Stationary Desk Cycle calorie burn??

kathimrussell
kathimrussell Posts: 4 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a desk job and recently bought an exercise cycle to go under my desk. I literally "cycle" for usually 6-7 hours every day. I use the online calculator that is supplied by the manufacturer (mine is a DeskCycle). The calculator factors in gender, height, weight, time and distance. Yesterday my calorie burn was "supposedly" 619 calories. My question is this - my heart rate never increases, so am I really doing myself any good by using this? I figure it is better than just sitting on my butt and not moving anything, but how can I get an idea of the benefit of using this? I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone. I know I've improved the tone in my legs, and have lost 5 pounds in three weeks without making any other changes. Any thoughts from anyone?

Replies

  • hospitablegirl
    hospitablegirl Posts: 64 Member
    Moving is better than not moving. I have a desk cycle as well. Even if you didn't burn exactly 619 calories, you still burn calories from moving. If you have legitimately changed nothing else, and feel a difference, that's how you know. :)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I have a desk job and recently bought an exercise cycle to go under my desk. I literally "cycle" for usually 6-7 hours every day. I use the online calculator that is supplied by the manufacturer (mine is a DeskCycle). The calculator factors in gender, height, weight, time and distance. Yesterday my calorie burn was "supposedly" 619 calories. My question is this - my heart rate never increases, so am I really doing myself any good by using this? I figure it is better than just sitting on my butt and not moving anything, but how can I get an idea of the benefit of using this? I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone. I know I've improved the tone in my legs, and have lost 5 pounds in three weeks without making any other changes. Any thoughts from anyone?

    For me if it's not raising my heart rate much, then it's not cardiovascular exercise. Cardio exercise is about increasing stamina and working your heart.

    I would increase my activity level.....this gives you more calories, but not exaggerated. Being active is better than being inactive. It's not nothing....but I don't think it's 619 calories worth either.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    increase heart rate just means your muscles need more oxygen to contract, so it just means that your muscles are doing just fine at your resting heart rate. doesnt mean you arent burning calories, it still takes energy to move those pedals
  • jefferytmc
    jefferytmc Posts: 26 Member
    Are you tracking your heart rate with a HRM?

    Or are you just going by perceived exertion?

    I am pretty sure you are raising the HR, maybe not as much as if you were on a cardio machine in the gym or if you were riding a real bike, but any movement is better than not doing anything and while it might not be helping your heart much or increasing stamina, if you are seeing a difference on the scale or in tone, then great job.
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
    Well, you are obviously burning more calories than you usually do - moving > not moving. That being said, if you log 6 hours of the desk cycling and get 619 calories, you have to factor in what you would have burned in 6 hours of sitting to get a more accurate picture. Caloriesperhour.com will let you put in your stats and you can see calories burned for various activities, including "sitting".
  • kathimrussell
    kathimrussell Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you for mentioning that! The DeskCycle website does calculate calories burned by just sitting also. I've kind of been ignoring that number...... I will definitely check out the site you noted - thanks!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I... have lost 5 pounds in three weeks without making any other changes. Any thoughts from anyone?

    what the question is?
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Are you tracking your heart rate with a HRM?

    Or are you just going by perceived exertion?

    I am pretty sure you are raising the HR, maybe not as much as if you were on a cardio machine in the gym or if you were riding a real bike, but any movement is better than not doing anything and while it might not be helping your heart much or increasing stamina, if you are seeing a difference on the scale or in tone, then great job.

    HRMs are meant for steady rate cardio. I wouldn't count this as it.

    OP, as Dav pointed out...why change it if it it is working?
  • 1pandabear
    1pandabear Posts: 336 Member
    I am envious! What kind of desk cycle did you get and did you shop around first ? Great idea! You rock!
  • Kel1677
    Kel1677 Posts: 76 Member
    I just ordered one from Walmart for $28 with shipping and tax. It's from Golds gym and had great reviews. I walk all day at and some days just don't wanna workout so this is gonna be my in between. Thank you for the awesome idea!
  • K9sMama
    K9sMama Posts: 2
    Great job for making the effort to do this!! My motto for myself is "move more, eat less." What you are doing is awesome because it means you're doing something! I need your motivation! I have been considering this for myself as well for a long time. It's making the commitment to a particular cycle or brand. I'm nervous about spending money on something I'm not sure would fit into my "work life." Any suggestions please????
  • kathimrussell
    kathimrussell Posts: 4 Member
    I bought the DeskCycle from Amazon. I read a lot of reviews on it and on the cheaper models and decided to go with this one and buy once. The DeskCycle is 149.00. Quality is perfect, it is silent no matter how fast you pedal, and the resistance range is very good. It comes with a time/distance/calorie display- just a note - buy the $9.00 accessory that gives you a long cable and stand to put on your desktop. Otherwise it is impossible to see under the desk! The company will tell you to disregard the calorie count on the display and use the online calculator which takes into account gender, age, height and weight. They claim this is much more accurate. Sorry this was long, but I really do love this product. I should sell them!!! Let me know if you get one and how you like it.
  • Platform_Heels
    Platform_Heels Posts: 388 Member
    I... have lost 5 pounds in three weeks without making any other changes. Any thoughts from anyone?

