How many Calories do you Burn Riding a Bike?

Riding a Bicycle is counted as the ultimate calories burned by most health magazines, websites and athletes. Almost every professional and amateur athlete, no mater what type of sport they practice, riding a bicycle is inseparable part of their training program. The exercise receiving while riding a bicycle, not only burns calories, but enhances physical endurance.

If a cyclist rides a bike with the speed of 16 to 20 mph, he burns approximately 5.5 calories within the hour; 12 to 14 mph ride burns 3.6 calories per pound; and when riding a mountain bike 3.9 calories per pound. All these measures are based on one hour of riding a bicycle.

But all these numbers vary every time you try to measure calorie burn (that is why the word approximately is use). There are several factors that affect the ‘burning’ process. Concerning the cyclist, it depend on its own weight; the weight of the bicycle; if he’s carrying a back pack during a long distance riding; how much water does he have in the bottles; his strength level to push harder and etc. If the bicycle is a little more packed than the usual, more calories are burned as the body energy pushes harder to maintain or gain speed.

The terrain on which you are driving also plays major role in the calorie burn. Basically, the faster the pedaling is the more calories are burned. The number of calories burned also increases if the riding is uphill. Riding a mountain bike on sand and dirt puts more resistance to the leg muscles and they burn far more calories there then when riding on the road. The faster the speed is, the more air hits the body, thus, more calories are burned while overcoming the air resistance.

The body’s metabolism is important on how much you burn calories. Normally, if you consumed high level calorie meal, it will affect the burning process. This is important since high calorie food tends to slow the energy level, and the cyclist will get tired quickly and often. This doesn’t mean that calories must be excluded from the metabolism, but it is recommended not to consume in larger quantities; and it is also recommended to eat 2 hours before you start the daily cycling route.

In general, the faster you ride, the more calories you burn; the harder you ride, the more calories are burned; it’s that simple. Three times a week, riding as much as you can, is perfect for starters. As the body adapts to this kind of exercise, you will increase the pace of riding and so the number of calories burned.

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