Does Cycling Count As Steps: 4 Facts on How to Calculate?

Bicycling is an excellent form of transportation and exercise among many people. This activity spends energy and provides significant cardiovascular benefits. Besides being an eco-friendly mode of transport, biking also helps improve balance and coordination.

Cycling does not count as steps in the direct sense, as walking and running typically measure steps. Cycling involves a different type of motion and intensity than walking, making it challenging for step counters to capture cycling activity accurately.

In this blog post, this article delves into that mystery, considering four key factors that help determine whether your cycling workout is equivalent to the steps taken.

Does Cycling Count As Steps: 4 Factors

Cycling is a popular exercise that offers many health benefits, but when tracking your physical activity, many wonder: does cycling count as steps? The answer to this question is more complex. Here are some vital factors determining whether cycling can be equivalent to taking steps.

Difference Between Steps and Pedals

To understand whether cycling can substitute for step counting, it’s essential to distinguish between the motion of walking or running (which generates steps) and the action of pedaling a bike. Every time your foot touches the ground, a step is taken. Cycling involves circular motion, where your feet push pedals continuously.

While cycling doesn’t directly translate into steps, it still provides a valuable cardiovascular workout and engages different muscle groups compared to walking. Therefore, if your goal is to track steps for a step challenge or to monitor your daily activity level in terms of steps taken, cycling may need to align better with this metric.

Role of Intensity and Duration

For cycling and walking to be comparable in steps, it’s essential to consider the intensity and duration of the activity. A brisk walk will naturally result in more steps per minute compared to leisurely cycling. However, cycling at a high intensity, such as during a vigorous spin class or a challenging hill climb, can elevate your heart rate and calorie burn significantly.

A low-intensity cycle hour is equivalent to walking for about 6,000 steps. The faster you cycle or the more intense your cycling is, the more walking steps you can achieve per hour. To meet the 10,000 steps recommendation, you must cycle for approximately 100 minutes daily. Remember that biking and walking have different intensities, so direct comparisons based on time and distance alone aren’t accurate. If you want a better approximation, use a calculator to convert your specific cycling mileage to walking steps.

Tracking Cycling Activity

While most trackers and watches count steps, many of these devices also offer the ability to track cycling activity. This feature considers metrics such as distance covered, average speed, elevation gain, and calories burned during a cycling session. Some advanced wearables can even differentiate between outdoor cycling, indoor cycling (on a stationary bike), and mountain biking.

If your primary form of exercise is cycling, using a fitness tracker that accurately captures cycling info can help you track your progress. While the step count may not directly reflect your cycling activity, monitoring metrics specific to cycling can provide you with helpful information, enable you to track your progress, and keep you motivated.

Fitness Combining Walking and Cycling

Rather than viewing cycling and walking as interchangeable activities, consider incorporating both into your fitness routine to reap the benefits of each. Walking remains a simple and effective way to increase daily activity levels, improve joint health, and boost mood. Cycling offers a low-affected cardiovascular workout, strengthens leg muscles, and can offer alternative routes.

Conclusion

While cycling may not directly count as steps, it doesn’t diminish its importance as a fantastic cardiovascular workout. Incorporating a combination of walking and cycling into your fitness routine can provide a rich blend of benefits. And remember, whether your device counts your cycling as steps, what’s truly important is that you’re engaging in regular, enjoyable physical activity.