Running and bicycling are common exercises that require a minimum of equipment, that are easy to do in a variety of environments and that can burn a significant number of calories.
Calories Per Hour
According to Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a 154-pound person burns 590 calories per hour when bicycling faster than 10 miles per hour or running 5 miles per hour. If you're bicycling slower than 10 miles per hour, you will burn, on average, 290 calories per hour.
Body Weight and Exercise Intensity
However, the number of calories you burn per hour when running or bicycling depends on your weight and the intensity of the exercise. You will burn more calories per hour if you weigh more than 154 pounds and fewer calories if you weigh less. If you run or bike faster, you will burn more calories. For example, the Mayo Clinic cites research showing that in one hour, a 160-pound person burns 584 calories running 5 miles per hour, but burns 986 calories per hour when running 8 miles per hour. A 240-pound person will burn 872 and 1,472 calories, respectively.
Expert Insight
The Mayo Clinic notes that caloric counts are estimates at best. Each person is different. Even two people of the same weight may burn a different number of calories doing the same exercise.
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