as like a choreographed dance.

Be warned, though. Doing something like this means putting far more work on your core for balance. Not to mention enough space in your room that you're not whacking children or pets with the weighted ends.

And yes, I've pegged my ceiling a few times by getting a bit overactive with the dance routine.

Perhaps one of these days, I'll actually upload Bodyblade dancing on YouTube and embed the video here. That way, you can see what I mean.

Adding Weighted Gloves or Wrist Weights

Increasing the weight applied to your arms is good for just about any upper body workout. It's how I burn and define while playing the Xbox Kinect, and it is the same effect for the Bodyblade.

In fact, you can have a higher calorie burn with the Bodyblade by simply strapping on an extra one-pound weight to each hand.

What this does is add extra resistance to your arms and shoulders while bouncing the Bodyblade. Although one pound may not sound like a lot, believe me, you'll feel it towards the end of a 20-minute workout.

There's been times when I felt "the burn" in my shoulders several days after a workout routine. But in a good way.

Since weighted gloves are relatively cheap, it's a cost-effective way to add far more to your workout routines.

Does the Bodyblade Really Work?

By itself, the Bodyblade does a good job helping you burn calories and tone up muscle groups. But, as I said earlier, I'm just not one to stand and bounce the blade in specific positions.

How I use it works me up into one hell of a sweat over the 20-minute routine. While a lot of this is attributed to keeping my body in motion, I can still feel the workout throughout most of my muscles from the waist, up.

From my experience, this is something I definitely would have purchased myself if it was available at Target. For one thing, I'm always interested in trying out new exercise devices.

I've just been burned a few times with As Seen on TV products.

Calorie Burn with the Bodyblade Was More than Expected

Out of all the personal case studies I've done on myself in terms of exercises, the Bodyblade burned more calories than most other routines. My heart rate increases to that of a jog, I can feel the effort in my core and arms, and I easily hit "cardio" and "peak" heart rate on the Fitbit.

And when I really get into the music, the calorie burn for the Bodyblade increases dramatically.