Stationary Bike - Hardly burns any calories?

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Bramish
Bramish Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
I don't exercise much other than a load of walking daily. I don't cycle often but when I do, I can cycle uninterrupted for an hour (maybe more - just never tried) barely breaking a sweat and it definitely doesn't exhaust me too much.

I just got a stationary bike and I used it for 10 minutes by the end of which I was dripping with sweat and way more exhausted than I'd be from regular biking. The display showed my speed as constantly around 30km/h and said I'd covered 5km in that 10 minutes, but it only showed that I burned about 80 calories. Surely this can't be right?

Replies

  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    um probally sound about right i burn about 90/100 cal in 10 mins so i presume you are a little lighter than me!
    so yeh and i think you will find thats a pretty good burn rate! and if your sweating even better!
  • keiraev
    keiraev Posts: 695 Member
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    It's true - I only burn about 60 cals in 10 mins on the bike. Elliptical is so much better!
  • fieldfare
    fieldfare Posts: 25
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    The calorie burn counter on the cross trainer we bought recently gives low estimates too, might be better to use a heart rate monitor with a chest strap for a more accurate reading. Polar HRMs are good, I use an FT4.
  • Bramish
    Bramish Posts: 9
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    I'm around 200lbs.

    But seriously? 10 minutes of pretty strenuous cycling burns around the same amount of calories as 10 minutes of fast walking? How come it's so much more exhausting?!
  • Bramish
    Bramish Posts: 9
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    Hmmm, well if that's the case, I'd rather just walk more - seems like a lot of effort for little reward otherwise.
  • mike737
    mike737 Posts: 68
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    It's true - I only burn about 60 cals in 10 mins on the bike. Elliptical is so much better!

    I prefer elliptical too. Stationary Bikes seem soo much different to an actual bike, weird ae
  • helenium
    helenium Posts: 546 Member
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    No. It is more strenuous than walking. You know this because you're breaking a sweat and feeling exhausted. It's the numbers that are wrong - perhaps your estimates for walking are too high, or perhaps the machine isn't giving you a proper estimate. Do you need to enter your weight? Does it give you your heart rate - you can use the average heart rate to calculate an estimate of your calories burned online.
  • mowu
    mowu Posts: 245 Member
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    It depends on a few factors - how is the calories burnt estimated; is it based on pulse or on output in watts?

    Personally I don't think it's too far off.

    On an intense cycling workout (average pulse of 155 or above) I burn about 11 cal/minutes while I burn about 7.5 cal/minute on a moderate cycling workout (average pulse 125-130). Both types of exercise make me sweat and both are around 30 km/h - the difference is the resistance in the pedals.

    With regards to sweat you should remember that when biking outside (or doing anything outside - even walking) the air moving over your skin will help cool you more efficiently (effectively by evaporation of sweat). On a stationary bike the airflow over your skin is very slow and cooling will be very in-efficient leading to more condensed sweat, which may trick you into thinking that you are working harder than when you ride your bike outside.
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
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    A lot of cardio burns about 8-12 calories per minute, depending on weight/height/age/heartrate/intensity.

    But the bike does seem to underestimate calories for me. I compared yesterday. After 15 minutes the bike said I had burned 50 calories. My HRM said 150. Guess which one I believed. [:
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    It depends on a few factors - how is the calories burnt estimated; is it based on pulse or on output in watts?

    Personally I don't think it's too far off.

    On an intense cycling workout (average pulse of 155 or above)

    this is not true it really depends on how fit you are!! the fitter you are the harder it is too get your pulse up!
    i used to get to 160's on my crosstrainer but now can only get to 140 if i'm really lucky!

    ALSO if you can feel your heart pumping and you are sweating really thats all that matters!! it means it's doing it's thing!!
  • Floobaloob
    Floobaloob Posts: 25 Member
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    this is not true it really depends on how fit you are!! the fitter you are the harder it is too get your pulse up!
    i used to get to 160's on my crosstrainer but now can only get to 140 if i'm really lucky!

    No, the fitter you are the longer you can work at a high heart rate (near HR max) without adverse effects and the quicker your recovery.

    As you get fitter increasing workout length/ intensity so that your perceived effort remains constant should make it just as 'easy' to get your heart rate up.
  • mowu
    mowu Posts: 245 Member
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    It depends on a few factors - how is the calories burnt estimated; is it based on pulse or on output in watts?

    Personally I don't think it's too far off.

    On an intense cycling workout (average pulse of 155 or above)

    this is not true it really depends on how fit you are!! the fitter you are the harder it is too get your pulse up!
    i used to get to 160's on my crosstrainer but now can only get to 140 if i'm really lucky!

    ALSO if you can feel your heart pumping and you are sweating really thats all that matters!! it means it's doing it's thing!!


    First thing - you are cutting out a vital part in your quote of me......namely the statement that the numbers I give you are MY numbers implicitly stating, that YOUR numbers may be different. I'm not giving any absolutes, I'm giving an example of how I differentiate between intense workout and moderate workout, this may or may not work for you, but I bet that you do differentiate between them in some way or another.

    My argument is still, that the actual number of calories burned while on an indoor bike may vary quite a lot depending on the intensity with which you train. And that the intensity of the training (on an indoor bike) may not necessarily be measured by how much you sweat or the number of kilometers on the display.

    My suggestion is to either monitor your heart rate or the watts you pump into the pedals and use those as your guiding points.

    Second - you post that:
    ALSO if you can feel your heart pumping and you are sweating really thats all that matters!! it means it's doing it's thing!!

    The OP is asking whether 8 cal/minute is an unrealistically low number for his exercise. This is a specific question about a specific number. And while I can totally adhere to the notion that "as long as you feel it - you're doing great", this is not what the OP asked, and you can't estimate whether or not a factual number is right or wrong based on subjective feelings in your body.

    And my answer remains the same - 8 cal/minute is not unrealistically low - at least not with the information at hand.
  • wedjul05
    wedjul05 Posts: 472
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    I do a spin class once a week. Got a HRM a few months back. I burn typically about 600 calories in a 45min session, resistance varies from 12-20. I am dripping with sweat and about to vomit sometimes!
  • chedges9090
    chedges9090 Posts: 208 Member
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    A personal trainer I had suggested a Polar watch. I cant recall the one I have.. but, it does not have many bells and whistles. We did what was called "heart rate training"-- which is keeping your heart rate in a "zone" for a specific amount of time. I cannot tell you what a suprise it was that I wasn't getting my heart rate pumping for a long enough period of time. I walk -- ALOT--but, I walk slowly. I don't ever get my heart rate in the zone. It sounds like this is happening with the stationary bike also. Just a thought.. I am by no means a trainer :)
  • juicygurl1
    juicygurl1 Posts: 195 Member
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    I perfer my Spin bike over the treadmil, eliptical or stairstepper. I have bad knees, so if i want to burn off calories my "spinner" is the best option for me. I work out with various DVD's i purchased from Amazon, also i have a great MP3 i bought from Amazon, spin coach. throughout my work out, (even on my road bike) i check my heart rate, to know if i'm buring calories.
  • ChrisDrs
    ChrisDrs Posts: 2
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    Hi all,

    I bought a stationary bike recently (Kettler cycle P) and after 30 min of exercise with speed average 34khm the screen shows that i have burn only 25 kcal. How this can be possible. Did any of you had the same case ? PLS HELP !!!

    Thanks in advance!!!

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