You’re keen on the problem and power of your indoor biking exercises, however you’re unsure how a lot they’re shifting you towards your health targets. In case you’re somebody who likes to understand how a lot you’re consuming and burning in a day, you’re in all probability questioning what number of energy are burned biking (in a median indoor biking session).
Right here’s what to know concerning the calorie burn of your biking exercises.
Energy Burned Indoor Biking
What number of energy burned biking, operating, or every other train can differ from individual to individual and from exercise to exercise. However right here’s a have a look at what number of approximate energy you may anticipate to burn in a given biking exercise based mostly in your physique weight and exercise depth.
Mild to average effort (51 to 89 watts) for 1 hour:
| Weight | 100 lbs | 125 lbs | 150 lbs | 175 lbs | 200 lbs | 225 lbs | 250 lbs |
| Energy | 218 | 273 | 327 | 382 | 436 | 491 | 546 |
Average to vigorous effort (90 to 100 watts) for 1 hour:
| Weight | 100 lbs | 125 lbs | 150 lbs | 175 lbs | 200 lbs | 225 lbs | 250 lbs |
| Energy | 309 | 386 | 464 | 541 | 618 | 696 | 773 |
Vigorous effort (101 to 160 watts) for 1 hour:
| Weight | 100 lbs | 125 lbs | 150 lbs | 175 lbs | 200 lbs | 225 lbs | 250 lbs |
| Energy | 400 | 500 | 600 | 700 | 800 | 900 | 1,000 |
(Generated from the Compendium of Bodily Actions and Cornell College’s METS to Energy Calculator.)
If you wish to get a extra correct learn on what number of energy you burn throughout your trip, it’s greatest to make use of a coronary heart charge tracker. That’s why the BODi Bike comes with a Polar OH1 Coronary heart Fee Monitor that can assist you get a exact measurement of energy burned in every of your customized coronary heart charge zones.
The best way to Select the Proper Depth for a Biking Class

Your depth stage will have an effect on the quantity of energy you burn throughout your indoor biking class, however you don’t need to ramp issues up too shortly.
In case you’re a newbie and may’t be part of a newbie class, “get as near what the teacher is looking out as you may, and construct up power and endurance over time,” says Alex Pleasure Pucci, CPT, who’s taught indoor biking for practically a decade. You already know your physique greatest, so if one thing feels too difficult, again off a bit in pace or resistance.
If it’s important to dial method again, that’s OK. “No biking teacher expects somebody new to crush it on the primary strive,” says Pucci. “Be affected person with your self.”
And don’t be afraid to tailor a category to your personal power ranges. “Your pace, your energy output, your resistance are all as much as you on the finish of the day,” she says. “The perfect factor about indoor biking is that you just’re in management.”
Does Your Weight Matter in Indoor Biking?
Weight and physique composition will at all times influence your calorie burn. “People who find themselves heavier or extra muscular typically burn extra energy,” Pucci explains. Males can even usually torch extra energy throughout an indoor biking session than ladies, she provides.
The reason being easy: The bigger you’re, the extra power expenditure your physique requires.
Different elements reminiscent of genetics and health stage may influence what number of energy you burn. “As you get a bit more healthy and your physique turns into extra environment friendly, you may burn fewer energy doing the identical exercise than once you began,” Pucci provides.
You’ll additionally burn fewer energy if you happen to drop extra pounds since your physique requires much less power to maneuver. However this, too, can differ, says Pucci. “I wish to remind my shoppers that everyone and each physique is a bit completely different,” she says.
Energy Burned on a Stationary Bicycle vs Highway Bike

On common, out of doors biking burns an identical quantity of energy as indoor biking. However, once more, there are a variety of various factors right here. A 150-pound particular person will burn roughly 453 energy throughout 50 minutes of outside biking in the event that they’re going 12 to 13 miles per hour. Biking outdoors at 5.5 mph will burn about 226 energy in the identical period of time.
(To get probably the most exact comparability between indoor and out of doors biking, nevertheless, you’d want to make use of an influence meter to find out your watts.)
The quantity of energy you burn whereas out of doors biking depends upon not solely your pace, but in addition the terrain. You’d must put extra effort behind your pedaling to stand up hills than you’ll whereas biking down a flat avenue.
One small research discovered that contributors cycled more durable outdoor than indoors, even after they felt like they have been placing in the identical effort in each conditions. The elevated effort would end in the next calorie burn.
Finally, the distinction might not matter if you happen to’re extra more likely to present up for indoor biking exercises.

