Gym vs Road

mattward1979

Since the Wind has been terrible, and my enthusiasm for encountering Drivers diminished, I hit the gym for a mix of Cardio (Row, Cycle), core and weights for upper body.

So far its going good, but I'm confused at the seemingly huge disparity between calorie expenditure through gym work and road cycling...

35 mins on a Cycling machine = approx 350 cals
1 hour road cycling = 648 cals

Now the overall difference isnt that huge, but after 35 mins on the cycle machine, I want to throw my guts all over the floor, but getting off my bike back at my place after a 16 mile ride, I could quite happily go and do it again..

So, assuming that the energy expenditure is at least partially accurate (figures seem to be corroborated on the machine and various net sources including the Livestrong Myplate web app that I use to track meals etc), What is the cause for the high calorie per hour / effort for road cycling?

Cheers!

pipipi

Firstly I think that calories burned is very dependent on a whole host of factors, and the best a gym machine can do is an estimate. So take that with a pinch of salt.

The massive difference between a gym and a road is that on the road there arre natural breaks where you don't put in such a big effort, like coming into a junction. In the gym there won't be any breaks like that. Even if you put it on hill mode.

A mate with a fixie told me that if I ever rode a fixed gear I'd soon learn how often I stop pedalling and 'coast'. And a gym bike is pretty close to a fixed gear (at least the ones I go on are).

alihisgreat

I tend to find that i'm too over enthusiastic in the gym or on the turbo, when you're out on the road you can see how fast you're going and ease off a bit to maintain a speed you're happy with, there is also the niggling thought in the back of the mind of that big hill coming up, or the headwind on the return leg and these factors make me go a little easier and more cautiously.


on a gym bike you have a [more or less] constant effort so its easier to go consistently harder, and there is no hedgerow speeding by to signal that you need to ease off a bit.

16mm

mattward1979 wrote:

So, assuming that the energy expenditure is at least partially accurate (figures seem to be corroborated on the machine and various net sources including the Livestrong Myplate web app that I use to track meals etc), What is the cause for the high calorie per hour / effort for road cycling?

Cheers!

The calorie mesaurments are inaccurate, so the assumption on energy expenditure are wrong.
There isn't a cause for high calorie burn on the road. Your legs and lungs can't tell the difference.

RowCycle

I ignore all the calorie indicators, none are very accurate - or use work done as defined scientifically rather than calories burned in the body.

sagalout

Unless you have a power meter, take all calorie calculations with a pinch of salt (although I also did a gym session yesterday and was surprised to see the gym bike did have power). Also 35 mins on a gym bike is uncomfortable and mind numbing. There's nothing to occupy your mind other than the effort you're putting in, and no wind to keep you cool.

mattward1979

I've been enjoying the gym cycle as I have a massive tv right in front of me, so got to watch the england vs argentina match hehe!
And its a good warm up before my weights!

Should keep me going through winter!

t.m.h.n.e.t

mattward1979 wrote:

I've been enjoying the gym cycle as I have a massive tv right in front of me, so got to watch the england vs argentina match hehe!
And its a good warm up before my weights!

Should keep me going through winter!

Starting gym sessions tomorrow after induction yesterday. Pleasantly surprised to see tv's on most equipment. No reason to go home now lol

jgsi

mattward1979 wrote:

I've been enjoying the gym cycle as I have a massive tv right in front of me, so got to watch the england vs argentina match hehe!
And its a good warm up before my weights!

Should keep me going through winter!

What are you trying to achieve for the next ....5/6 months?
Race in 2012..?

You'll need road miles as well as the turbo - not a gym bike. it'll also help the weight control in better order if that is an issue as you mention calories.
Just me humble opinion.
Ride if you wanna be a cyclist and undo your fail

mattward1979

Weight loss is a part of my goal yes. But not the entire end result.

My Gym routine is 30-40 mins cardio then a series of weight training exercises for my upper body and core, so putting on muscle here will partially couteract any weightloss through shedding fat.

