You can estimate the calories that you burn during a cycling session with your average heart rate. This is possible because your heart rate correlates fairly closely with your calorie expenditure rate. This estimate is more accurate when you also take into account your VO2 max. Your VO2 max is the rate at which you use oxygen while exercising at maximum effort.
Step 1
Weigh yourself with a scale to get your weight in pounds. The formulas also require you to provide your gender and age.
Step 2
Estimate your VO2 max. Run as far as you can in 12 minutes and measure this distance in yards. Plug this value into the equation (D -- 505) / 49.2, where D is your maximum 12-minute running distance. Example: You run 3,000 yards in 12 minutes. Your VO2 max is approximately (3,000 -- 505) / 49.2 = 50.7.
Step 3
Put on your heart monitor and begin cycling. Start recording your heart rate when it exceeds 90 beats per minute (bpm.) Keep your heart rate between 90 bpm and 150 bpm by slowing down or speeding up as needed. Stop recording your heart rate after the cycling session is complete and before your heart rate drops below 90 bpm. This is important because your heart rate closely correlates with your calorie expenditure rate while your heart rate is in this range.
Step 4
Determine your approximate calorie expenditure if you're female. This is given by the equation C = (0.274 x A + 0.450 x H + 0.0468 x W + 0.380 x V - 59.3954) x T / 4.184. Your calorie expenditure in this equation is C, your age is A, your average heart rate is H, your weight in pounds is W, your VO2 max is V and the duration of your exercise session in minutes is T.
Step 5
Estimate your calorie expenditure if you're male. This is given by the equation C = ( 0.271 x A + 0.634 x H + 0.179 x W + 0.404 x V -- 95.7735) x T / 4.184. Example: You're a 43-year old male weighing 146 pounds. Your average heart rate for the cycling session was 138, your VO2 max is 50.7 and your bike riding session lasted 39 minutes. You burned ( 0.271 x 43 + 0.634 x 138 + 0.179 x 146 + 0.404 x 50.7 -- 95.7735) x 39 / 4.184 ) = 466 calories during your cycling session.
Things You'll Need
- Scale
- Stopwatch
- Heart monitor
- Calculator
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