Stationary bike and cals burned

rcbeck99
rcbeck99 Posts: 56 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok anyone out there have a stationary bike or use one at a gym? I was given one by my mom that is at least 10-15 years old. It still runs well and even has a device on it that tracks time, distance, speed and calories burned. No heart rate monitor unfortunately. My question is, the bike says I burned 435 calories in 10 minutes but MFP says it's only 74. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
    My calorie burn on a stationary bike is very low compared to running. I've read your HR would be about 10 points less than running on a stationary bike, mine never was. I switched out to my regular bike on a resistance trainer, and that made a WORLD of difference. I found that MFP isn't too far off compared to my HRM. My calories on my old bike said - about 500 for an hour at 20 mph - my HR always came in about 340 for an hour.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    435 calories in 10 minutes is definitely inaccurate! I've found that 10 minutes on the bike is, for me, about 80-100 calories. I figure it's about 100 calories per 2.5 miles when I bike on a stationary bike.
  • holly3585
    holly3585 Posts: 282 Member
    It does sound like MFP is more accurate- although you never REALLY know exactly what you burn! It all depends on how much effort you put in. 10 minutes while watching tv, and chatting on the phone vs. 10 minutes with the radio on- pumping literally as hard as you can even when you feel like you can't really breathe, looking at the timer and telling yourself 'only X minutes left- I can keep going 100%' could be a difference of 100 calories in just 10 minutes!

    I have a bike at my office, and sometimes on lunch will jump on if I don't feel like running or doing the elliptical, but I am just not completely winded, and covered in sweat, so I am hard pressed to log more than 100-150 calories in 30 minutes! I suggest giving it your all and manually adjusting the log to be a bit lower than what MFP logs. I have read time and time again that 'the most common mistake is that people Over estimate calories burned and Under estimate calories consumed.
  • rcbeck99
    rcbeck99 Posts: 56 Member
    Ok thanks. I figured it was off. (Wishful thinking on my part that it wasn't) I feel like I get a good burn in cause my heart rate gets up there pretty quickly and and by the time I'm done I'm pretty sweaty. Does it make any difference that this bike works your arms as well as your legs?

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