Indoor cycling simulates real-world cycling without the hassles of inclement weather or dangerous road conditions. Indoor cycling is a form of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, and these types of exercises are highly efficient at burning calories. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in each day. The exact number of calories you burn on a stationary bike is a function of your weight, lung capacity, heart rate and age.
Step 1
Weigh yourself on an accurate bathroom scale.
Step 2
Run for 12 minutes, and measure your distance in yards. Some pedometers can be set to “sprint” or “run” modes to accurately measure running distance, or you can estimate your distance using roadway mile markers.
Step 3
Find your VO2 max using the following formula. Subtract 505 from the distance run in 12 minutes, then divide the resulting number by 49.2 for your VO2 max. Your VO2 Max is a measurement of lung capacity used for calorie burning calculations.
Step 4
Start pedaling on your stationary bike.
Step 5
Measure your heart rate after your reach a comfortable pace. Your heart rate is measured in beats per minute. Measure your heart rate with an electronic monitor, or simply find your pulse and count the number of times your heart beats in 60 seconds.
Step 6
Keep track of the time you spend exercising in minutes.
Step 7
Perform the following calculation to determine how many calories you burned. For women: (0.0468 x Weight) + (0.380 x VO2 Max) + (0.450 x Heart Rate) + (0.274 x Your Age) - 59.3954 x Time / 4.184. For men: (0.179 x Weight) + (0.404 x VO2 Max) + (0.634 x Heart Rate) + (0.271 x Your Age) - 95.7735 x Time / 4.184.
Tips and Warnings
- If you're looking for a rough estimate rather than a precise caloric calculation, the average 160 pound person burns 292 calories per hour cycling, a 200 pound person burns 364 calories, and a 240 pound person burns 436 calories.
Things You'll Need
- Scale
- Pedometer (optional)
- Heart rate monitor (optional)
- Calculator
References
- “Pedometer Walking: Stepping Your Way to Health, Weight Loss, and Fitness”; Mark Fenton, et al.; 2006
- “Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness”; Wener Hoeger, et al.; 2008
- “Human Body: The Heart”; Anne Fitzpatrick; 2003
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour
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