Working out on a recumbent bike is a common option for the elderly, people who have balance issues or people who have lower back pain. With the large muscles in the legs driving the pedals, you have the potential to burn a significant number of calories on a recumbent bike.
Estimated Calories
According to the American Council on Exercise physical activity calorie calculator, a 150-pound person will burn about 272 calories per hour when cycling at 5.5 miles per hour. Use an online activity calculator to estimate your calories burned based on your weight.
Considerations
The resistance at which you set the recumbent bike and your pedal speed will have an impact on how many calories you will burn. Increasing the intensity of the workout burns more calories.
Weight Loss
Losing weight requires you to burn more calories than you consume. For every pound of fat loss, you must burn 3,500 more calories than what you receive from food and drink. A healthy goal is to try and burn 500 calories per day, equating to 3,500 calories and 1 pound of fat loss per week, according to the American Council on Exercise.
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