A very common question that is often asked by a lot of motorcyclists who are trying to lose weight and this whole issue of losing weight by riding on a motorcycle surprises people.
So, can I burn calories by riding a motorcycle? Yes, you can burn calories by riding a motorcycle. The number of calories an average person can burn while riding is between 150 to 600 calories per hour and it depends on a lot of different factors such as your level of movement and effort while riding or the level at which you exercise your muscles while riding.
Riding a motorcycle can help you lose quite a bit of weight, for example, a person who averagely weighs 104 kg (230 pounds) can lose about half a pound each week if they spend an hour of riding every day which is amazing. In general, motorcycle riding gives different health benefits which makes it a sport for everything, but in this post, I will not talk about all of them, only burning of calories will be discussed.
If you want to know more about how to burn calories and how to increase your calorie burning level while riding a motorcycle, then keep reading because, in this guide, I will show you all the things you need to know about weight loss and calorie burning while riding a motorcycle.
Why motorcycle riding is a good workout for burning calories
In my opinion, motorcycle riding is simply one of the best sports activities you can do because not only will you burn lots of calories but you will also enjoy it, especially if you ride on your motorcycle every day, which is amazing.
Below are some major reasons that explain exactly why motorcycle riding work out so well and how they manage to make you burn calories:
- Movement of the muscles – Many people do not pay attention and notice that they use a lot of muscle when riding. Muscles of your hands that are responsible for the movement of the handlebars or muscles of the top of your body and legs that always keep you steady while riding or even the frequent movement of your head to look at the track. The whole set of those muscles work together and makes you burn lots of calories while riding.
- Muscle Strength – A very big advantage that motorcycle riding has is that it makes you use the energy of your muscles because the motorcycle weighs very heavy and your protective gear, which is also responsible for the load on you. They both make you use all your muscles to control them which helps you develop muscles, especially the muscles of the neck, abdominal, legs, hands, and muscles that work most massively.
- Improves mood and adrenalin- The reason I’m sure most people love to ride on a motorcycle is that it makes them feel better and they release a lot of adrenaline from their body. This is mostly because while riding, you release lots of endorphins that improve your mood and make you happier.
- Speed of response – Riding a motorcycle greatly helps you improve your speed of response when you lose a little stability, compared to a car that deviates you from your direction. All these different situations help improve your response speed.
- Improve your balance and stability – If you have stability or balance problem, motorcycle riding is a better treatment than going to a Physiotherapist or Fitness Trainer because riding a motorcycle requires a lot of stability and a good shedding of your body weight, which makes you significantly strengthen all your balance and stability.
How can you make yourself burn more calories when riding a motorcycle?
As previously said, riding a motorcycle definitely burns a lot of calories but if you are the type that it is very important for you to burn as many calories as possible while riding on a motorcycle, there are some tips that can help you burn more calories, but you have to understand that there is a difference between effortless and effort riding on a motorcycle. That will give you the ability to burn as many calories as possible.
So, here are the tips that will make you burn more calories while riding:
- Look for hard places to ride – If you want to ride on a motorcycle with the goal of burning as many calories as possible, the best thing you can do that will make you burn lots of calories is definitely to ride on more difficult terrain. That means riding on more difficult roads or even on a trail or places that will require more effort from you like beach or sand and can make you burn significantly more calories than just riding on well-groomed roads that don’t require a lot of effort.
- Be more active when riding – If you think you will burn many calories by riding for fun without really using your feet or hands, you are wrong because the most significant part that causes you to burn most of your calories while riding is when you move your body, and because of that, you should always try to move your hands as much as possible to be active on the seat. This way, you will burn more calories. You can even try to do isometric exercises, meaning shrinking your stomach for a few seconds and releasing or pushing hard on the containers, which will give you a better chance of strengthening your muscle and burning more calories.
- Ride a heavy motorcycle – I personally do not recommend most riders to buy a heavy motorcycle for the simple reason that it is not comfortable in the long run, but if you are considered heavyweight which means you are very fat and you want to burn more calories with motorcycle riding, I would advise you to buy a heavy motorcycle. This is because the heavier your motorcycle is, the more effort it will require from you, and the more you will be balanced while riding, which will burn you more calories.
- Buy heavy protective equipment – If you do not have a heavy motorcycle, another great option is to intentionally buy heavy equipment such as an armor protector or heavy gloves that will make you more resistant to the weight while riding. You can also put heavy things in a backpack and carry the heavy backpack with you while you ride. It will also burn lots of calories.
