How Many Calories Burned on Recumbent Bike?
Written by: Vanswe Fitness
Published on: May 03, 2025. Last updated: May 08, 2025
A 30-minute ride on a recumbent bike can burn between 100 and 320 calories, depending on your weight and pedaling intensity. Due to individual differences, this range can vary significantly. In this guide, we’ve make calorie burn charts by body weight, as well as the most accurate ACE heart rate-based formula and links to online calculators to help you get personalized results.
Recumbent Bike Calorie Burn: Chart by Weight and Intensity 30 minutes recumbent bike calories
Your body weight and workout intensity are the two key factors that determine how many calories you burn on a recumbent bike. The chart below shows estimated calorie burn for a 30-minute session across different weight categories and effort levels — light, moderate, and high intensity.
30 minutes recumbent bike calories
| Weight (lbs) | Light Intensity | Moderate Intensity | High Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 130 | ~100 kcal | ~150 kcal | ~200 kcal |
| 160 | ~120 kcal | ~180 kcal | ~240 kcal |
| 190 | ~140 kcal | ~210 kcal | ~280 kcal |
| 220 | ~160 kcal | ~240 kcal | ~320 kcal |
📌 Note: These are approximate values based on METs (Metabolic Equivalent Tasks) [1] and may vary by age, fitness, and bike settings.
How Long Does It Take to Burn 500 Calories on a Recumbent Bike?
The time to burn 500 Calories depends on your weight and pedaling intensity. In general, the heavier you are and the harder you ride, the faster you’ll reach 500 calories burned. Use the chart below to find your estimated ride time based on body weight and effort level.
Here’s an estimate of how long you’ll need to ride to burn 500 calories, based on weight and effort level:
| Weight (lbs) | Light Intensity | Moderate Intensity | High Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 130 | ~150 mins | ~100 mins | ~75 mins |
| 160 | ~125 mins | ~83 mins | ~63 mins |
| 190 | ~107 mins | ~71 mins | ~54 mins |
| 220 | ~94 mins | ~63 mins | ~47 mins |
📌 Note: These are approximate values based on METs (Metabolic Equivalent Tasks) and may vary by age, fitness, and bike settings.
To accurately estimate how many calories you burn on a recumbent bike, it's important to consider factors like heart rate, weight, age, gender, and workout duration. We recommend you calculate your calories burned on a recumbent bike using the ACE heart rate-based formula, which accounts for all these variables and provides a more personalized and precise estimate than standard MET-based methods.
Reference
- Jetté, M., Sidney, K., & Blümchen, G. (1990). Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical cardiology, 13(8), 555–565. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.4960130809
- American Council on Exercise. (n.d.). The accuracy of heart rate–based zone training using predicted versus measured maximal heart rate. https://www.acefitness.org/continuing-education/certified/research/7466/the-accuracy-of-heart-rate-based-zone-training-using-predicted-versus-measured-maximal-heart-rate/
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