Why am I burning fewer calories on Peloton??

[Anonymous]

Are you using a heart rate monitor? If you are, and you're in better shape, then your heart rate may not be going as high.

The other possibility is that you lost weight, and you told the Peloton (either directly or through a smartwatch/Health app), so it knows you are burning less.

The final possibility is that Peloton tweaked the formula on how they calculate calories burned

[Anonymous]

+1 on heart rate. When I start swimming after a hiatus, I burn more calories per hour than I do when I am back in shape. This cuts my calories burned in two ways: 1) I aim for distance rather than time, so I finish the distance in less time (so my workout is a little shorter, but I definitely perceive similar effort) 2) my heart rate generally is not as high once I am in better shape, even if I am pushing the pace (so even though I feel like I am at a similar level of effort, I am actually not according to my heart rate).

[Anonymous]

I don't really pay attention to calories burned on my Peloton. I pay more attention to output and the effort that I'm putting in. I noticed that I was sort of plateauing in my bike workouts and now that I've added more running to the mix, my output has been increasing and I can exert much more than I used to due to the cross-training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really pay attention to calories burned on my Peloton. I pay more attention to output and the effort that I'm putting in. I noticed that I was sort of plateauing in my bike workouts and now that I've added more running to the mix, my output has been increasing and I can exert much more than I used to due to the cross-training.

I also noticed the converse - running has gotten easier for me since I started Peloton, probably because my legs are stronger. I like to run so I do that when it's nice, and do Peloton when it's not (most of the time these days...looking forward to spring)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've had Peloton for 2 years and typically use it 2-4 times a week, 30 minutes. When I first got it, I could burn 10 calories per minute (so 300 calories for 30 minutes) and my personal bests were usually at 310, 315.

It's gotten steadily worse. I feel like I am working just as hard, but am only burning 270-280 calories in 30 minutes - so 9 calories per minute basically. I am actually in better shape than when I started Peloton (not dramatically, but better nonetheless), so what gives?

I'm not freaking out about burning 30 calories less, but am confused about why it feels just as hard today as it did 18 months ago, but the numbers tell me I am not working as hard. Has anyone else experienced this or know why it might be?

I am having this issue but a little differently. I am barely burning 150-180 (on a super good day) for a 20 min ride! I am going taking interval classes, and pushing high resistance (at least up to 65 sometimes 70). I struggle with reaching the 10cal per minute and don't know what to do.

[Anonymous]

The question was answered earlier - the "power meter" on the peloton bike is what is outputting the "calorie burn." It is not really a power meter and it likely skews over time. I think there is a calibration protocol for the v1 and v2 bikes on reddit. I know our peloton is not very accurate.

If you are truly interested, you can replace the pedals with a single sided power meter set of pedals - this would also open up clip options. The threading is standardized. You would need to capture the output on a watch or a bike computer.

A power meter is about the most accurate way to calculate activity calories outside of a lab environment.

Here is an explanation: https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/calories-and-power/

180 at 20 minutes * 3 = 540 / hour. That is a lot, even in the upright position of a peloton bike which is easier for power generation. By comparison, during a workout last weekend I averaged just under 210 watts for 2 hours on a road bike, which was calculated at 1497kj of work for approximately 1430 calories.

[Anonymous]

I’ve found a similar issue after getting a recent software update. I’m not sure if it is connected or a coincidence.

[Anonymous]

My apple watch always lists my calorie burn as lower than my peloton does. This doesn't explain why your peloton is recording less, but I also would think about using a watch that is measuring your heart rate, which is probably a better indicator of your body's output.

[Anonymous]

The answer is all the responses in here about the peloton power meter.

Wrist based optical heart rate sensors are more or less useless in a biking position. Usually low to very low measurement in the wrong direction. If you want to use heart rate as some kind of metric, get a heart rate strap.