Does biking burn fat faster?

xshortiex

Right now I have a treadmill that I do power walking on (because I hate running, I burn out faster).
I'm leaving for college soon, where there's a gym I get to use for free. Would I burn more fat using the bikes than the treadmill or elliptical?

EDIT, based on feedback: I do believe I would push myself more on a bike than on the treadmill. Based on feedback, I'm thinking the most effective thing for me would be to do an elliptical warm-up followed by bike? Does that sound good?

Oh I guess I should add some background info: I'm not looking to lose a TON of weight.. I'm at a healthy weight, so at-most I could lose between 5-7 lbs. Otherwise I'm just looking to be/stay fit.

omma_to_3

I burn more calories on the bike than walking. But, if you're walking on a steep incline, that could be more. Basically, whatever gets your heart rate higher should be better.

dad106

You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better.

xshortiex

You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better.

But this is cardio, so wouldn't it help burn fat?

meerkat70

.... but exercise can contribute to the production of the calorie deficit.

I burn most from running, then bike, then walking.

Hope that helps.

BrianSharpe

If you're looking purely at calorie burn running will typically burn more given the same length of time.

The real question is which do you enjoy more. Doing exercise x rather than exercise y just for the calorie burn is a bad idea as you're less likely to stick with it. Exercise is not meant to be a chore, doing laundry is - think of exercise as play time.

dad106

You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better.

But this is cardio, so wouldn't it help burn fat?

Not if you are over estimating calories burned, no it wouldn't help burn fat.

Plus weight lifting does more for fat burn then cardio does.

I "burn" fat by lifting, running and eating at a deficit.

alisonlk

Depends on the speed + intensity of the bikes. My "exercise of choice" is indoor cycling via cycling group fitness classes where I burn a ton of calories in a relatively short period of time (45-60 minutes). However, if you're talking about sitting on a recumbent bike and leisurely pedaling, I'd stick to the treadmill

DopeItUp

None of them. All exercise burns calories. How many calories depends on the intensity. So pick one that you like versus which one you think is better. They're all the same, what matters is the effort you put in. Personally I like the elliptical because it's low impact and it's a good warmup to real exercise because you use upper and lower body.

gavini

The real question is which do you enjoy more. Doing exercise x rather than exercise y just for the calorie burn is a bad idea as you're less likely to stick with it. Exercise is not meant to be a chore, doing laundry is - think of exercise as play time.

this...

find something you like that makes your sweat and build up to do more and more of it and you wont have to worry about how many calories are involved and can concentrate on the eating side of the equation

bacitracin

the only good thing about stationary bikes is you can read textbooks while on them.

ninerbuff

You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better.

THIS 100X

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

AmyB69

I burn way more biking, and with weights.

chivalryder

That's a toughie. For the same level of exertion, running will burn more calories than cycling, but it's easier to push yourself on a bike. A mix would be the best choice.

Out of the three, an elliptical will burn the most calories by far. I'll repeat my last statement: A mix is the best choice.

Sinisi2012

I used to go back and forth between bike and treadmill, bike always burned more for me, but lately I have added an incline on the treadmill and that just upped the burn on the treadmill higher than the bike and I enjoy it more so that is what I do along with my weight\strength training.

contingencyplan

Get a jump rope. Better than either one and portable

cyclingben

For anyone who says no...take a look at my ticker. of course the first 6 months of riding i only lost 50 lbs and i wasn't dieting. Biking is a low intensity sport that is easy on your body. Its a great way to keep you HR up as long as you are pushing yourself just like any exercise. I burn on avg 1000-1200 cals an hr

ModoVincere

I burn calories faster when running. But I can burn a lot more calories biking simply because I can do that for so much longer.
I've done an 85 mile ride in the past. I estimate that to be about 2,500 kCals.....my longest run is about 3 miles, or about 300 kCals. Huge difference, but then again we're talking 5 hours verses 30 minutes. Extrapolate that calorie burn out for the same amount of time and it's over 3,000 kCals, but I can't run that long.

MsNewBooty83

cycling has gotten in in the best shape of my life, its awseom cardio and if u can go and really give 'er sh** then youre gonna hit some HIGH burns. theres lots of vids on youtube that u can follow along with, u gotta PUSHHHHHHH urself hard! ur gonna be a sweaty mess and ur gonna love it! i swear, give it 5 weeks, do at least 3hrs/wk...you'll see what im talking about

bpotts44

You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better.

But this is cardio, so wouldn't it help burn fat?

Not if you are over estimating calories burned, no it wouldn't help burn fat.

Plus weight lifting does more for fat burn then cardio does.

I "burn" fat by lifting, running and eating at a deficit.

I think this is poor advice. You lose fat by burning more than you consume. The cardio is going to increase your calorie burn and increase your deficit. Weight lifting increases muscle mass which will increase BMR , but the amount of muscle you are going to build is minimal to zero especially when you are in caloric deficit. Further, it would take years of weight lifting to generate an amount of muscle mass that would make a real difference in your BMR.

The advice about picking what you enjoy is really the best and as you get better increase your duration and intensity.

xshortiex

Thanks so much for the feedback, guys!
I edited the original post and added some info - I really want to know what the best option for me would be.

