Effort level for stationary bike.

trackinglou
trackinglou Posts: 6
in Fitness and Exercise
I need some help determining what effort level I should use to log my exercise.

I know that everyone's answer is going to be get a heart rate monitor. I currently do not have one, nor do I have the means to buy one, yes, even a little cheap one.

These are my stats:
24 year old female
5'6", 147 lbs

I use a recumbent stationary bike for an hour a day. The bike doesn't have a HRM, nor does it allow me to input my weight before starting. It does show me my RPM, and I am consistently over 70 RPM, usually maintaining about 75+ RPM. I usually go 16-17+ miles in the hour and use resistance level 8 out of 16. I've usually got a pretty good sweat on and tend to be a little out of breath by the end for a few minutes.

I've been logging as light effort because I'd rather underestimate than overestimate.
But can anyone give me a more informed opinion?

I'd appreciate it.

Replies

  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    17mph isnt light effort unless you're a somewhat experienced cyclist. Sounds more like a Z2 ride considering how you described it.

    i put down 17 on an upright Precor today ;)

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