RECUMBENT STATIONARY BIKE

katnippers

How do you track your calories burned for a recumbent stationary bike? Also do you go by what the bike says or do you use a calculator so you can add the weight and age? Just wondering.

MostlyWater

The count on equipment is notoriously bad.

PurpleLavender77

I wear a Polar Heart Rate monitor when I am doing the recumbent stationery bike. I use that number for calories burned and log it using the "Stationery bike" option in MFP, but i use the calories burned from my heart rate monitor as that's more accurate than what MFP estimates or the machine says.

NorthCascades

katnippers wrote: »

How do you track your calories burned for a recumbent stationary bike? Also do you go by what the bike says or do you use a calculator so you can add the weight and age? Just wondering.

If the bike has a power meter, use the kJ it gives you. Otherwise, roll dice.

Quasita

Depends on if I have a tracker or not. If I have a tracker that has a strap, I put that on my calf to allow it to track activity minutes. I did this to create my own exercise activity entry on MFP that calculates calories per minute based on my own body.

My current recumbent bike, I tend to use the numbers it gives me because MFP's estimation is about 2-3x as much. I don't do the same kind of caloric balancing that I used to though. If I was, I'd still be using a calorimeter that used real time biometrics for all of it.

NorthCascades

If you're wearing a tracker on your leg riding a bike, you're counting steps you aren't taking. Cycling is not a weight bearing activity like walking is. Not advised is your goal is to lose weight.

erickirb

Use the Lower of the bike's readout and MFP's estimate

ryenday

MFP gave me a crazy high burn number, my bike estimated lower than MFP, but way higher than realistic. Apple Watch gave me a calorie burn 2x the calorie burn it gives me for a dripping with sweat all out exhausting actual bike ride outside.

I gave up. If I actually burn some calories on the recumbent bike I have no way to know how many so I ignore them for purposes of CICO.

That is just me - in not recommending anything.

sijomial

Depends on which brand / model of bike. There isn't a universal answer.
If it gives you a display of power (watts typically) then it could be pretty reasonable.

Heart rate monitor could also be reasonable if you are of average fitness and also have an approximately average exercise heartrate. Unless you are doing intervals then it's going to be exaggerated.

Your weight and age aren't going to help with calories burned. Age is irrelevant and a recumbent bike isn't a weight bearing exercise.

MyFitnessPal estimate is a waste of time - it knows nothing about your fitness levels or effort, at least the bike knows something of your effort even if not empirically accurate. Unless the calories given are obviously out of line with your capabilities I would tend to go with the bike's estimate.