StevLL

:laugh: The only thing that really makes me burn more calories when I'm biking is being chased by something. :bigsmile: I don't run, so I don't know how it compares, but if I was walking and something chased me I think I'd be lunch.

sorry been in the sun too long today!

dad106

You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better.

But this is cardio, so wouldn't it help burn fat?

Not if you are over estimating calories burned, no it wouldn't help burn fat.

Plus weight lifting does more for fat burn then cardio does.

I "burn" fat by lifting, running and eating at a deficit.

I think this is poor advice. You lose fat by burning more than you consume. The cardio is going to increase your calorie burn and increase your deficit. Weight lifting increases muscle mass which will increase BMR , but the amount of muscle you are going to build is minimal to zero especially when you are in caloric deficit. Further, it would take years of weight lifting to generate an amount of muscle mass that would make a real difference in your BMR.

While it is true you can't build muscle in a calorie deficit, you can retain muscle.. and the more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism.. The less you have, the lower it is.

Since OP edited her original post and stated she does not need to lose much but just wants to stay trim/fit, my advice makes perfect sense.

tigersword

You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better.

But this is cardio, so wouldn't it help burn fat?

Not really, cardio mostly burns glucose, fat burning is too slow to keep up with need. Most fat burning occurs during sleep.

And also, the human body reaches for homeostasis, burn more fat in a specific time period, and you burn less fat at other times in order to compensate. A consistent calorie deficit burns the same amount of fat, regardless of exercise levels.

move257

I hope so, I do it a lot!! It's a great workout and much more enjoyable (to me at least) then running or anything like p90x. I mean p90x or Insanity, great workouts but I don't want to be stuck indoors all the time!! When you bike you get to take in the scenery and such. As long as you're eating clean and you're getting out there and moving, you're already doing great

bpotts44

You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better.

But this is cardio, so wouldn't it help burn fat?

Not if you are over estimating calories burned, no it wouldn't help burn fat.

Plus weight lifting does more for fat burn then cardio does.

I "burn" fat by lifting, running and eating at a deficit.

I think this is poor advice. You lose fat by burning more than you consume. The cardio is going to increase your calorie burn and increase your deficit. Weight lifting increases muscle mass which will increase BMR , but the amount of muscle you are going to build is minimal to zero especially when you are in caloric deficit. Further, it would take years of weight lifting to generate an amount of muscle mass that would make a real difference in your BMR.

While it is true you can't build muscle in a calorie deficit, you can retain muscle.. and the more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism.. The less you have, the lower it is.

Since OP edited her original post and stated she does not need to lose much but just wants to stay trim/fit, my advice makes perfect sense.

She wants to lose 5-7 lbs and your advice is biking wouldn't help because she might overestimate the calories. Frankly, your advice sucks. The truth is lifting weights and doing cardio are both beneficial and she would need to be in caloric deficit to lose the weight.

BSchoberg

If you're looking purely at calorie burn running will typically burn more given the same length of time.

The real question is which do you enjoy more. Doing exercise x rather than exercise y just for the calorie burn is a bad idea as you're less likely to stick with it. Exercise is not meant to be a chore, doing laundry is - think of exercise as play time.

^^^ THIS - or, if not play time, think of it as your YOU time and a special thing you do just for you.

fatboypup

i like bicycling

darrensurrey

If you're looking purely at calorie burn running will typically burn more given the same length of time.

The real question is which do you enjoy more. Doing exercise x rather than exercise y just for the calorie burn is a bad idea as you're less likely to stick with it. Exercise is not meant to be a chore, doing laundry is - think of exercise as play time.

Agreed. I was about to type exactly the same thing!

dad106

You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better.

But this is cardio, so wouldn't it help burn fat?

Not if you are over estimating calories burned, no it wouldn't help burn fat.

Plus weight lifting does more for fat burn then cardio does.

I "burn" fat by lifting, running and eating at a deficit.

I think this is poor advice. You lose fat by burning more than you consume. The cardio is going to increase your calorie burn and increase your deficit. Weight lifting increases muscle mass which will increase BMR , but the amount of muscle you are going to build is minimal to zero especially when you are in caloric deficit. Further, it would take years of weight lifting to generate an amount of muscle mass that would make a real difference in your BMR.

While it is true you can't build muscle in a calorie deficit, you can retain muscle.. and the more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism.. The less you have, the lower it is.

Since OP edited her original post and stated she does not need to lose much but just wants to stay trim/fit, my advice makes perfect sense.

She wants to lose 5-7 lbs and your advice is biking wouldn't help because she might overestimate the calories. Frankly, your advice sucks. The truth is lifting weights and doing cardio are both beneficial and she would need to be in caloric deficit to lose the weight.

Which she wouldn't be if she was overestimating calories.. Which tends to happen a lot on this site.

Losing only 5-7 pounds is pretty hard... and you have to be pretty much spot on with a calorie deficit for that to happen.

I never said biking wouldn't help.. she can bike to China for all I care. I just said that a calorie deficit burns fat (which you agreed is true since fat is weight) and exercise helps the body look better.

I suggest you learn to read before you go telling people that their advice sucks.

xshortiex

Wow, okay, I never meant to start an argument or anything.

I know that in order to burn fat and lose weight, I need to be in calorie deficit. So I guess, for clarification for dad106, what I was asking was this: will biking be more beneficial to increasing my calorie deficit than power-walking on the treadmill (which is what I'm currently doing)?