How many calories does cycling burn?
How many calories burned cycling depends on various factors such as body weight, gender and level of fitness. Other factors such as distance and intensity also need to be taken into account.
You are generally more likely to burn more calories the faster you cycle, simply because the body will be using more energy to go faster. Cycling moderately at a speed of 12 – 13.9 miles/hour will result in an individual weighing 155 pounds burning 298 calories in 30 minutes. Cycling at a faster speed of 14 – 15.9 miles/hour will result in an individual weighing 155 pounds burning 372 calories in 30 minutes.
Mountain biking could result in more calories burned than road cycling because of the more physically challenging terrain. More calories will get burned if riding on challenging trails with lots of ups and downs compared to a less challenging terrain
Calories burned using an indoor stationary bike is generally comparable to outdoor cycling.
To figure out how many calories burned cycling, a unit called a MET (metabolic equivalent of task) is used for the estimation of amount of energy expended while engaging in physical activity. This unit measures how hard the body is working relative to rest. When the body is at rest, the rate of energy output is 1 MET, which is equivalent to 1 calorie/kg of body weight per hour.
The MET values for various physical activities come from reliable sources and have been published in the compendium of physical activities. The calories burned from cycling are calculated with the MET value of the cycling intensity and your body weight. The cycling calorie calculator below lists 25 different cycling activities of varying intensities.
Calorie calculator for cycling
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