Stationary Bike v/s Elliptical

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maryd4love
maryd4love Posts: 164 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am trying to figure out what I should workout on. I thought about getting my heart rate up on the elliptical and then going to the bike. I can do the bike longer than I can the elliptical. Any ideas? Would I burn more calories staying 30 on the elliptical or going 15 on elliptical and then 30 on bike? Which is better?

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  • Mazyjo1
    Mazyjo1 Posts: 4 Member
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    My guess would be the elliptical burns more calories since it's weight bearing. You have to support yourself and your abs by standing up. Just a guess.
  • weofui
    weofui Posts: 9
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    The amount of calories you'll burn will depend on how much effort you're expending with each exercise. For example, if you were putting forth light effort on the elliptical for 15 minutes to warm up and then cycling at a moderate pace for 30 minutes you could expect to burn around 454 calories. Working out on the elliptical alone for 30 minutes at a moderate pace would burn around 318 calories.

    Here are some estimates to get you started, all calorie counts are based on an individual weighing 200 lbs.


    Stationary Bike, 15 minutes:

    Light Effort - 125 calories
    Moderate Effort - 159 calories
    Vigorous Effort - 236 calories

    Elliptical Trainer, 15 minutes:

    Light Effort - 136 calories
    Moderate Effort - 159 calories
    Vigorous Effort - 182 calories


    Have fun!
  • Dnsnyder
    Dnsnyder Posts: 263 Member
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    I always burn more calories on the elliptical than I do on the stationary bike in the same amount of time. I would recommend the elliptical, but just remember that eveyone is different. Also, if you want to get a really accurate idea of what you're burning, buy a heart rate monitor with a chest strap and that measures calories burned. Then, perform 15 minutes of activity on each piece of equipment, see where your calorie burn is at and make a decision based on that. You have to do what's best for yourself, but you also have to remember that when you push yourself, you will reach successes more quickly and those NSV's will start to pile up! =)
  • maryd4love
    maryd4love Posts: 164 Member
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    Stationary Bike, 15 minutes:

    Light Effort - 125 calories
    Moderate Effort - 159 calories
    Vigorous Effort - 236 calories
    ]quote]

    What is considered "vigorous"?
  • weofui
    weofui Posts: 9
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    There's a great article on the Mayo Clinic site on how to gauge exercise intensity:

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise-intensity/SM00113

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