If you're exercising for pleasure, or to stay in shape, it's less important which exercise provides the best weight-loss burn. In fact, Oregon-based fitness coach Ben Cohn recommends changing exercises frequently so you don't get bored. On the other hand, people who exercise to lose weight can benefit from knowing exactly which exercise burns the most calories.
Weight Factors
Your body weight plays a factor in how many calories you burn when walking on a treadmill, cycling or any other exercise, Cohn says. A heavy body requires more energy to move than a lighter body doing the same amount of work. For example, weight-loss resource website Nutristrategy reports that a 190-lb. person burns approximately 150 percent as many calories in some exercises than a 130-lb. person.
Effort Factors
Another important factor in calculating caloric burn is how much effort you put into it. For example, the same person cycling at 10 mph would burn just over half as many calories as he would while cycling 19 mph. For this reason, Cohn recommends cycling over treadmills because the natural terrain can push for more effort. However, Cohn recognizes that many modern treadmills have difficulty courses and settings that mitigate this difference.
Other Factors
Counting calories is an inexact science at best. Although there are many resources that give an approximate measure, your burn for any given exercise at any given time can vary significantly. Some other factors that can affect your caloric burn include the weather, what you're wearing, your gender and ethnic background, or even your mood.
Calories and Cycling
Nutristrategy reports that a 130-lb. person cycling with light-effort miles per hour burns about 354 calories per hour. At moderate-effort miles per hour, the same person burns 472 calories in the same amount of time; at vigorous effort, it's 590. A person who weighed 180 pounds would burn 490, 654 and 817 calories at the same levels.
Calories and Treadmill Walking
According to Nutristrategy, a 130-lb. person walking at a light level of exertion burns about 177 calories per hour. At moderate or vigorous exertion, he burns 195 and 224 calories per hour. At 180 lbs., a walker burns 245, 270 or 311 calories.
Which Burns More?
According to the numbers, the same person going the same distance at the same level of effort will burn more calories cycling than he would walking on a treadmill. However, enough factors can skew the baseline numbers that your results on any given day may vary.
References
- Ben Cohn; Fitness Coach; Hillsboro, OR
- Nutristrategy.com: Cycling Calories
- Nutristrategy.com: Walking Calories
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