For those of you who ride a stationary bike...I need help.

ahanshew7
ahanshew7 Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have 2 quick questions...

1. What do you do to keep your butt from hurting so bad. I ride my bike for a min of 30 minutes a day and I have been at about 45 lately but I could easily do an hour if my butt wasn't so sore after about 30 min.

2. Am I really wearing off as many calories as mfp says I am? When I ride for 45 minutes mfp says I'm losing about 700 calories. If that is true then that is great but I just can't convince myself that it's true. It just seems like too much.

Thank you guys so much for your help!

Replies

  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    Some soreness is to be expected, but they do sell bike seat cushions. As for calories, yes - that does sound high. I remember being disappointed in the calorie burn reported the last time I was on a stationary bike.
  • ahanshew7
    ahanshew7 Posts: 26 Member
    My bike has a calorie counter in it but it has a short in the wire and it cuts in and out and when I get done it usually says something like 45 calories burned. I'm hoping I'm burning more then 1 calorie a minute. lol but 700 just seems too high.
  • BeckZombie
    BeckZombie Posts: 138 Member
    I stand up for a bit when my butt gets too sore. I think MFP estimates high for stationary bikes, so I usually put that I rode at a lower intensity level than I actually may have, or I don't eat back all the calories.
  • JPG1313
    JPG1313 Posts: 59
    I got myself a wider seat at first.
    Get a HRM to get accurate calories burned.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    At least according to my Bodyfit Media, a 45 min moderate intensity ride is about 400 calories. I usually ride between 17-19 mph.
  • Riemersma4
    Riemersma4 Posts: 400 Member
    Keep moving around on the seat. Over time your butt will get used to it. No probs.

    On the calorie burn, two comments:
    * get an HRM. It will become your best friend and really takes the guess work out of this. They are pretty consistently within 10%, which is about all you can ask for. I have a Timex Ironman HRM. love it. Do NOT get one that is just a watch. Get the chest strap. Much more effective.
    * you COULD be burning 700 cal in 45 minutes but you would have to be hitting it pretty hard. I am an ex-cycling racer, in pretty good shape and hit the stationary hard... pools of sweat, etc... I get about 15 cals per minute which is about what you are reporting. How hard are you working? How much do you weigh? That also has an impact.

    Personally, i never trust the calorie count on a machine. I trust my HRM.

    Good luck!
  • joy31021
    joy31021 Posts: 216
    I use a recumbent bike with a wide seat that is comfortable. The calories it says I burn are crazy high.Never eat them back -just figure I am better off moving any than being still
  • StephNaturallyFit
    StephNaturallyFit Posts: 2
    Are you new to stationary bikes ? If so the sore butt will go away in about 4 more bike rides you can also purchase a padded bike seat from target or Walmart and out it on the bike. iWork's ugliest getting a heart rate monitor to get a more accurate monitoring of your calorie burn :)
    Good job girlfriend - keep it up !
  • ahanshew7
    ahanshew7 Posts: 26 Member
    Keep moving around on the seat. Over time your butt will get used to it. No probs.

    On the calorie burn, two comments:
    * get an HRM. It will become your best friend and really takes the guess work out of this. They are pretty consistently within 10%, which is about all you can ask for. I have a Timex Ironman HRM. love it. Do NOT get one that is just a watch. Get the chest strap. Much more effective.
    * you COULD be burning 700 cal in 45 minutes but you would have to be hitting it pretty hard. I am an ex-cycling racer, in pretty good shape and hit the stationary hard... pools of sweat, etc... I get about 15 cals per minute which is about what you are reporting. How hard are you working? How much do you weigh? That also has an impact.

    Personally, i never trust the calorie count on a machine. I trust my HRM.

    Good luck!

    I will have to get one I think. Thank you for your input and I guess I should have added my info. Sorry. I'm currently at 294 and I am riding inbetween 15-18 mph according to my bike anyway. I never ever let it get down under 15.
  • Evachiquita
    Evachiquita Posts: 223 Member
    Take it from a biker (in the real world) that the seats on stationary bikes SUCK!! For me it's because they are too wide and, believe it or not, too soft. All that softness pushing on the soft tissue of the behind really hurts! I don't really have useful advice other than stand, sit, stand, sit, move. Get a real bike with a good seat and see some scenery while you work out!
  • Tatiyanya
    Tatiyanya Posts: 255 Member
    I used to put a towel under my butt. Helps with the sweat too :embarassed:
    Now it doesnt hurt at all actualy, which I guess is cos after year and 100 lbs I got more bumm muscles and put less pressure on the seat. So towel and pedaling with yer butt up for a bit should help. higher impact on leg muscles but the butt will rest :3

    Usually, with the inbuild HRM (not sure how dependable it is tho) 45 min is about 250-300 kcal for me. I don't go crazy fast, just wobble ahead while watching movie or something
  • jsidel126
    jsidel126 Posts: 694 Member
    I do spin classes at the local gym. Typically I burn 7-9 cal/min based on the readout on the bike computer. This changes due to the amount of resistance you use during the workout.