Currently I struggle to find the motivation to cycle as the weather has been utter utter crap for the last several months with constant wind added to the usual frustrations and potentially life ending driver interactions.

Also with winter coming, I wanted to get into a good routine that would maintain my fitness until the weather improves for next year as I will probably put the bike into hibernation for a few months.

Long term goals are to drop about 4 stone in weight, tone up, improve upper body strength so I think racing next year is out of the question as I am not focusing on Cycling as a discipline as such, but as a means to my fitness goals.

2013 might be a different matter

thegreatdivide

I've spent the past four months in the gym due to an off. I've been in there five days a week doing at least 40 mins on the bike (sometimes a solid 60) at a high cadence building up to some very high resistance. I'm also doing leg presses and leg extensions and core work. Doing all of this with a healthy diet has resulted in me getting back on the bike this week and being better than I've ever been!

Even though I now don't need to use the gym any more I'm going to keep it up, especially now that winter is creeping up.

nickyhoward55

I go on the spinning bike at my gym a couple of times a week, usually when i finish work late and know i wont get back home before its dark. Its great, ipod on loud and theres a couple of huge fans in the room the bikes are in (doncaster dome, if anyone knows it) so everything is kept nice and cool. There much better than the normal bikes, and yes, you do notice just how much you free wheel when out on the bike as there fixed gears on a spinning bike.

jgsi

nickyhoward55 wrote:

I go on the spinning bike at my gym a couple of times a week, usually when i finish work late and know i wont get back home before its dark. Its great, ipod on loud and theres a couple of huge fans in the room the bikes are in (doncaster dome, if anyone knows it) so everything is kept nice and cool. There much better than the normal bikes, and yes, you do notice just how much you free wheel when out on the bike as there fixed gears on a spinning bike.

The other option is to save on gym fees/ class fees ... petrol and time to get to the gym and back again ...buy a 1/2 decent turbo trainer and a couple of cheap hour long Sufferfest workouts.... thats a 1st if gym machine are kept nice and clean and hygienic... gyms are 1 of the dirtiest bug ridden places known to mankind... second only to filthy bug ridden swimming pools, yuck

rick_chasey

It's bloody uncomfortable riding in the gym.

All that sweat.

It's mentally much tougher.

nickyhoward55

JGSI wrote:

The other option is to save on gym fees/ class fees ... petrol and time to get to the gym and back again ...buy a 1/2 decent turbo trainer and a couple of cheap hour long Sufferfest workouts.... thats a 1st if gym machine are kept nice and clean and hygienic... gyms are 1 of the dirtiest bug ridden places known to mankind... second only to filthy bug ridden swimming pools, yuck

The gym is on the way home for me so thats no problem. And as for them being the dirtiest places on earth, i dont know what gyms you have been to, or if you go around licking your fingers after using a machine, but mines pretty clean, and they have anti bacterial handwash + wipes available near all machines.

If its raining cats and dogs and/or we have 40mph winds, id rather sit in the gym for an hour than suffer on my bike and most likely be blown into a car (not blown in a car, thats a different forum....)

DavidJB

I normally retire to the gym/turbo in the winter and only ride to work / outside at the weekends if its 5c or above...the reason is on a lot of country roads if it's been freezing overnight then they remain icy all day...rather not have a fall in the middle of nowhere!

fludey

I just bought a turbo trainer to keep my legs turning through the cold months and will be out on the ....ahem mountain bike. Used to go gym but it gets a bit boring after a while, same views same ride no variation, so opted for turbo and few cycling event DVDs!

reacher

for some one just starting , train properly in a gym and you can make enormous gains , i started my daughter on gym work in april before getting on the bike then laced the road work onto the weekly sessions the progress from the first ride to now coupled with weight loss and strengh on the bike is outstanding .
she had done gym work before but not like this ,
our gym is spotless as well , what are you doing taste tests on the kit ?
besides the amount of people you actually see break into a sweat in a modern gym is virtually zero , thats why they are all still fat after 6 months and give up , or train for years and never see a differance

charliew87

I'm just about to buy my first road bike. Have been in the gym on the bikes for a month or 2.

