Consistently participating in physical activity significantly contributes to successful weight loss. According to the American Council on Exercise, those that follow an appropriate nutritional plan and participate in exercise have significantly better results at permanently losing body fat than those that follow a healthy eating plan alone. Working out on a treadmill and riding a bike are two cardiovascular activities effective at burning calories, but the intensity of your workout makes an impact on the number of calories you burn.
Losing Weight
To lose body fat, create a caloric deficit in your body by burning more calories than you consume during a set period of time. When you do this, your body must break down stored body fat to use as fuel. According to MayoClinic.com, each 3,500 caloric deficit equates to about 1 lb. of fat loss. Effectively create this deficit by minimizing the calories you consume by making healthy eating decisions and increasing the number of calories that you burn by being consistently physically active. How efficient an exercise activity is to contributing to weight loss depends on how many calories it causes you to burn per unit of time.
Calories Burned on Treadmill
The number of calories you burn on a treadmill depends on the speed that you're running and your current body weight. The faster you move, the more intense your workout and the more total calories you burn per minute. Those that weigh more will burn more calories than those that weigh less in the same workout. According to MayoClinic.com, in a 60 minute workout session, a 160-lb. person will burn about 277 calories walking at 3.5 miles per hour, 584 calories jogging at 5 miles per hour and 986 calories running at 8 miles per hour.
Calories Burned Biking
The calories burned while biking also depend on the intensity of your workout and your body weight. In 60 minutes, a 160-lb. person will burn about 292 calories when they travel below 10 miles per hour, according to MayoClinic.com. However, the American Council on Exercise estimates that a 160-lb. person who cycles at 10 miles per hour will burn about 7.3 calories per minute, or 438 calories every 60 minutes.
Rate of Weight Loss
It's important to note the impact that your nutritional habits have on your weight-loss success. No matter how efficient your workouts are, it's easy to cancel out the calories you burn by consuming too many calories per day. However, if you consume the same number of calories you naturally burn per day without counting the additional calories you burn with exercise, you can estimate how quickly you will lose weight with your workout. Based on the values provided by MayoClinic.com, if workouts are 60 minutes in duration, a 160-lb. person will create a 3,500 caloric deficit and thus lose 1 lb. of fat every 12.6 walks at 3.5 miles per hour, every 6 jogs at 5 miles per hour, every 3.5 runs at 8 miles per hour, every 12 biking workouts under 10 miles per hour and every 8 biking workouts at 10 miles per hour. Therefore, although jogging and running are ideal, if your treadmill walks are at 3.5 miles per hour or slower, biking will be more efficient at supporting your weight-loss goals.
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