- Be more alert and fussy when riding – A lot of people will be surprised to hear the fact their level of concentration while riding can make them burn more calories. In fact, you burn almost 20 percent of all calories while riding. So, that way, if you want to burn more calories, try as much as possible to be alert and foxy while riding because it will not only help you lose weight but will also help you to be more safe and alert towards other riders.
- Do a race – Another good way to burn many calories while riding is to do a motorcycle racing because a race requires a lot of effort from your body, which makes you burn about 600 calories on average per each race, which is amazing.
- Ride for more hours – This is pretty obvious. The more hours you ride on your motorcycle, the more you are likely to burn more calories. If you only ride in the city to go to work or school, I would recommend you go for a long ride over the weekend with your friends or as a team. Not only will it be fun, but it will also help you burn more calories.
Is motorcycle riding the best way to burn calories of all modes of riding?
Motorcycle riding is definitely one of the best ways to burn calories, but it is not the best way to burn calories compared to running or doing other sports. Further, motorcycle riding is one of the best and may even be the best way to burn calories when compared to riding vehicles like a truck or scooter. In my opinion, the best thing about it is that you enjoy it a lot compared to riding a truck or electric bicycle or any other transport vehicle.
Here is the level of calorie you burn while riding a motorcycle versus the level of calorie you burn while riding other vehicles:
| Vehicles | Calories burn per hour |
| Motorcycle | Between 150 to 600 calories |
| Bicycle | 600 calories |
| Car, truck, or bus | 210 calories |
| Scooter | Between 150 to 450 calories |
| Electric bike | 500 calories |
Can riding on an electric motorcycle burn calories?
Riding on an electric motorcycle will definitely make you burn calories. I don’t know why most people think that riding an electric motorcycle means that you are not putting in any effort; this is not so at all.
When you ride on an electric motorcycle, you put in a lot of concentration by moving your muscles and you also make an effort to stabilize the motorcycle which makes you burn calories.
Nevertheless, riding an electric motorcycle requires less effort than riding on a regular motorcycle, which means that riding an electric motorcycle won’t make you burn calories like riding a regular motorcycle.
What type of motorcycle can help you burn the most calories?
Today, there are many types of motorcycles in the market, such as Cruisers, Dirt, Scooters, Choppers, Adventure Touring Bikes/Dual Sports, electric motorcycles, and so on. So, what type of motorcycle can help you burn the most calories?
The truth is that riding a dirt bike or touring bike will make you burn the most calories because they require more effort, but I would also like you to note what size of engine burns the most calories. Small engines like 300cc, for example, will make you burn a lot more calories than 600cc or even 1000cc engines because the smaller, less powerful engines require more effort.
In addition, if you want to see the best 300cc motorcycles in the world, I highly recommend you read the article I wrote about it. Click here to view
What is the weight limit for a motorcycle?
If you weigh too much and are afraid of riding a motorcycle, don’t worry because the weight limit that most motorcycles manage to deal with is between 350 pounds to 450 pounds (160 to 204 kg) which is definitely very much that I’m sure you can’t weigh that.
But if you are a special case that you possess that kind of weight, it will be a problem for you to ride a motorcycle because you will just get stuck and won’t be able to ride. So, I would recommend you first try to lose weight through fitness training or by doing exercise, and from there, you can ride when you appropriately do not exceed the motorcycle’s weight limit.
In addition, if you are not sure what the weight limit of your motorcycle is or the maximum weight that your motorcycle can handle, read the manufacturer’s instructions to find out.
Which muscles do you use while riding on motorcycles that make you burn calories?
You need to know the muscles you use while riding a motorcycle so that you know which muscles to use more while riding to burn more calories.
Below are the 3 main muscles you need to move the most while riding to burn as many calories as possible:
Abdominal muscles – The muscle you use most while riding is your abdominal and core muscles that are responsible for your balance while riding. It not only burns a lot of calories but also significantly strengthens your abs and even makes you look nice. So, thank me later when all the ladies desire you.
Feet & knee muscles – Orthopedic surgeons already said that motorcycle riding helps you to strengthen your leg muscles, which prevents you from suffering from knee and leg pain when you get older. So, if you put a lot of emphasis on pushing the containers with your feet, you will generally burn lots of calories and also strengthen your leg muscles.
Neck and head muscles – When I tell riders that one of the muscles they use the most while riding that makes them burn the most calories is the neck muscles, it really surprised them. Neck muscles are responsible for lots of calorie burning because you move them to be alert and to identify other riders while riding, which also helps you improve your neck vertebrae and even your back muscles.
Summary
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