When bike riding on a normal bike, does using a low or high gear burn more calories?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Julie M
  • Start date Start date
J

Julie M

Guest
I have been riding my bike for 1-2 hours everyday on flat/slightly hilly surfaces. I use the highest gear on both sides, since mine has left and right gears, and I feel like I am really working. However, I know at higher gears, the bike goes faster. Does this mean that I need to peddle less to travel the distance I want? It seems like a low gear, where I peddle fast, would work my legs more. Any comments would be great! I want to make sure that my work pays off the best it can!
 
Well, ok, lower gears signify less resistance, but less distance also. Vice versa for high gears. Generally, cyclists aim for 80-90 pedal strokes per minute. If you are really pedaling for exercise, then you will want to pedal fast, obviously. Using a high resistance/low cadence will work your calves and quads, for sure, but it can also damage your legs bones that can't hold up to that amount of force being applied to them. Cyclists are generally thin, and that is because they do a fairly low gear number (high cadence) which builds slow-twitch muscle fiber, which is great for aerobic (endurance) exercise. So, calories burnt by each? I have no idea. But, I use a somewhat low gear (on my 24-speed commuter, I use a 2-3 or 2-4 , with the first number being the front derailleur and the second number being the rear derailleur.

Looking back, my answer seems kinda jumbled. So, here it is, plain and simple (hopefully) - ride with a fairly low gear number, and work up a hard sweat. Aerobic exercise burns more calories faster and you will definitely feel the burn in your whole body, not just your legs like you would with a high gear number.
 
You want to pedal at a high cadence 70-90 rpm's with a lite pressure on the pedals. That will use your slow twitch muscles that use fat as a fuel and wont wear out your legs. Pedaling slow and mashing on the pedals will use your fast twitch muscles and will use glycogen as a fuel and will cause your legs to burn from the lactic acid buildup.

The faster you go the more calories you burn. The way you pedal determines what type of energy you burn. You want to pick a gear that is easy to pedal and gets your breathing to the point where you can still talk but not sing. If you need to catch your breath or your legs start to get tired drop down a gear or two and keep going.

It never gets easier, you just go faster.
 
Hmm, I'd say whichever gives you the higher cadence, or RPM, however it may all come down to your body type. Hope that kinda helps.
 
Back
Top