Calorie Battle: Treadmill vs Rower Who will come out on top? RETURN TO FITNESS ARTICLES GO BACK If you are looking for a mild work out with the max amount of calories burned, a rower beats out a treadmill. Once you start increasing your incline on a treadmill, the rower starts to lose ground. But it can still compete at a moderate level. When it comes to a heavy work out, a treadmill is going to give you the most calorie burn. While a rower can accrue a good amount of calories, it’s hard to keep up a vigorous pace for a continuous 60 minutes.