Cycling vs walking when burning cals?

kibuuka84
kibuuka84 Posts: 1
in Fitness and Exercise
I cycle about 3 miles a day ok not a lot but it's so much quicker/fun then walking , however for 20 mins of cycling I only burn 90 cals yet the same distance by walking takes me an hour and I burn 300 cals? So does that mean walking is better at burning calories then cycling :-/ ?

Replies

  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
    no cycling.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    So in an hour of walking you burn 300 Kcals, and in an hour of cycling you'd burn 360Kcals. That should give you a pretty good indicator of which form of exercise is more effective.
  • brendywendy
    brendywendy Posts: 8 Member
    Not if you don't like walking! When it comes to calorie burning the exercise you will do counts a lot more than the exercise you might do. As a suggestion maybe you could extend your daily cycle.
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    I've lost almost all my weight by walking. If I do what I enjoy then I stick with it longer. I found my body gets used to the same exercise all the time. If you like to cycle, do that and sometimes vary it by walking.
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    The problem with cycling is its too efficient - its actually too good at utilising your energy, so you get where you're going quicker. The only way to make it better is to add more resistance i.e. use a higher gear all the time, or take another longer/more hilly route.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Calories burnt depends on pace of walking/speed of cycling......
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    The most effective exercise is the one you do. Just go and do it.
  • Grumbers
    Grumbers Posts: 111 Member
    The most effective exercise is the one you do. Just go and do it.

    YES!

    "True Dat" as the cool kids say.
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    The most effective exercise is the one you do. Just go and do it.

    True, but the OP does both, and wants to know which one is best....
  • Bigmitch41
    Bigmitch41 Posts: 73 Member
    Your burning more calories by walking
  • Laura3BB
    Laura3BB Posts: 250 Member
    You burn more calories by doing exercise longer...cycling gets you where you're going quicker thus less calories burned...
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    The most effective exercise is the one you do. Just go and do it.

    True, but the OP does both, and wants to know which one is best....

    You'll notice OP mentions "fun" ...
    Nothing prevents the OP from taking a longer, more scenic route. Or doing a mix of both.
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    If you goal is to travel 3 miles, walking is better than cycling. If your goal is to do an hour of exercise, cycling is better than walking.
  • silverzx
    silverzx Posts: 6 Member
    Cycling!

    You can get a lot more ground covered and have a greater control of pace/effort compared to walking.

    It's also a lot more fun compared to plain old walking.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Cycling is more efficient as you are not weight bearing.

    However.......
    If you are chosing between two modes of transport for exactly the same journey then walking would typically be a higher burn.

    If you are chosing between the two for calories burned in a certain time period then cycling will burn more assuming your intensity is higher.

    So you could make the same journey by a roundabout route by bicycle (same time, longer distance) and burn more. There's a lot of options!!!

    There is a limit on the intensity of normal walking as it becomes running! Ignoring race walking as we don't need more variables. :smile:

    The only limit on the intensity of cycling is your effort, your fitness level and time available.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    Cycling is more efficient - until you throw a few uphills into the journey.

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