I've had one of those non-motorized treadmills for a while now, and watching the calorie burning monitor whatsit it reckons I burn about 100 cals in 20 mins of walking (fairly briskly - don't forget it's uphill on these things), I've no
idea if that's a lot or not tbh.

Anyways, as a bit of a change, I got myself an excercise bike yesterday. Now, not sure on the exact numbers as I didnt pay that much attention, but it didn't seem to be using anywhere near as many cals. Is it that these things are just wildly inaccurate or is the bike a waste of time?

The way I used it last night was 10 mins on the treadmill, 20 mins on the bike and then repeated that again. I stopped there cos it was getting a bit boring !

Now I'm trying to lose weight, which I tend to do fairly easily when I really want to. I weigh about 13.5 st and am about 5ft10. Might sound rather fat there, but I am genuinely well built, so I don't look as bad as it reads, though obviously I'm not happy with it.

Basically I want someone to tell me I'm not wasting my time with it. I'm obviously cutting the cals etc, but that's something else......

Cheers :)

For me, the bike is the best route just becasue it's lower impact on the knees and ankles. I still hit the treadmill and the road every so often but I've had better results with the bike.

Also, I'm more willing to do more cardio if I don't feel broken from the last time...

For me, the bike is the best route just becasue it's lower impact on the knees and ankles. I still hit the treadmill and the road every so often but I've had better results with the bike.

Also, I'm more willing to do more cardio if I don't feel broken from the last time...


Yeah makes sense, only thing that was worrying me is if the bike is worth it. I mean, do you have to do an hour's worth of cycling to get the same benefit as doing say 20 mins running?

Both are excellent forms of cardiovascular activity, which evidently, is also a great way to boost your health as well as fat loss.

Exercise machines tend to be very inaccurate - it's quite possible that neither your treadmill nor your bike are anywhere near accurate. A lot of companies overshoot the number of calories burned per minute, per hour, or whatever. They do this as a tactic to sell more of their machines because when people go to the gym and see that certain treadmills or bikes show higher numbers of calories burned, they tend to stick to those machines since that's what they like to see. (This is covered in another thread under Fat Loss).

Anyway, your best bet would be to look for a caloric expenditure calculator online that allows you to type in your weight, height, etc. as well as which machine you used, the duration of the exercise and the distance covered. Compare two or three of them and see what happens!

Yeah makes sense, only thing that was worrying me is if the bike is worth it. I mean, do you have to do an hour's worth of cycling to get the same benefit as doing say 20 mins running?

If you have the proper amount of resistance on the bike, you could easily equal a 20 minute run with the same amount of time on a bike.

I find it's easier for me to ride the bike if I'm distracted. I usually watch the Simpons or something like that. I find that I end up working harder because I'm not dwelling on how much time I have left on the bike. I'm also entertained, so it's a win-win for me.

Anyway, your best bet would be to look for a caloric expenditure calculator online that allows you to type in your weight, height, etc. as well as which machine you used, the duration of the exercise and the distance covered. Compare two or three of them and see what happens!


Found this with a quick google:

http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/jumpsite/calculat.htm

Looking at that then, cycling can actually be better than walking on the treadmill, even at a brisk pace. That's what I like to see, I've not wasted my £70 :D

How hard should I have the cycle set to? I mean, how difficult should I find it to pedal?

Cheers

Ok, just done 40 mins on the bike, worked out at just shy of 10 miles with the pedals fairly hard to push, and the bike reckons I've used just 37 cals ! Gotta be wrong surely?

What's best? The one you'll stick to doing. Doesn't matter if it's the most efficient at burning calories... if you hate to do it, you won't stick with it. Pick a form of cardio you enjoy and use it consistently. That'll get you better results than the form you hate doing but is, on paper, supposedly more efficient at burning fat.

I prefer the treadmill... 45 minute slices... 3.5mph @ 10% incline.

-R

I like treadmills better. Bike puts a lot of work on quads and hamstrings (hope I'm not too wrong with anatomy there), but the rest of the body sits kind of idle. So I've found a lot harder to get a heartrate up to good cardio levels on a bike, especially without killing my legs. Treadmills have shock absorbers -- some models in my gym are better in that respect than others -- so they won't hurt your joints as much as regular running. On the other hand, you can easily do HIIT style training with every exercise bike, but a treadmill would preferrably need a special program for it.

Ok, just done 40 mins on the bike, worked out at just shy of 10 miles with the pedals fairly hard to push, and the bike reckons I've used just 37 cals ! Gotta be wrong surely?

There's absolutely no way that's correct. As has been said, stick with a caloric expenditure calculator that will use your specific weight and bf% measurements, many of which can be found on-line.

As for intensity, I like cycling at a setting that gets me up to about 14-15mph and 70-80rpm. But it's all a matter of personal preference of course.

And for what it's worth, my vote does go toward cycling. I'll take a sore ass over worn out knees any day.

You should NOT use the bike with it set so that the pedals are "hard to push" as you put it. The idea is that you want to allow your legs to move quickly. Your "cadence," or how fast the pedals are turning, should be between 80 and 100 rpm. Adjust the bike so that you can achieve that rate and hold it through the duration of your workout.

You should NOT use the bike with it set so that the pedals are "hard to push" as you put it. The idea is that you want to allow your legs to move quickly. Your "cadence," or how fast the pedals are turning, should be between 80 and 100 rpm. Adjust the bike so that you can achieve that rate and hold it through the duration of your workout.


Oh don't get me wrong, I can move em freely at a good pace, what I meant was it takes some effort to move them, not just blowing on them :)