Have you ever wondered how do exercise bikes calculate calories and more importantly are the accurate? It’s frustrating when you are trying to lose weight and the pounds aren’t dropping off. But the reason could be that your are over estimating the number of calories your are burning on an exercise bike.
A exercise bike estimates your calories by using a formula that calculates your average output in kilojoules, average cadence, resistance and overall speed determined by your age, sex, height and weight with 90% accuracy.
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How Do Exercise Bikes Calculate Calories
The method of calculating calories burned on an exercise bike is pretty straightforward, yet it’s also unique to each exercise bike. Unlike most indoor spin bikes, it doesn’t directly measure your energy expenditure via a power meter.
Instead, you’ll get a general calorie estimate based on a lot more data that you provide the exercise bike before you begin your workout. This system is called the “power curve.” It was developed by Dr. Edward Coyle, a professor at the University of Texas and an expert in cycling performance.
The power curve calculates your power, in wattage, throughout your ride. It then estimates how many calories you’ve burned based on your age, weight, heart rate and height.
This system is more accurate than simply estimating calories burned based on heart rate alone. That’s because your heart rate can be affected by several factors, such as sleep, overtraining, calorie intake and hundreds of smaller changes in your body.
How to calculate the number of calories burned
On the other hand, power output is a more consistent metric that can give you a better estimate of how many calories you’ve burned.
Meaning for every 4184 joules of energy you output on your exercise bike, you burn 1 kilocalorie. For example, if you are riding your exercise bike at a speed of 20 km/hour and weigh 70 kg, the calculation would be: 70 kg x 20 km/hour = 1400 kcal/hour ÷ 1000 = 1.4 kcal/minute. Check out this article if you want to know how long you need to ride to lose weight.
That said, the power curve isn’t perfect. It can be affected by things like your age and sex, as well as the intensity of your ride. So if you’re looking for exact reading of how many calories you’ve burned, a Peloton will only provide you with an estimate, but it’s pretty close at getting it right.
Therefore, how do exercise bikes calculate calories is based on the data you input into the exercise bike and the inbuilt algorithm which has set criteria for that specific matrix.
How Accurate Are Exercise Bike Calories Calculators
On average, an exercise bike will accurately calculate calories burned within 70-85% accuracy, providing your input the exercise bike with your age, weight, height and sex. Furthermore, if you wear a heart rate monitor, the accuracy could increase to 90-95%.
It also depends of the quality of the exercise bike and if the manufacturer has invested money into the accuracy of the calorie calculator. The more you invest in an exercise bike, the better quality components it will have and as a result, give you more accurate readings.
Unfortunately, no exercise equipment, regardless of how expensive they are, will provide you with 100% accuracy on calories burned because you need more scientific equipment to offer you this data, such as VO2 monitors, heart monitors, metabolic output, and so much more.
Even though an exercise bike doesn’t show you 100% accuracy in calorie expenditure, it is very consistent in providing you with the information you need to progress and lose weight.
Therefore, if you are using your exercise bike and continually update your information as you lose or gain weight, then the calorie calculator always provides you with enough details, so you know you’re moving in the right direction for weight loss and fat burnin.
How Exercise Bikes Calculate Calories Work
Most exercise bikes have sensors that calculate how many calories you’ve burned based on your weight, height, age, and the intensity of your workout. The machine then displays this information on a screen so you can track your progress.
To get the most accurate reading, be sure to enter your weight and other information into the machine before you start pedaling. Additionally, keep in mind that the number of calories you burn while using an exercise bike will vary depending on how fast you’re pedaling and the resistance level you’ve chosen.
There are a number of factors that can affect how many calories you burn in a day. Your age, weight, and activity level all play a role. But if you want to get a more specific idea of how many calories you’re burning, there are some simple calculations you can do. First, figure out your basal metabolic rate (BMR).
This is the number of calories your body burns just to keep itself functioning. You can find BMR calculators online, or you can use this formula: BMR = 10 x weight (in kg) + 6.25 x height (in cm) – 5 x age (in years). Once you know your BMR, you can estimate your daily calorie burn by factoring in your activity level. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, multiply your BMR by 1.2.
If you have a moderate activity level, multiply it by 1.375. And if you have a high activity level, multiply it by 1.55. This will give you a good estimate of how many calories you’re burning each day.
How Many Calories Burned on Exercise Bike
On average, you could burn between 400-600 calories on a exercise bike in 60 minutes at moderate intensity. If you increase your intensity to vigorous, you could burn up to 1000 on a exercise bike.
Depending on the intensity of your workout, you can burn anywhere from 400 to more than 1000 calories in an hour on an exercise bike. However, the number of calories you burn also depends on your weight, body composition, and fitness level.
If you’re new to exercise and are overweight, you may only burn a few thousand calories in an hour, while a more experienced rider can burn less than a thousand.
The table below breaks down how many calories you can burn on a exercise bike in an hour depending on your current body weight and intensity level.
| WEIGHT | LOW INTENSITY | MODERATE INTENSITY | HIGH INTENSITY |
| 150lbs – 170lbs | 420 calories | 540 calories | 962 calories |
| 170lbs – 200lbs | 452 calories | 574 calories | 1026 calories |
| 200lbs – 230lbs | 522 calories | 666 calories | 1188 calories |
| 230lbs – 250lbs | 600 calories | 764 calories | 1362 calories |
| 250lbs plus | 750 calories | 952 calories | 1700 calories |
How Do Exercise Bikes Calculate Calories Summary
I hope iv’e answered your question how do exercise bikes calculate calories and provided you with an information on how accurate are exercise bike calories calculators. I believe if you are consistent and use the same exercise bike you will get a good estimate of calories burned.
For a more accurate result you need to wear a heart rate monitor or a device that tracks your heart rate as your cycle. If you’re unsure then remove 20% from your total calories burned on your exercise bike after your ride to calculate for underestimating the number.
