How Many Calories Does Riding a Bike Burn?

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If you are thinking about weight loss or simply getting into shape, then coming across the advice of riding a bike to burn calories is pretty normal. But the question of how many calories does riding a bike burns may make you wonder for a while. Should you really try the activity and what type of results can you expect are common concerns to show up in your mind.

So, let’s talk a bit about this stuff today through some informative discussion.

How Many Calories Does Riding a Bike Burn?

There is not a guaranteed figure for calories that you can burn by biking or cycling. However, a few factors or things can impact the amount you burn with a ride. Now to give you some clue, maybe a guessable figure can be provided. Below I’ll try to do exactly that. Keep on Reading…

A Bit More About the Connection of Calorie Burned with Biking

If you want to find a specific number or figure for calories that you’ll burn with biking, then the thing won’t ever be accurate. But when you focus more on the factors that eventually decided your calories loss, you get to understand a better perspective of biking rather than just calorie counting.

Getting a specific calorie amount using equations or depending on GPS devices or apps are actually not going to let you know the guaranteed figure. So, let’s go through these factors that decide what we’re looking for.

First is the terrain. Freewheeling downhill burns the least amount of energy. Climbing in the opposite direction takes much more power, clearly burning more calories.

Another big factor is aerodynamics. This means the direction of the wind or simply speed. Usually, with a bigger frontal surface area, you face greater aerodynamic drag. For those who have a pretty large body, if they add an upright riding position plus some flappy attire, then definitely biking through the air will need more energy. While a whippet-thin biker will have weight concentrated more on leg wrapped in tight Lycra.

One more criterion is the rolling resistance. Now, this combinedly includes the weight, road surface, tires’ width as well as gravity.

The whole overall fall or climb is what matters the most when we are focusing on weight. At an easy pace, your body gets a bigger share of its energy from fat, while harder efforts lean more on carbohydrate. For weight loss, though, the total calories you burn matter more than which fuel your body uses.

Calorie Usage While Riding a Bike.

To understand whether or not biking is actually doing anything for you, there’s a need to understand how this activity actually uses calories. Now with biking, you need to use your muscles. Your muscles use the oxygen you breathe to break down carbohydrates and fats, and a little protein, into ATP, the molecule that powers muscle contraction. While biking you need a very high amount of ATP.

When you decide to bike intensely, your body has to turn more of its stored fat and carbs into ATP. As it needs to fulfill the sudden demand due to biking. And that’s basically how any activity including the ATP conversion intensity will help in burning carbs and fats.

Better Calorie Burn with Slow & Steady or Fast & Intense?

When you bike at a steady and moderate speed without using resistance, then it’s the aerobic metabolism system being involved. This will aid to make use of glucose efficiency by your body with better heart and lung function.

Poor glucose control is linked to metabolic syndrome and prediabetes, and regular aerobic exercise helps your body handle glucose better. With biking harder, you’ll train your muscle fiber to adapt according to demand. With faster speeds, you’ll burn more calories. As the body is using more energy.

Harvard Health has some figures regarding this. If you ride at 12 to 13.9 miles per hour and weigh about 155 pounds, you’ll burn about 288 calories in half an hour.

If you speed up to 14 to 15.9 miles per hour, the same rider burns about 360 calories in 30 minutes.

The Compendium of Physical Activities rates cycling at 12 to 13.9 mph at 8.0 METs and 14 to 15.9 mph at 10.0 METs, which is why a bit more speed raises your burn so quickly.

In Case of Indoor Biking.

The calorie count will slightly vary when you are talking about an indoor bike that is more stationary. It isn’t as dynamic as biking outdoors. However, this can still help. People often opt for spin classes on a suitable schedule.

At a moderate effort on a stationary bike, a 125-pound person burns around 210 calories every half hour. In the case of a person with a 155-pound weight, this calorie burn figure would be about 252.

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Ending Notes

So, after talking for a while about how many calories does riding a bike burn, we also chatted on the factors involved in biking that are actually more important to know regarding. Technically, if you’re trying to find out about such a thing, it’s basically because you’re willing to lose weight and cycling seems appropriate for your lifestyle to adapt with.

Now if that’s the case, then you can surely think about including this very versatile and easy to engage in activity in your life. Start with biking for 15 minutes, maybe take the bike for grocery shopping or you can literally try using it whenever there’s a need for commuting nearby.

With high-intensity biking, you’ll slowly but surely see some change in your fitness. And even if you decide to keep the intensity low, there are many benefits still included. So, Cheers Up to The Whole Biking Idea, Do Try It!

Sources

• Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights, Harvard Health Publishing
• Bicycling, Compendium of Physical Activities