How do you calculate your calories when Spinning?

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  • brittvas55
    brittvas55 Posts: 15 Member
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    Imagine if you hooked a light bulb up to the bike. At a given resistance and speed, the bulb will glow at a certain brightness. That's the amount of energy the rider is putting into the system.

    Will the bulb glow brighter if Lance gets on the bike and spins at the same speed? Certainly his heart rate will be significantly lower than if I was spinning.

    The energy the bike would putting into the light bulb doesn't equal the energy I'm outputting into the bike because I'm also losing energy through heat. That's physics.
  • DaffyGirl88
    DaffyGirl88 Posts: 4,604 Member
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    I have polar P4 HRM. I weigh 165 lbs, am 52 YO, and typically register ~ 300 for a 45 minute class. Maybe a bit more for an interval class or a bit less for a strength class.
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
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    300 is a lot of calories to be burning in one hour! I use the MFP estimate which gives me 257 for a 45-minute class, so your bike isn't too far off assuming you're somewhat close to my size.

    I don't agree with you on that one. I ca run on the treadmill for an hour and burn almost 700 calories doing that per my HRM.

    Well according the almost everyone on the forums the MFP database overestimates calories burned... so I suppose I'm really only burning around 150!
  • runningathena
    runningathena Posts: 218 Member
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    heart rate monitor. I use the Polar FT4.

    THIS! Heart rate monitors are the best way to measure calorie burn. The database is usually off for just about everything I put in, so I manually enter the data from my HRM. It's a worthwhile investment - this is a lifestyle change, after all!
  • ndearing0501
    ndearing0501 Posts: 145 Member
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    Agreed with the hrm. It's the best and most accurate way to estimate calories burned. Bikes and other machines don't take into effect your different size and shape. If you don't already have one, deff make the investment. It's worth it! I have the polar ft7! Love it!
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
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    Definitely invest in a HRM...I have the Polar FT4 as well. LOVE it!!
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    300 is a lot of calories to be burning in one hour! I use the MFP estimate which gives me 257 for a 45-minute class, so your bike isn't too far off assuming you're somewhat close to my size.

    I don't agree with you on that one. I ca run on the treadmill for an hour and burn almost 700 calories doing that per my HRM.
    MFP does overestimate in a lot of cases, but anyone who has taken a GOOD spin class, knows it burns a lot. I've compared my HRM to those with other people in the class as well, and they all burn high in spinning....

    I can generally get 10 calories per minute out of intense workouts like spin class or the crosstrainer/elliptical. I've compared my HRM to the machine estimates at my gym (when I put in my weight & age and regularly use the HR reader). I never use the MFP estimates, except for strenght training (which only gives me a small number anyway).
  • brittvas55
    brittvas55 Posts: 15 Member
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    300 is a lot of calories to be burning in one hour! I use the MFP estimate which gives me 257 for a 45-minute class, so your bike isn't too far off assuming you're somewhat close to my size.

    I don't agree with you on that one. I ca run on the treadmill for an hour and burn almost 700 calories doing that per my HRM.

    Well according the almost everyone on the forums the MFP database overestimates calories burned... so I suppose I'm really only burning around 150!

    150 in an hour isn't very much. You can easily burn 100 in ten minutes for aerobic exercises.
  • brittvas55
    brittvas55 Posts: 15 Member
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    Well anyways, I guess I'll invest in a HRM. Thanks everyone.
  • Whipppets
    Whipppets Posts: 267
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    women burn 200-500 depending on your skill level.. Men burn between 6- and 900....
    It really depends on the teacher and how warm it is in the room.
    The numbers above are unscientific, I jus ask spinners after the class and they tell me.
    Yesterday 3 of us guys compared and were all in the 700s. The women in the 400s.
  • winfieldv
    winfieldv Posts: 5
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    I use a polar watch when I go spinning in a class which is 60 min Long I can burn anywhere between 450-550 calories usually . I'm 5ft 5 and 131lb
  • MuslimFitnessInstructor
    MuslimFitnessInstructor Posts: 119
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    during my cycle class that I teach, I burn 700-900 calories. I have a polar FT4.
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
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    300 is a lot of calories to be burning in one hour! I use the MFP estimate which gives me 257 for a 45-minute class, so your bike isn't too far off assuming you're somewhat close to my size.

    I don't agree with you on that one. I ca run on the treadmill for an hour and burn almost 700 calories doing that per my HRM.

    Well according the almost everyone on the forums the MFP database overestimates calories burned... so I suppose I'm really only burning around 150!

    150 in an hour isn't very much. You can easily burn 100 in ten minutes for aerobic exercises.

    If that's the case I've been severely underestimating my calorie burns this whole time. But I find that really hard to believe. I guess the only way to know for sure is to get a HRM.
  • thinagain2014
    thinagain2014 Posts: 51 Member
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    Your calories burned will not always be the same, it's better to use HRM while spinning. I am 275 5'4" and I burn anywhere from 500-800 calories in a 45min to 1hr long spinning class. I spin daily and it's never the same depending on my effort as well.

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