Biking steps vs walking steps

[CRSunrise]

I know I won't get as many steps per miles, nor burn quite as many calories per miles riding my bike as I would walking, whether I'm stepping in place or actually out walking. I'm just wondering how much more biking I'd probably have to do to equal each other. I step anywhere between 31,000 and 40,000 steps a day.

[Mukluk4]

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@sfoley wrote:

We are having a walking challenge in work, some people are biking 26 miles and recording 50,000.00 steps taken.  What should we record for a 26 mile bike ride?

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Considering it's defined as a "Walking Competition", I would say 0.  But that's up to the rules of the worker who proposed such nonsense.

[sfoley]

This is a STEP challenge. We are trying to convert biking miles into actual steps. 

[GershonSurge]

@sfoley,

If you use Cooper's aerobic points as a guide, a bicycle goes about 3.75  times as fast as a walker with the same effort. Let's say someone rides for an hour at 15 mph. This should convert to a person walking for an hour at about 4 mph. They would likely get about 8,000 steps. That's all the bicycle rider should get.,

The "What is a step?" debate was popular here two years ago and resulted in some heated discussions. I'd hate to introduce that at work, especially if there is a prize. In fact, if I was a boss, I wouldn't allow it. I don't want people taking the long way to the restroom all the time. However, depending on the type of work, I'd direct short walking breaks just to keep my employees healthy. I'd also demand they eat a certain way. (See how this can get out of control?) 

Calories burned is a better measure of effort. However, that can be unfair because people have different capabilities. A contest can lead people to injure themselves. 

[Corney]

@sofley: I ride a stationary bike with my fitbit on my ankle. 20 miles
only logs 3150 steps on my fitbit which is 70 rpm's times 45 minutes. If
you multiply 3150 by 2 since the fitbit only registers one leg you would
only get 6300 steps. 50K steps is hyperbole!

[Kelljo]

Steps are also figured off of your hear trate (if you have that option on your fitbit). So when biking my heart rate (cardio) gets pretty high. Steps and calories burned are figured from this as well.

[Mukluk4]

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@Kelljo wrote:

Steps are also figured off of your hear trate (if you have that option on your fitbit). So when biking my heart rate (cardio) gets pretty high. Steps and calories burned are figured from this as well.

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Steps and distance aren't.  Calories burned are.

[imagooduser]

The Fitbit blog says the 10,000 steps /day default includes 30 minutee of exercise. I feel they should have found a reasonable way to convert biking and other exercise time to steps if they were going to make 10,000 the default on the basis that 30 minutes of exercise is included. A rider or swimmer must do extra walking to meet Fitbit's default step goal because their chosen exercise isn't counted? That doesn't make sense.

https://blog.fitbit.com/should-you-really-take-10000-steps-a-day/

[Mukluk4]

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@imagooduser wrote:

The Fitbit blog says the 10,000 steps /day default includes 30 minutee of exercise. I feel they should have found a reasonable way to convert biking and other exercise time to steps if they were going to make 10,000 the default on the basis that 30 minutes of exercise is included. A rider or swimmer must do extra walking to meet Fitbit's default step goal because their chosen exercise isn't counted? That doesn't make sense.

https://blog.fitbit.com/should-you-really-take-10000-steps-a-day/

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They'd have to account for the different gears, terrain, etc.  I'm sure the ROI on that development is not worth the effort.

Those guidelines are the bare minimum, so if that's all you are shooting for then adjust your step goal accordingly to account for it.  

I'm not sure why there's such a hard-on for step goals on this site.  It's about effort and calories burned.  I bike, I only worry about distance, time, and calories burn and consider it an additional non-step based exercise to my routine.  You wouldn't worry about steps in the weight room, so why on a bike?

[imagooduser]

My point was that the default shouldn't be 10,000 steps including 30 minutes exercise because many exercises don't use steps. 

Fitbit's blog says you should be at 10,000 unless you're new to fitness or in recovery - that's seems crazy to me, even if you do 30 minutes of step-based exercise.

[imagooduser]

OK, now that I've got a Charge 3 instead of just the mobile tracking in the Fitbit app, 10,000 doesn't seem crazy anymore 🙂 Mobile tracking was getting only 20-30% of my steps even with the phone on me at all times.

[Shanann]

I would think biking would consider steps, like exercise- not as rigorous, but like the elliptical or the stair steps.  You are getting your heart rate up and using your legs. 

[olb-arsted]

I'm not sure why there's such a hard-on for step goals on this site.

Maybe it's because STEPS are the criteria upon which we are all judging ourselves and each other on, and by which we encourage participation and improvement in society's health.

I am being advised by my massage therapist to reduce my daily steps and replace them with cycling, so what is the target for me to pursue now?

[WendyB]

@olb-arsted  Ask your therapist.

I put my hands on my legs when I'm biking and get steps. Not a lot.

Some people will put it on their ankle. Its up to you

[Baltoscott]

@olb-arsted — Steps are only one of the metrics your fitbit tracks. If walking is causing you pain or your therapist just thinks you are just overdoing it compared to other exercise you could do follow her advice and go out an enjoy your bike.  Keep an eye on your active minutes and work on keeping them the same or increasing them as compared to what you’ve been doing historically when all you focused on were the steps you were doing.

[Heybales]

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@olb-arsted wrote:

I'm not sure why there's such a hard-on for step goals on this site.

Maybe it's because STEPS are the criteria upon which we are all judging ourselves and each other on, and by which we encourage participation and improvement in society's health.

I am being advised by my massage therapist to reduce my daily steps and replace them with cycling, so what is the target for me to pursue now?

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Steps is the criteria upon which some people without more knowledge are judging themselves and others.

Shoot, I've seen people where walking is no longer a workout - meaning it's easy and it's not pushing the body to change for the better anymore. At maintenance you might say for fitness.

But not a very high level as far as recommendations of high intensity of exercise.

And they have these step goals or competitions that prevents them, in their mind, from doing any better workouts. I've seen ones turn down time doing resistance training which will be a whole lot better for their body than walking - because they'd get no steps for it.

Very, very sad state of affairs.

Your target?

You ever noticed the other stats that Fitbit has available beyond steps?

This isn't really about doing a lot of research in this case - it just looking at other info just as easily available as step count is.

Perhaps it's time to move beyond mere mundane step challenges and figure out what would be a good challenge for you compared to you. Not others.