    what the question is?
    My question is this - my heart rate never increases, so am I really doing myself any good by using this?
  • hospitablegirl
    hospitablegirl Posts: 64 Member
    Great job for making the effort to do this!! My motto for myself is "move more, eat less." What you are doing is awesome because it means you're doing something! I need your motivation! I have been considering this for myself as well for a long time. It's making the commitment to a particular cycle or brand. I'm nervous about spending money on something I'm not sure would fit into my "work life." Any suggestions please????

    I got one off amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HYWGWM/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    It's not the most advanced thing in the world, but it's quiet so no one knows I'm peddling. It has a display that tells you the amount of time. I usually log it as a stationary bike on MFP.
  • jenny0534
    jenny0534 Posts: 19 Member
    Thank you for your post- it was the answer to my daily struggle! I was getting so tired of sitting at my desk for hours that my legs would hurt and I was always too tired/lazy to exercise at night. I put together my Deskcycle yesterday and have logged 6.9 miles in a half hour just this morning! I am just so excited to be moving my legs. Thank you again!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I... have lost 5 pounds in three weeks without making any other changes. Any thoughts from anyone?

    what the question is?
    My question is this - my heart rate never increases, so am I really doing myself any good by using this?

    She said that she losing 6 additional pounds per month without doing anything different except using the bike. Unless that's not considered a good thing, there's no question here.
  • meffio
    meffio Posts: 1 Member
    I just bought my DeskCycle from Amazon as others have stated. I think you can get your heart rate up if you up the resistance. I had mine on 3 for 20 minutes and since I just started working out and am completely out of shape, this 20 minute mini workout had my HR up and I even sweat just a little. Try the highest resistance and see what your HR is then. I work from home and sit all day so I'm hoping this and mfp can help me.
  • kathimrussell
    kathimrussell Posts: 4 Member
    So glad you like it Jenny0534! Best Amazon purchase I have made in the last 5 years!!! Happy pedaling :)
  • K9sMama
    K9sMama Posts: 2
    I found one on e-bay. Brand new $70.00, Golds Gym. I pedal every day at work while sitting at my desk. I'm not at my desk every minute of the work day, but when I am sitting, I am pedaling as well! Wish me luck!
  • oneday987
    oneday987 Posts: 41 Member
    Thanks for the heads up .... I hadn't heard of these before ... just purchased one - crossing fingers it works :)
  • marysidneyherbert
    marysidneyherbert Posts: 69
    I think this is a great idea. I found a different one and just ordered it from Amazon. It is called the FitDesk FDX 2.0 Desk Exercise Bike. It's about $300, but looks like it may be a better design for body position. I am hoping that by having exercise better integrated into my regular daily routine, I will glean more benefits. Obviously it doesn't take the place of more cardio-intense activity and strength training, but still ... It also seems more similar to what paleo people would have done, more continuous activity instead of desk-sitting for 6 or 8 hours a day. There are also treadmill desks available, of course. It would be nice to have both and switch back and forth. I'll try to report back when I see how I like the FitDesk.
  • marysidneyherbert
    marysidneyherbert Posts: 69
    I just received my FitDesk 2.0 today. It was a bit difficult to put together, but with my husband's help we managed. I've been riding it for a couple of hours, and it is really fantastic. The design is very comfortable, in terms of body position, seat, etc., and it's extremely quiet. The only problem so far is that the calorie estimate is totally unrealistic. After the first hour, it said I'd burned over 1000 calories. I know from riding other stationary bikes that there's no way I'd been working that hard. I had it only at the first two levels during the hour. I would estimate that it was about one-fifth that much, about what MyFitnessPal says for "very light" stationary bike riding. I can compensate, of course, by just using MFP instead of the FitDesk's estimate. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend this desk bike for anyone frustrated by having to sit at a desk job.
  • marysidneyherbert
    marysidneyherbert Posts: 69
    Update on calorie meter with FitDesk: I emailed the company about the problem, and they responded immediately. They'll be sending me a new meter in the mail, and if that doesn't work, they say, the problem may be one of the sensors. It sounds like they are going to get this problem fixed ASAP. I rode the bike for 4 hours yesterday and it really is great in terms of ergonomics.

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