How Many Calories Do You Burn Mountain Biking?

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OLIVER L. Author

Published: January 30, 2021

Oliver has been mountain biking for over 20 years, raced downhill nationally and is part of several mountain biking clubs and communities. He currently owns five bikes... and they all get used (as he reminds his girlfriend regularly) Read More

While most of us enjoy mountain biking for the fun and the challenge of the sport, many individuals choose mountain biking for fitness. It is one of the best methods of retaining fitness and will help you improve as well. If you are looking to lose weight, you might have wondered how many calories do you burn mountain biking and how to optimize the process.

How Many Calories Does Biking Burn

Cycling and mountain biking is a great way to reduce fat stores and have some fun. However, not every bike expedition is the same. The number of calories you burn mountain biking will come down to a couple of things. These include the type of bike you are riding and the distance. It is a great way to shed some additional weight and have some fun with friends and family.

How Calories are Burned when Mountain Biking

Whether you are on a mountain bike or any other form of a bike, you must understand how calories are burned. When performing any vigorous activities, the body will use the oxygen from each inhale to convert sugars and fats into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Protein is also used if you are underfed, but ATP is the main molecule that provides energy to the body.

How many calroies does biking burn

ATP is one of the most important molecules for the body, regardless of the use you have for it. It is important that you understand ATP and how the body creates it. Generally, we have ATP in the muscles, but it runs out quite rapidly, forcing the body to create more. The anaerobic metabolism is generally used to create ATP from carbohydrates during short bursts of activities. However, fats and sugars are used for more sustainable energy.

ATP Molecule
ATP Molecule

If you are burning calories while on your mountain bike, you must have enough energy to get you through the session. Nothing can be more frustrating than running out of energy in the middle of a cycling session. Small snacks, packed with glucose are often some of the best ways you can stay in shape when working out.

How Many Calories are burned Mountain Biking?

Now that you have some idea of how the process works, it is much easier to look at how many calories are burned mountain biking. There are a few factors that will determine how many calories you are going to burn and you will need to understand these. We will also look at some of the estimates that determine how many calories the average person of a specific weight should lose over a given period.

Factors To Influence The Number Of Calories One Will Burn MTB

These factors are not as straightforward as they might seem. Even though we have listed them, it is important to give some room or leeway when you are calculating your calories. These factors can also be manipulated to allow you to lose more weight or reduce the calories that are burned with each workout routine.

  • Bike Type: Not every bike has the same requirement and the best mountain bikes can take you on tough trails that will test your mettle. Road bikes are slightly more lenient, but stationary bikes will have the least calorie consumption.
  • Intensity: It will also come down to your intensity and how actively you are pedaling. The more intense you are with your bike, the more calories you will burn. However, you will also tire out much faster.
  • Bike Setup: Aside from the type of bike you have, many bikes have different setups. For instance, the electric bike will be much easier to pedal and it will reduce the output of energy you need to expend.
  • Body Type/ Size: Larger riders tend to burn more calories than smaller individuals do. However, this is a direct response to the more energy their bodies need to be sustained. You must keep your body weight and size in mind as well.
  • Purpose: Finally, you will need to determine what the purpose of your cycling is and if there are a few things that can be changed. If you want to lose weight, you probably will. BY lowering the intensity for more fun, you will reduce calorie consumption.

As you might have noticed by now, almost every person has a different reason for using a mountain bike and numerous factors play a role in how much weight someone can lose. The above-mentioned factors are only a few of the main factors that will play a massive part in how much weight you can lose with your bike.

How Many Calories Does The Average Person Burn

Now that you have seen some of the information, it should be much easier for you to understand the caloric process. The average person burns a certain amount of calories depending on their weight and size. While these statistics are not set in stone and many of the other factors come into play, they can be used as a guideline.

Stationary Biking

According to numerous studies that have taken the average person and monitored them while cycling between 12 and 13.9 MPH for around 30-minutes, the following results were made available:

  • 125-pound person – 210-calories
  • 155-pound person – 260-calories

Road Biking

If you don’t feel like staying indoors all the time, you might enjoy the urban areas and explore. Results for a 30-minute ride has yielded the following results:

Best Road Bike
  • 125-pound person – 240-calories
  • 155-pound person – 298-calories
  • 185-pound person – 355-calories

Mountain Biking

As mentioned, mountain biking is slightly harder, but it still yields some excellent results. Harvard University has done the same test and for mountain biking, here are the following results.

How many calories does mountain biking burn
  • 125-pound person – 255-calories
  • 155-pound person – 316-calories
  • 185-pound person – 377-calories

Overall, mountain biking or simply cycling outside will give you more results. However, many people choose to use mountain biking for losing weight. Numerous studies point to one losing a lot of weight when mountain biking. We would recommend mountain biking as the best option to lose weight.

Additional Benefits that Mountain Biking Can Have For Your Body

Mountain biking is one of the best ways to lose weight. We have also established that is great for keeping you fit. However, there are a couple more benefits that one can expect when avidly mountain biking. Here are a few of the benefits that avid mountain bikers can expect when they are serious about mountain bike trails.

Relaxing

Yes, if you believe it or not, mountain biking is one of the most relaxing forms of workout you can incorporate into your daily life. There are additional studies that will show you how many mental and psychological benefits one can get when cycling.

Reduces Joint Pain In The Elderly

Since many forms of cycling are considered low-impact, they do not have such an adverse effect on your body. It is often better to cycle around the block rather than walking. We would recommend mountain biking for the elderly to help combat the effects of arthritis.

Fun

The final benefit is mostly directed at some of the younger mountain bikers. However, fun is one of the main benefits of cycling and you can expect to have some fun. It is also important that you have some fun. People of all ages should be able to have some fun and enjoy cycling to the best of their abilities.

Wrap-Up

If you’ve wondered how many calories do you burn mountain biking, you have come to the right place and we how that this article will intrigue you and allow you to get into the world of cycling. We recommend mountain bikes above all due to the challenge and the fun. Additionally, the best trail bike also looks impressive.

Below is a Pinterest friendly photo… so you can pin it to your Mountain Bike Board!


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