    My running exercise where I measure the distance traveled and time taken to get MPH which MFP database uses to compute calories burned typically has me burning about 7 cal/min.

    You can buy Gel seats and biking shorts that have extra padding.
  • bethb03
    bethb03 Posts: 96
    I've got a bodymedia core band that I recently started using, it actually adjusted my calorie burn up by a couple of calories from what myfitnesspal said I burned so mfp proved pretty accurate. You've got to remember that your current weight makes a difference and of course how hard you are working out. Mine was at a "moderate" effort. Example: 35 minutes at moderate effort burned 581 calories for me, I'm pretty heavy right now so my body does burn more, I'm sure that will adjust down as I take off weight.

    Good luck and hang in there!! :smile:
  • sandobr1
    sandobr1 Posts: 319 Member
    I started a spinning class a few weeks ago and I am sure MFPals are about tired of hearing about my sore backside. I bought a gel seat which helps some, I plan to get the padded shorts too and use both. I do use a HRM and burn about 500 calories for the 55-65 minutes I am moving, which is the main reason I push through it. While the soreness after has become "less" the pain during, well I have not come close to being used to that, my instructor said that would take a while, I could tell he meant a long while. A HRM is a great investment, and so is a gel seat, if I thought I could get two to stay on I would consider that too. :smile:
  • kemit1976
    kemit1976 Posts: 46 Member
    I have been riding a stationary bike for the last 19 months and more so over the 4 months as i did my shoulder in but didn't want to lose my fitness.. so i sat and biked.. i can now sit and clock out the bike and not think of it.. So your body will get conditioned to it just give it time. It does get better just keep going with it.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I will have to get one I think. Thank you for your input and I guess I should have added my info. Sorry. I'm currently at 294 and I am riding inbetween 15-18 mph according to my bike anyway. I never ever let it get down under 15.

    If you can pedal for that long at that speed you need to up the resistance. I'm a cyclist and riding at 15 to 18 mph is really booking it!
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    For what it's worth, the calculator at healthstatus.com says that 45 minutes at that speed, given your weight, matches the 700 calorie output MFP indicates.

    You might try looking at several online calculators like that one and averaging the result until you purchase your HRM.
  • jehavin
    jehavin Posts: 316 Member
    I would also consider trying a workout on a different bike just to make sure you are hitting the speed that you think you are OR get a reliable HRM to help you calculate. I am a pretty well-rounded cyclist (stationary,, leisure road and spin classes) and I usually do a 12-14mph with 14-16 mph spurts and burn around 500-600 cal per hour. *Caveat: on a SPIN bike, you will reach numbers like 20mph but that is with little resistance. Not the same as a "road" bike or a stationary bike on level 3-5, which is the equivalent to a road bike.* No offense, but I don't think you're hitting those numbers yet and to be misled to think you are is going to lead you to overeat those cals back and then get frustrated at lack of weight loss.

    Yes, buy some padded shorts---canari is a nice affordable brand and if you buy the "liners" you can put them underneath your workout shorts. Then you are prepared if you do end up doing road cycling, in which case, longer rides will *almost always* make your butt sore no matter what.

    Glad you find something you enjoy! Once your butt gets the memo, it is an exercise you can enjoy year round and stick with for the rest of your life!
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
    Take it from a biker (in the real world) that the seats on stationary bikes SUCK!! For me it's because they are too wide and, believe it or not, too soft. All that softness pushing on the soft tissue of the behind really hurts! I don't really have useful advice other than stand, sit, stand, sit, move. Get a real bike with a good seat and see some scenery while you work out!

