Stationary Bicycling

guido2222

Ok so I go to the gym and do the bicycling for 32 mins 7.97 miles and it only burns 148 calories...
Is it really beneficial to me to do the bike then?

crux

Yes it is very beneficial. Could you do more beneficial thing in that time? Well, probably, but... that depends on your fitness level as to weather you can run, jump rope, swim without stopping, etc, etc.

Nothing wrong with the bike, it is low impact and at higher intensities can give you a very hard work out.

I guess the other low impact machine to consider is the elliptical, you would possible get more calories for your time out of that it all depends on how much you push yourself.

LittleSpy

Biking is a great low impact exercise. You may want to ramp up your intensity -- go faster & increase the resistance.

I'm probably bigger than you (and, therefore, will burn more) but, according to my HRM, I burned 358 in 30 minutes/8.2 miles this morning. MFP agreed, estimating I would burn 330 calories in 30 minutes of moderate intensity stationary biking.

I personally love biking as crosstraining with running and tennis because it gives my joints a break from all the high impact of the other 2.

Oh, also, I have the kind of bike that works your arms, too. If you're just using a regular stationary bike, you can always add in punches to increase your heartrate & get in an arm workout at the same time. Though, you may look a little silly doing it. :laugh:

00trayn

My backup to the elliptical if it's occupied is the stationary bike at my work gym. It does burn a lot less calories (about 100 for 15 minutes instead of the elliptical at 180 for 15 minutes) but I definitely feel the burn in my legs a lot more after I use it. It's good to switch it up, burning more calories doesn't have to be the only reason to choose one over the other. The bike is a great leg workout (mainly calves and thighs according to my sister).

badbradclark

Because cycling is not weight bearing, the per-hour calorie count will be lower, but you can stay in the fat burning zone longer, which means that your body is burning stored fat as fuel.

One of the downfalls of calorie counting is...calorie counting. Rather than focusing on the exercise, you stare at the calorie counter as it counts up, trying to knock off as many calories as you can. So you might be disappointed in burning only 148 calories over a 32 minute period, but what you've done is worked your body for 32 minutes. If you do a 1000 calorie exercise every day, 7 days a week, your body will crash and burn, unless you are an elite level athlete. You must have rest days where your intesity is low, to allow your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and your mind, to recover.

The other question is, how are you measuring your calories? Are using the machine? Or a heart-rate monitor. If you are really concerned about how many calories you are burning, get a heart-rate monitor, and keep your eye on it. Find your fat burning zone and keep your heartrate in that zone. That will also allow you to ensure that you are working your body at the right intensity.