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I'm a 40 year old guy who's been sitting behind a desk writing software for two decades. I was in good shape in my 20s but haven't exercised significantly in a

I'm a 40 year old guy who's been sitting behind a desk writing software for two decades. I was in good shape in my 20s but haven't exercised significantly in a very long time. It took me about three months to get up to that speed, cycling every other day. I started out doing 10 miles, at 10mph. Three months isn't all that long for an exercise program.

aixi 5y ago
same here, I'm in my late 20s and was generally unhealthy because of the pandemic, and I burn 630-700 calories per 30 minutes worked out
- nradov 5y ago
  That is unlikely. How are you measuring calorie burn? You're probably overestimating. As a point of comparison, an average size man would have to run at a speed of at least 11 mph (18 km/h) in order to burn that many calories in 30 minutes. Not impossible, but well beyond what most of us can manage.
Bishonen88 5y ago
Not that it matters, but reporting mph for a stationary bike (indoor trainer I assume) is meaningless in this context. This could mean that you're cycling anywhere between 0 and 2000 Watts. I cycle on and off for ~8 years (35yo) and going at 20mph in the real world for an hour or more became possible only after a few years for me.
nradov 5y ago
Color me skeptical. In order to burn 1000 kcal in 60 minutes a cyclist would have to sustain a power output of about 280 W. Do you have a calibrated power meter, or are you going by the "vanity" calories displayed by most stationary bikes? There are certainly plenty of trained cyclists who can maintain that power output, but I've never seen anyone reach that level after only 3 months. If you really did that then you're an extreme genetic outlier with an unusually fast training response.
- throwaway09223 5y ago
  I don't know, actually. I'll check it out later today. I do know my heart rate is around 150-160 throughout. I did a lot of cycling in my 20s and while I'm at least a decade out of shape I'm sure I'm relying a lot on past training.
  - nradov 5y ago
    High aerobic fitness evaporates pretty quickly. The training you did a decade ago will not carry over to today. However, there are a few genetic outliers who can quickly build up a high level of fitness with just a short training program. You could be one of them, but it's more likely you're just getting bad data. Absolute heart rate doesn't tell us much about calorie consumption because there's a huge variation between individuals. If we know the athlete's size, sex, and threshold heart rate then we can start to make some kind of estimate. But to get an accurate number it really takes a properly calibrated power meter (or more complex lab tests involving exhaled gas measurement).
    - throwaway09223 5y ago
      It seems doubtful the measurements would be far off. The numbers fit with the expected 50 or so calories per mile biked.
      - nradov 5y ago
        It's doubtful that your measurements are even close to accurate. If you're on a stationary bike then the distance displayed is completely meaningless. The equipment manufacturers just show those numbers to make their customers feel good. In terms of calories they are in no way comparable to real outdoor cycling. You can get a great workout on a stationary bike but you need to be realistic about the true power output. What is the actual power output in watts? Has it been properly calibrated? If not then you're just fooling yourself.
        throwaway09223 5y ago

aixi 5y ago

same here, I'm in my late 20s and was generally unhealthy because of the pandemic, and I burn 630-700 calories per 30 minutes worked out

nradov 5y ago
That is unlikely. How are you measuring calorie burn? You're probably overestimating. As a point of comparison, an average size man would have to run at a speed of at least 11 mph (18 km/h) in order to burn that many calories in 30 minutes. Not impossible, but well beyond what most of us can manage.

Bishonen88 5y ago

Not that it matters, but reporting mph for a stationary bike (indoor trainer I assume) is meaningless in this context. This could mean that you're cycling anywhere between 0 and 2000 Watts. I cycle on and off for ~8 years (35yo) and going at 20mph in the real world for an hour or more became possible only after a few years for me.

nradov 5y ago

Color me skeptical. In order to burn 1000 kcal in 60 minutes a cyclist would have to sustain a power output of about 280 W. Do you have a calibrated power meter, or are you going by the "vanity" calories displayed by most stationary bikes? There are certainly plenty of trained cyclists who can maintain that power output, but I've never seen anyone reach that level after only 3 months. If you really did that then you're an extreme genetic outlier with an unusually fast training response.

throwaway09223 5y ago
I don't know, actually. I'll check it out later today. I do know my heart rate is around 150-160 throughout. I did a lot of cycling in my 20s and while I'm at least a decade out of shape I'm sure I'm relying a lot on past training.
- nradov 5y ago
  High aerobic fitness evaporates pretty quickly. The training you did a decade ago will not carry over to today. However, there are a few genetic outliers who can quickly build up a high level of fitness with just a short training program. You could be one of them, but it's more likely you're just getting bad data. Absolute heart rate doesn't tell us much about calorie consumption because there's a huge variation between individuals. If we know the athlete's size, sex, and threshold heart rate then we can start to make some kind of estimate. But to get an accurate number it really takes a properly calibrated power meter (or more complex lab tests involving exhaled gas measurement).
  - throwaway09223 5y ago
    It seems doubtful the measurements would be far off. The numbers fit with the expected 50 or so calories per mile biked.
    - nradov 5y ago
      It's doubtful that your measurements are even close to accurate. If you're on a stationary bike then the distance displayed is completely meaningless. The equipment manufacturers just show those numbers to make their customers feel good. In terms of calories they are in no way comparable to real outdoor cycling. You can get a great workout on a stationary bike but you need to be realistic about the true power output. What is the actual power output in watts? Has it been properly calibrated? If not then you're just fooling yourself.
      - throwaway09223 5y ago