Do You Lose More Calories Biking or Walking on a Treadmill?

Burning an extra 500 calories per day exercising can help you lose about 1 pound per week, according to MayoClinic.com. Biking or walking regularly can also help reduce your risk of heart disease and obesity. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or simply stay in shape, walking on a treadmill or biking can burn a significant amount of calories. Whether you lose more calories biking or walking depends on the duration and intensity of your workout. You will generally burn more calories biking, unless you walk up a steep incline at a high intensity.

MayoClinic.com reports that a 160-pound person will burn about 292 calories per hour biking at a leisurely pace of less than 10 miles per hour. According to Harvard Medical School, if you weigh 155 pounds, you can burn about 520 calories per hour biking at a moderate pace and about 782 calories biking at a vigorous pace for one hour. If you weigh less than 155 pounds you’ll burn fewer calories, and if you weigh more than 155 pounds you’ll burn more calories biking the same pace and duration.

According to MayoClinic.com, a 160-pound person will burn about 204 calories walking a pace of 2 miles per hour for one hour. Harvard Medical School reports that a 155-pound person can burn about 298 calories per hour walking on a treadmill at a pace of 3.5 miles per hour, which is a moderate pace, and can burn about 372 calories in one hour walking at a more intense pace of 4.5 miles per hour. People with lower body weights will burn fewer calories, while individuals heavier than 155 pounds will burn more calories walking the same intensity and duration.

Although biking generally burns more calories than walking on a treadmill, you can significantly boost your calorie expenditure by adding an incline to your treadmill workout. According to Livestrong.com’s MyPlate, you can burn up to 802 calories per hour walking at a pace of 4 miles per hour using a 15 percent treadmill incline.

Although burning calories by exercising can help you achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, making dietary changes is most effective for weight loss, according to MayoClinic.com. It’s often easier to reduce your intake by 500 to 1,000 calories per day than to burn the same number of calories exercising. However, exercise plays an important role in healthy weight maintenance and can help improve body composition; therefore, a balance of healthy eating and regular exercise will help you achieve the best results.