Generally I put it on hill mode and do half an hour as fast as i can, usually cover about 16/17k.

Is the best way to do it?

crescent

I am just about to put my road bike away for the winter months - a combination of the poorer weather, darker nights and debris on the road has brought this around a bit sooner than normal this year. I will be returning to my thrice weekly spin class at the gym and the occasional mountain bike outing with my son. I enjoy the spin classes but it is no substitute for getting out on the road. However, I always come out the 45min spin class lathered in sweat, I seem to expend far more energy than I would on the road. The first time I went I thought I would find spinning quite easy as a regular cyclist. However, after 10mins I wasn't sure I was going to survive the class :shock: The class I attend is driven by an instructor and the big difference I notice is that you deliberately increase resistance to make it harder to pedal whereas on the 'real' bike you would be changing gear to maintain a steady cadence, in that respect it is perhaps not entirely realistic, still a good workout though. There is no getting away from the fact that exercise equipment is generally boring compared to the real thing.
I find that flicking through cycling catalogues and looking at new equipment helps while away the winter months as well - already earmarked a few purchases for next spring

jgsi

nickyhoward55 wrote:

JGSI wrote:

The other option is to save on gym fees/ class fees ... petrol and time to get to the gym and back again ...buy a 1/2 decent turbo trainer and a couple of cheap hour long Sufferfest workouts.... thats a 1st if gym machine are kept nice and clean and hygienic... gyms are 1 of the dirtiest bug ridden places known to mankind... second only to filthy bug ridden swimming pools, yuck

The gym is on the way home for me so thats no problem. And as for them being the dirtiest places on earth, i dont know what gyms you have been to, or if you go around licking your fingers after using a machine, but mines pretty clean, and they have anti bacterial handwash + wipes available near all machines.If its raining cats and dogs and/or we have 40mph winds, id rather sit in the gym for an hour than suffer on my bike and most likely be blown into a car (not blown in a car, thats a different forum....)

Sorry , my mistake, gyms are obviously one of the cleanest places on the planet.

nickel

reacher wrote:

for some one just starting , train properly in a gym and you can make enormous gains , i started my daughter on gym work in april before getting on the bike then laced the road work onto the weekly sessions the progress from the first ride to now coupled with weight loss and strengh on the bike is outstanding .
she had done gym work before but not like this ,
our gym is spotless as well , what are you doing taste tests on the kit ?
besides the amount of people you actually see break into a sweat in a modern gym is virtually zero , thats why they are all still fat after 6 months and give up , or train for years and never see a differance

I love the people who get on the exercise bike and then prop up a book or magazine to read whilst using it, I'm sorry but if you can manage to read you're not trying hard enough!

springtide9

JGSI wrote:

Sorry , my mistake, gyms are obviously one of the cleanest places on the planet.

A few germs wouldn't harm you.... they are good for your immune system!

I use a gym three times a week and have done for the last two years - and very very rarely get any viruses... and if I do pick up something - it's always from the kids.

The more 'sterile' the environment you life in, the worse your immune system will be. There is nothing worse than living your life being obsessed with Dettol and Bleach!

Nickel wrote:

I love the people who get on the exercise bike and then prop up a book or magazine to read whilst using it, I'm sorry but if you can manage to read you're not trying hard enough!

You do have a very good point! You shouldn't even be able to 'listen to music' - I have always been told that 'music is just there as a detraction from the pain'

reacher

plenty of gunge on the bikes when i'v finished , looks like some ones chucked a bucket of water over it , must say no one seems to rush over and use it after i'v been on it ,

scottarm

I do the gym at least three times a week and set the bike to a random hill mode for up to an hour at a time, totally wrecked by the end but it really helped me come back from a serious knee injury

I would recommend that you keep the weights separate from the cardio days and rotate weights and cardio to give the legs a rest, if you are doing the bike with weights just use it as a quick warm up or cool down

well that's what my trainer and physio told me

as for getting sick from the gym......since joining the gym four years ago I haven't even caught a cold