Who burns more calories?

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Workplace argument.

Person A - Never rode a bike before. Overweight, 280 pound fellow. Couch potato.
Person B - TDF Athlete. Extremely fit. 145 pounds.

Who burns more calories riding a bike for 30 minutes at the same effort?

The arguments we've had:
Perceived Effort: Person B at 100% will burn as many calories as Person A at 100%
Efficiency: Person B does not need the calories to propel himself forward compared to Person A. Person B needs less energy to move for 30 minutes at the same effort as Person A. Thus, A burns more than B.
 

Blair

Well-Known Member
Person B heart rate will be lower over the same distance that equals fewer calories. Person B will burn more only if person A has a heart attack and dnf.
 

mandi

Well-Known Member
I still think Person B burns more. Based on the fact that muscle actively contributes where as fat doesn't.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Person B. Put a power meter on them both and you'll see. The TdF rider can blow out tremendous numbers of calories without trying. The couch potato is going to put out as much power as your cat with that same perceived effort.

This statement:

"Person B needs less energy to move for 30 minutes at the same effort as Person A"

I think you're mixing your terms:

* same effort
* energy

Same effort means that they both are trying to go easy/medium/hard.

- At a lower effort, B is putting out high power still(relative to an average human)
- At a lower effort, A is putting out really small power

Power is used to determine KJ which is a rough approximation of calories burned.
 

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Are you making fun of my cat?

Same effort(work) = same calories, right?

That is the question it seems.

Isn't Person B more efficient with their energy output than Person A? Even at the same effort, Person B would waste less energy than Person A because of efficiency.
 

ChrisRU

Well-Known Member
Power is used to determine KJ which is a rough approximation of calories burned.
This is what I was referring to. Terms need to be more clear. If both are excerting the same power they will burn the same calories, however the effort (percieved) to achieve that power will be different.
 

Blair

Well-Known Member
Let's rephrase it again to make it more even: Who burns more calories at the same effort and distance? A TDF rider or a TDF rider with a 140 pound backpack on(totaling 280 pounds)?
 

Maurice

New Member
Believe it or not, B will burn more calories even doing nothing.

Needless to say, riding a bike is the same. Think of A as a crown vic. with a moped engine, and B as a go-kart with a V8. Which reminds me of a Top Gear episode where they tested just that. I love top gear.
 
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Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Believe it or not, B will burn more calories even doing nothing.

I can't compute that. Another example, We have a flight of steps at work. Are you saying that the Person B going up the steps will burn more calories than Person A? Is it because their body is used to burning calories while Person A just may not be able to get up the steps?

I guess it really does come down to the effort the person is putting out. Person B's effort going up the steps is nil. Person A needs more effort to go up the steps, hence burning more calories?
 

UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
If both are excerting the same power they will burn the same calories

No because me outputting 100W at 10mph going up hill doesnt equal pearl outputting 100w going uphill at 10mph. The equation for power involves mass, so if that differs, the amount of energy used will as well. And work = force x distance, more mass = more force required to move it.

Could be A or B depending on many factors im sure. I would go with B. But maybe person A is 6'7" tall and 280lbs and built like Jake? Muscle has a much higher burn rate than fat does and 140lbs is a massive difference in weight.

I found this:
The American Council on Exercise lists a number of activities according to how many calories they burn per minute, depending on your body weight. A 20-lb. weight difference can translate to a more than 10-percent increase in calories burned for some activities. For example, if you weigh 160 lbs., you'll burn about 10.3 calories per minute swimming the crawl at a moderate pace. However, if you weigh 180 lbs., you'll burn about 11.6 calories per minute.
 

Maurice

New Member
I can't compute that. Another example, We have a flight of steps at work. Are you saying that the Person B going up the steps will burn more calories than Person A? Is it because their body is used to burning calories while Person A just may not be able to get up the steps?

I guess it really does come down to the effort the person is putting out. Person B's effort going up the steps is nil. Person A needs more effort to go up the steps, hence burning more calories?

Yes and yes, but I'll add that being used to burning more calories is only secondary to the ability to burn more. Again V8 vs. moped engine analogy.

Plus overall the metabolism tends to be "faster".

I read it somewhere at some point, forget where sorry can't post the link but they had actually measured it and also made the case for intensity of workout vs. length as to which was more efficient (intense workouts > long workouts).
 

Arwen's Mom

Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains
so, according to utahJoe's quote from the American Council on Exercise, it's the fat person who burns more calories.

So as I loose weight and strengthen my heart, I have to work harder to keep burning more calories?

Oh who cares, who wants to go for a ride now that I have had a nap :p
 

Maurice

New Member
so, according to utahJoe's quote from the American Council on Exercise, it's the fat person who burns more calories.

So as I loose weight and strengthen my heart, I have to work harder to keep burning more calories?

Oh who cares, who wants to go for a ride now that I have had a nap :p

The premise is "athlete" vs. "non-athlete", which makes Utah's quote less relevant in the context.

Keep riding and reap the cumulative effect.
 

elzoller

El Guac-Oh
images


yeah, screw this, im going out for a ride
 
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