Comment by throwaway09223
3 years 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.
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).
It seems doubtful the measurements would be far off. The numbers fit with the expected 50 or so calories per mile biked.
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.
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