The number of calories burned* using an exercise bike depends on the intensity of the workout and how long you use the machine for. In order to give you a good comparative idea of how many calories you burn on an exercise bike, we are going to take a look at the figures based on half-an-hour cycling sessions at different intensity levels.
If you’re interested in calorie burn for weight loss, getting your heart rate up, or just interested in how physical activity increases calories burned, read on!
*The unit of measure of energy commonly called a “calorie” is actually a “kilocalorie” – however “calorie” is so commonly used, we will use the shorter term here.
Exercise Bike Calorie Calculator
Enter your weight, exercise type & time taken into the calculator, for an estimate of calories burned on an exercise bike:
Before using any data obtained using this calculator, please consult with your doctor!
Let’s take a look at calories burned on an exercise bike when you use the machine for a half-hour at a low-intensity level. In all honesty, a low-intensity workout does not have a significant impact on an exercise bike. It keeps your body relaxed, which does not make your metabolism work faster in 30 minutes, and doesn’t do much to help you lose weight.
That being said, cycling on a stationary bicycle may work well if you have a heart condition or an injury that limits your mobility. It improves your ability to stay active if you have a heart condition and at the same time, it doesn’t affect the severity of your condition.
It also improves your insulin sensitivity and the lipid levels in your blood. So while a low- intensity workout on the exercise bike might not result in many calories burned, you will still stand to gain some health benefits if you have certain types of heart conditions.
Let’s suppose you weigh 180 pounds and you exercise on an exercise bike for 30 minutes at moderate to vigorous intensity level. Using the estimate given by our research-based calculator, you can estimate the energy you burn on an exercise bike at around 292 kilocalories.
A medium-intensity workout will involve more activity than a light-intensity exercise on an exercise bike at a steady pace for the half-hour you will be using the machine. It is not a strenuous activity, but it does help burn a significant number of calories because of the amount of time spent on the machine.
And now let’s take a look at high-intensity workouts on the machine. According to the calories burned calculator, you stand to burn as much as 472 calories in a 30-minute workout. At high-intensity level using the exercise bike, you are not supposed to go for a steady high-intensity workout. Instead, you should opt for intervals of extra strenuous cycling for bursts of 30 to 60 seconds at a time with a few moments of rest in between (interval training).
This will help you to complete a proper 30-minute session on the exercise bike without exhausting yourself.
How to Maximize Calories Burned
A lot of people assume that they burn the same amount of calories on an exercise bike and a treadmill. The unfortunate truth is that you don’t use all of the muscles that you do on a treadmill to maintain balance on the exercise bike, since your feet are in constant contact with the machine.
In order to maximize calories burned on the exercise bike, there are a few minor tips you can follow:
- High-intensity interval workouts are the best for burning more calories than steady and light-intensity workouts in the same amount of time.
- Do make it a point to push yourself further, especially if you start getting too comfortable.
An exercise bike is a great machine for working out and burning excess calories. Make sure you keep these tips in mind if you want to burn more calories and use the machine more effectively.
Please remember, determining how many calories you burn is not an exact science, and the number you get from the calculator should be treated as a guide only.
All figures used in this article & the calculator are derived from research published at the Compendium of Physical Activities.