Running vs. Cycling
Which burns more calories?
Which burns more calories?
Posted December 12th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Jeanie Rebb
Section: Running & Training, Health & Fitness, Exercise
The standard comparison is that one mile of running equals four miles of cycling, but that’s lousy science.
Although running requires the same amount of energy per mile at any speed (110 calories per mile), riding is affected by wind resistance so the faster you ride, the more energy you use. So you have to compare running and cycling at different cycling speeds.
Dr. Edward Coyle of the University of Texas determined average values of oxygen consumption by cyclists to develop a table to estimate the approximate caloric equivalence between running and cycling.
He found that if you ride 20 miles at 15 mph, you burn 620 calories (20 miles X 31 calories per mile = 620 calories). Take the 620 calories and divide them by 110 calories per mile for running and you get 5.63 miles to burn the same number of calories. So riding a bicycle 20 miles at 15 miles per hour is equal to running 5.6 miles at any speed.
Dr. Coyle made the calculations easy by providing conversion factors for different riding speeds: 10MPH=4.2, 15MPH=3.5, 20MPH=2.9, 25MPH=2.3, and 30MPH=1.9. Divide the number of miles ridden by the conversion factor for your riding speed to tell you the equivalent miles of running at any speed.
Thus, for 20 miles ridden at 10MPH, divide 20 miles by 4.2 which tells you that your ride is equivalent to 4.8 miles of running. This formula is for an average-size adult (approximately 155 pounds). A larger cyclist would divide by a slightly higher number; a smaller cyclist, by a slightly lower one. Wind and hills are not accounted for in the table; nor is drafting (riding behind another cyclist), which can reduce your energy expenditure by up to one-third.
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This post is written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D. and was originally published on his blog “Fitness and Health E-Zine”.
Dr. Mirkin is board certified in Sports Medicine and has practiced for over 40 years. He has completed more than 40 marathons and was a talk show host of a nationally-syndicated radio program for about 25 years. For more articles by Dr. Mirkin, please check out: www.DrMirkin.com
Please also be advised that Dr. Mirkin’s opinions and the references cited are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
Picture from: [North Country Now]
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: bike, burning calories, caloric equivalence, calories, conversion, cycling, cyclist, energy, oxygen consumption, riding, riding speeds, runner, running, speed, wind resistance
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9 Responses to “Running vs. Cycling
Which burns more calories? ”
Which burns more calories?
The Final Sprint
I was very interested in this article, but I believe there are some errors. Is it possible that the table is backwards?
As you ride faster, you burn more energy, therefore you should burn closer to the number of calories running, not the other way around. See below.
thanks
Jerry
He found that if you ride 20 miles at 15 mph, you burn 620 calories (20 miles X
31 calories per mile = 620 calories). Take the 620 calories and divide them by
110 calories per mile for running and you get 5.63 miles to burn the same number
of calories. So riding a bicycle 20 miles at 15 miles per hour is equal to
running 5.6 miles at any speed.
Dr. Coyle made the calculations easy by providing conversion factors for
different riding speeds:
10MPH=4.2,
15MPH=3.5,
20MPH=2.9,
25MPH=2.3,
30MPH=1.9.
Divide the number of miles ridden by the conversion factor for your riding speed
to tell you the equivalent miles of running at any speed.
Thus, for 20 miles ridden at 10MPH, divide 20 miles by 4.2 which tells you that
May 7th, 2007 at 8:53 amyour ride is equivalent to 4.8 miles of running.
please reply is possible
May 7th, 2007 at 8:55 amno…the table is correct
riding at 30 MPH for 19 miles = 19 miles/1.9 conversion factor = 10 miles of running
riding at 10 mph for 19 miles = 19 miles/4.2 conversion factor = only 4.5 miles
June 10th, 2007 at 10:15 pmHow is it that running at any speed uses the same amount of energy? I find it hard to believe. I can run(jog) for ever, but if I run at a faster rate I tire much more easily. There is also the factor of ascent and descent to be considered too.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:09 amre: running at any speed
The point of this, I believe, is that wind resistance is negligible at any feasible running speed, whereas with cycling the effect of wind resistance is highly variable at different feasible velocities.
The effect of tiring more quickly when running vs. jogging has to do with inefficiently burning off your available store of blood sugar and stored carbohydrates, and then (after 10 to 15 minutes) being unable to produce the necessary calorie burn rate aerobically.
Put another way, when you jog, a much greater fraction of your energy comes from body fat, and you can complete your entire workout without completely running out of available carb energy.
/Jim F
September 23rd, 2007 at 10:37 pm[…] Running vs. Cycling Which burns more calories? Dr. Edward Coyle of the University of Texas determined average values of oxygen consumption by cyclists to develop a table to estimate the approximate caloric equivalence between running and cycling. […]
May 29th, 2008 at 10:47 amI agree with everything that you guys have said, but if your young or very athletic you might ride off rode where the terran is harsh which i do. honestly, i think that riding off rode might be harder than running because at least where i bike it is hard to get above 10 mph, and getting 5 miles might take an 30 minutes to an hour. at the end of the biking i am dead tired and i am a 6 state champion for fighting so i am in shape. i ran the same distance on the same terrain at a pretty good pace and at the end i was just a little tired probably could do that again. this is probably an extreme comparision because i have to pick my bike up and run with it for some parts. it is with out a doubt the hardest place i have ever ridden. SO IF YOU LIKE TO BIKE DO IT OFF ROAD AND YOU WILL GET SIMILIAR RESULTS OR BETTER. i would like your opinion to. thanks for reading.
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June 10th, 2008 at 8:44 pmits not even that simple though!
You have to factor in more than the wind resistance: You have to think about cycling though mud, over stones, up a steep hill (bearing, when you go up hill you have to pull more weight up a gradient than you would as a runner -you + your bike).
So the model becomes very complicated.
July 28th, 2008 at 11:58 am