![]() Let’s do so now because a common question I answer is, “What actually is a kilojoule or kJ that everyone speaks of?” For example following a hard group ride, you might hear someone say, “That was a 2300 kJ day, I’m smoked!”, or your coach could set a specific kilojoule goal for a ride or a given time frame. I mentioned kilojoules above, but didn’t dive too far in. They are excited you are applying force as you create distance from the group! Or when you say, “I want more power up this climb!” Yup, spot on, you want to do more work in less time to get to the top faster! Calories Calculated with Power Whew that’s a whole college exam in a paragraph…did you get it?! I hope at least a bit, because, now you know what someone actually means when they yell, “Do work!” as you’re attacking for a prime in a crit. Your body will also lose energy in the form of heat leaving the body, since our bodies aren’t perfect and we all sweat! So in cycling to produce power and do work at any rate, your body will need energy in the form of calories (kcals). To do work requires exerting a Force over a Distance (Work=Force x Distance) and Power is basically how fast that work is performed (Power=Work/Time). A related measure of work is kilojoules, of which there are 4.186 kJs per 1 Calorie. This chemical energy can be transformed into heat and mechanical work energy in the body. The Calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of chemical energy stored in foods. Energy represents the capacity to do work, and food is the source of energy for humans. And all forms are governed by the laws of energy meaning they cannot be created or destroyed, only change form.įor clarity, some definitions from the good ol’ college physiology textbook in the Human Energy chapter will be beneficial. In the case of cycling, we’re talking about stored chemical energy in the form of food, and mechanical and heat energy in the form of work. Energy being expended, burned, and consumed are all functions of physics. ![]() Really, based on duration only, how does a device know the difference between coasting down a long descent essentially expending no energy toward forward motion, and covering the same ground pedaling at threshold up the same hill? The Scienceīefore we get started, let’s get make sure that we are all talking about ENERGY here. The problem with digressing down this chain is that the methods become less accurate. If it comes down to the latter, let’s hope you input accurate age, height, weight, activity level, etc. By this I mean that if the athlete has power data then it takes precedence over the heart rate calculation, and if no power data then HR is referenced and so on until finally, if only distance and time are recorded, then those metrics will be used for a rough estimate. Most cycling devices use a hierarchy system to calculate calories burned based on what information the user inputs and the device has available. And when we’re done, hopefully you can more effectively estimate how many calories you burn cycling, and even set your TrainingPeaks Nutrition preferences for each activity, as seen here. Let’s dive in a bit deeper to explore energy expenditure on the bike as it’s calculated in three different ways: by Power, by HR, and by raw metrics. It seems like every device or program has a different method for the calculation and very few individuals know what to trust. Often the topic is not initiated by the athlete, but something I feel is necessary to address because of how inaccurately some sources report it. One of the most common items I address is energy – both intake and expenditure. In my daily routine as a full-time cycling coach I spend ample time analyzing workout files.
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