    I have a spin bike with a real bike seat, and it sucks. Hurts my butt.
  • WDEvy
    WDEvy Posts: 814 Member
    That's why I have a recumbant bike. As far as the calories I burn about 100 per 20 min. It's really not a big burn but it's a good little workout for my rest days.
  • poohpoohpeapod
    poohpoohpeapod Posts: 776 Member
    MFP was telling me I was burning 700 calories elliptical, I bought a heart monitor , more like 400. I think the MFP estimates are high. What is the resistance? How hard are you working?
  • Willowana
    Willowana Posts: 493 Member
    Recumbent bikes are a big girl's best friend. This is TMI, but on a regular stationary (or REAL bike), the seat makes my hoo-ha fall asleep. Unfortunately, the recumbent bike makes my rear fall asleep, but it's still much more supportive and comfortable.

    With that being said, OP....you need to consider your weight when calculating calories. Stationary bikes calculate a perfectly fit physique. The more you weigh, the more calories you are going to burn. A 45 min moderate workout was burning me 652 cals. I dropped 1.2 lbs. tonight and now that same workout burns me 649 cals. The more you lose, the harder you will have to work to burn the same amount of calories.

    Everyone here can tell you what THEY are burning during a similar workout, but you are unique...just like everyone else! :)

    So yes, you should feel proud that you are working so hard and burning up that fat! But, if you start to plateau, you might want to consider eating some of those "workout" calories. Unless you've not been journaling your daily food intake or chowing down on the wrong things, a plateau almost always mean you aren't eating enough calories. Be sure not to send your metabolism into the toliet by overworking/under eating. It's the biggest mistake we big girls like to make.

    As far as the butt numbness, I imagine it'll go away the thinner we get. I'm also going to try a memory foam cushion to see if that helps.
  • rachelabdy
    rachelabdy Posts: 52 Member
    I love my stationary bike but 700 seem way too high. To be honest - there are so many variables with it - like others have said: your weight, time, resistance, speed you pedal - so I always underestimate rather than overestimate.

    I average 18-21 km per hour and for 30 min I expect to burn 300-350.

    I do the same as others have suggested - put in to MFP that I did a "Light Effort" workout since what I did was between Light and Moderate (I think Moderate is over 20 km/pr and Light 17-20km /phr). Or if I pedalled for 40 min I might say I did 35 min to be sure I don't over estimate.

    I had a terrible sore butt for ages :) but within 3 weeks it was much better - progress I guess!

    FYI - I have the resistance set on 5.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,284 Member
    I have a "Total Pillow"....looks like a donut. I have plastic over it because it has a fiber cover and I lay a towel over that. Really made a difference.

    But if you went to a medical store and bought one of those inflatable donuts, that should do the trick.

    My bike has a calorie counter on it and its pretty accurate.

    ETA: I should add that I have a recumbent stationary bike with a regular seat and back. If you have a bike with a regular bicycle style seat, my suggestion wouldn't help.
  • lotusspark
    lotusspark Posts: 367
    The past 2 days I've done some major spinning..you could say my butt has been through hell. lol
    I use a large pillow to sit during the arguous time, sometimes 75m inutes straight..it helps
    to have someone help you rub the circulation back when done..lol Serious, I call it bikers-butt.
    Invest in the thickest pillow you can..you won't be sorry. =)
  • ct52577
    ct52577 Posts: 15 Member
    Everyone gave great advice. One thing you should check.is.if your bike.us calculating in miles or kilometers. I thought my bike was miles.until.my husband told,me it's kilometers not miles.
  • SlvrBluGoddess
    SlvrBluGoddess Posts: 239 Member
    I have a recumbent bike and even after using it for months my butt ends up not so much sore but numb after about 20-30 minutes. I might look into some of the tips others have mentioned here.

    As far as the burned calories, I do think MFP estimates a bit on the high side. But I tend not to eat back all the exercise calories. So it all works out. One thing that I've done is check other online calorie counters to see what the average comes out to and then I will edit my entry. It's a bit of work sometimes... but it gives me a better view of what the actual calories might be.
  • bellesouth18
    bellesouth18 Posts: 1,071 Member
    I ride an old Schwinn Airdyne. It has a wider seat and hasn't given me any problems. Maybe your seat height is wrong. Adjust it and give it a try.
  • nikitittle
    nikitittle Posts: 9
    I ride a stationary bike as well for about the same amount of time and yes, it hurts my rear ends as well. I have resorted to using a pillow to sit on while on the bike, it helps a bit more. Though I would look and see if the seat comes off, you could always go to walmart and buy a more comfortable seat if it does.

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