Calories Burned Using Upright Bike Vs. Recumbent Bike

Upright bikes have been around for decades, and recumbent bikes are growing in popularity in gyms and other fitness facilities. If the facility has both, a choice has to be made about which one to use. The amount of calories burned on the machine might make all the difference in this choice.

You're ready to join the biking crowd, but which bike will burn more calories for you?

Design

Upright bikes place the rider in a position that is relatively perpendicular with the floor or ground. The height of the seat means that the pedals are almost always directly underneath the seat, forcing the rider to sit vertically. By comparison, riders can lean back on a recumbent bike, so they are in a position that is more parallel with the floor or ground. The seat height is low and the pedals are moved forward, which means that the rider is more horizontal while on the bike.

Body Position

Riders are in very different positions on upright bikes and recumbent bikes. On the recumbent bike, the reclining position may assist in returning blood to the heart, thereby decreasing heart workload and the number of calories burned. However, according to health and fitness expert Martica Heaner, various studies that have explored this phenomenon have produced different results, so whether the amount of calories burned is higher on one bike than the other is inconclusive.

Hearner explained that a 1989 Journal of Medicine in Sports and Exercise study concluded that heart rate on recumbent bikes was lower in the moderate intensity pace. A 2005 study, however, showed there was no difference in heart rate at the top of a low intensity pace, and that recumbent bikes produced faster heart rates at a very low intensity pace.

Weight

According to data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and reported by St. Francis Hospital, thinner people burn fewer calories than heavy people when exercising, probably due to the amount of tissue being moved and ease of respiratory functions. Taking this data into consideration, if a thin person and a heavy person choose the same bike type, regardless of whether the type selected is recumbent or upright, then the heavy person will burn the most calories.

Balance

When a person balances on a bike, muscles constantly are engaged in order to keep the body in an upright position. The harder it is to balance, the more these muscles have to work and the more calories are burned. The reclining position makes balancing easier on a recumbent. This means that, on a recumbent, the body may not burn as many calories in an effort to remain upright.

Considerations

Bike riding, regardless of whether it is done on a recumbent or an upright bike, will burn calories. In fact, over 1,000 calories can be burned by biking fast for an hour. The real considerations when choosing between a recumbent and an upright thus end up being in the areas of safety and comfort. People with stiff joints or poor balance may find recumbent bikes better, while those who like to move around on their bikes and who have no real health issues may like the upright.

References

• Bicycling Health and Fitness
• Bike Dilemma: Regular or Recumbent?
• Burning Calories