Determining the intensity and energy expenditure during commuter cycling

Bas de Geus ¹, Sander De Smet ¹ and Romain Meeusen ^1*

¹ Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rmeeusen{at}vub.ac.be.

Accepted 11 September 2006

Abstract

Objectives: The objective was to determine the intensity and energy expenditure of commuter cycling and to investigate whether cycling to work at a self-chosen intensity corresponds with the CDC & ACSM recommendations for health improvement and ACSM recommendations for fitness improvement.

Methods: Eighteen healthy, untrained middle-aged subjects, who did not cycle to work, underwent two maximal exercise tests (MT and MT2) in order to measure their maximal HR and VO2. MT2 was performed twenty-four weeks after MT. Subjects were asked to cycle at least 3 times a week to their workplace over a one-way distance of minimum 2 kilometres. Cycling data were written down in a dairy. Twelve weeks after MT, a field test (FT) was performed, where subjects had to cycle to or from their workplace. The same measurements were performed as during MT as markers of exercise intensity. Metabolic equivalents (MET) and energy expenditure (EE) were calculated.

Results: The intensity during FT was more than 75% of their maximal aerobic capacity. The MET value was 6.8 ±1.9. The EE during FT was 220 ±115 kcal or 540 ±139 kcal·h-1 and 1539 & [plusmn]892 kcal·wk-1. Men consumed significantly (p<0.01) more energy per hour than women.

Conclusion: The data suggest that commuter cycling, at a self-selected intensity, meets the CDC & ACSM recommendations for health improvement and the ACSM recommendations for improvement of cardiorespiratory fitness. However, because the subjects cycled faster during FT, in comparison with daily cycling, the results should be interpreted with caution.

Key Words: health, indirect calorimetry, physical activity, self-selectedintensity

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