Is riding a bike on challenge cheating?

[MeredithC]

I did a work week challenge and one day I hiked 2.5 miles then did a 12 mile bike ride.  One of the people said I was cheating.  I think working out is working out.  A bike logs less steps than actually stepping.  What do you think?  BTW this person won the challenge 'cause he paced around the house until midnight.  I think that's a little compulsive just to win.

[SunsetRunner]

sorry had to go out

don't get me wrong, I can understand why you would be annoyed as it were but you need to see it from the otherside, from our perspective as it were

think of it this way, what if you were one day not able to do those 'qualified' steps and had to get those steps in however you can, how would you feel then when people started to call you a cheater and that those steps were not real etc

or for example, how would you feel if people were to constantly start calling you a cheat, and that you were attaching your fitbit to your horse's leg, and that you were sat on the horse whilst trotting and you did no steps, having GPS would mean nothing, as steps were still being recorded and the GPS was still logging/recording the path/distance done etc, you technically have no way of proving that those steps were real, or done by you, you could post all the data you want, but they can still be faked, the only way to be 100% certain is to do it together, like say in a marathon

if you only want to go against those that do what you describe as 'qualified' steps then only join those challenges where only those steps are allowed, and even then it is all down to trust

but going around saying that unless a step is 'qualified' then it is not a step and those people are cheating etc, is just asking for trouble, going to cause trouble and arguments, and close minded

[GershonSurge]

The rules in the activity groups are set down. It's a step competition. The rules do not need to be any clearer than that. I'm ok with jogging in place as those are steps and the exercise value is close to walking. Recall it's a pedometer challenge, so random steps around the house and elsewhere count. It was the whole point of the original 10,000 step in the study back in the 60's.

There are valid medical reasons and lifestyle reasons why people cannot get enough steps to win a competition. Many people put their focus elsewhere. There are plenty of things they are better at than I am and I'm continually amazed by the talents people have that I don't have.

A single mother with babies will get many steps walking around her home. It's a surprisingly high number. She will also burn a high number of calories. 

This thread asked an opinion. I wouldn't say bicycle "steps" are at the level of cheating. However, they do ruin the activity group competitions for many. I'm the type who can accept your opposite opinion as equally correct. Thanks for helping me understand your point of view.

Added after seeing your last post: 

I'm not anywhere close to the level of being annoyed as I seldom get there. I just adjusted by creating my own training plan and taking a sort of outside view as I improve. I am in some activity groups under the name "Gershon." You can see that name in my friends list. I only pay attention to one of them where two or three of us end up pushing each other once in a while. 

I don't use the Surge for activity groups as it sometimes logs a bunch of steps when I cut the lawn or something. Over a month, they are close, but I think the Zip is more accurate.

[SunsetRunner]

like you said the whole point of the fitbit is steps and to get healthier

some people can not due to health reasons walk, jog, run, even on the spot, like those with knee/joint problems, so the only way they can get those steps in is by cycling as the impact on the joints is far less

take those in a wheelchair, they have no choice, yet those steps are ok, what is the difference? both are sat down and using wheels, one uses their legs, the other their arms, yet one is fine and the other is not

when they joined that challenge, they are agreeing to the rules, I'm not saying that because it isn't stated in the rules that you can say attach it to a fan or horse's leg etc, obviously you have to draw the line somewhere, afterall, it was you, not you personally, that joined the challenge, so it is you that needs to do those steps

I know how long and how much effort I have to put in to just do around 30k even on an exercise bike, yes because I am not moving my arms and am sat down, I am not overall as tired, but my legs are just as tired, not to mention a sore backside, but because of that I take that into account when transferring the data to myfitnesspal

I started with the Zip, but ended up getting the One so I didn't have to change the battery

I can see it from both sides, but the problem is that some can't, asking if it is cheating is one thing, stating that it is cheating is another

I suppose that I am lucky in a sense that we are just about to get my dad one of those electric wheel chairs to make it even easier for him, my younger sis is healthy and athletic, and me and her husband are well, not in the best of shapes, so I can see it from all points of view as it were

if the challenge was to do a certain distance as fast as you can, then yes I would say that cycling would be cheating, afterall, doing say 10km on a bike would be a lot easier than doing 10km on foot, but to do say 30k steps on a bike is not much different than to do 30k steps on foot, it is not like I do them any quicker, calories burnt will be less unless I am stood up the whole time, but like I said, I take that into account or up the difficult setting to make up for it

[pcobb8]

I think this topic is why those whom care about these things should find like people to do challanges with.   For myself, it is easy to identify, which fitbit friends of mine do similar activites/steps counts as I do.   

Personally, I walk back and forth while watching tv.  Not in place.   I would not be pleased if someone was strapping their fitbit on their ankle while riding a bike.  I imagine those steps would be vast. 

[SunsetRunner]

why would steps on a bike/exercise bike be vast?

unless you actually do the movement, a step would not be registered

steps done on a bike could register some fake steps as it were via the bumps on the road etc, but unless you did miles after miles on a cobbled road, I doubt it would be significant

if you were to say cycle down a hill, but did not actually peddle and the road was smooth, no steps would be registered, I don't know about the gps models, but you would see that you did x amount of miles in x amount of time but no steps were done

for example, if you were to say peddle 10 steps to get to a certain speed, and then stoppped pedalling and just coasted along, the fitbit will only, or should only register 10 steps

like you said, for those who are bothered by it, they should either create their own challenges setting down the rules, or join challenges where the rules are set and they are ok with it

I only walk back ond forth when the adverts are on 😉 otherwise I jog on the spot, or now cycle on the exercise bike, to make watching the tv easier

[pcobb8]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

why would steps on a bike/exercise bike be vast?

I will use the assumption of an 18" stride length on a machine.  That would give you about 1700 revolutions a mile.  But i have seen coflicting information, so lets say 1500.   If I wore my fitbit on my ankle, that would register 3k steps a mile.  If i walk at 3mph i rack up 2200 steps a mile.  going easy on a excise bike, I go 6mph.   So if I walk for an hour, i would get 6600 steps.  If i use the bike for that same hour, it would be 18K.  

[SunsetRunner]

that is down to stride length

not everyone has the same stride length, some don't even bother to set it and leave it at default

not to mention, not all bikes have the same sized wheel, a drop handle for example has a larger wheel than a bmx

this is more distance

the stride length when walking is shorter than jogging, which is then shorter than running

in one hour you would do more steps walking than if you jogged it, and again less if you ran it

not to mention someone with shorter legs will do more steps in 1 mile than someone with longer legs

to make a challenge 100%, you would have to state what type of steps are allowed, and that you have to do them either walking, jogging, running etc and must have a certain stride length, if you did that, you wouldn't have many people in the challenge....

[kjgreen]

I have to disagree with you, also. For someone like myself, I am now up and moving around. But if you have any ailments that prevents or makes it hard (and sometimes painful) to get outside and jog or even walk, any movement of your body is better than sitting or lying on a couch watching TV. So I say, do something, even if it is running in place (similar to running on a treadmill) or on a stationery bike.

[LPOTTGEN]

So let me see if I am understanding all of this right....

To some people, because I walk most of my steps in my house and not outside, I am cheating?  Even though I have a small child and getting outside is difficult because that small child is a child with a disability and I do not have anyone who could stay with her in order for me to go walk outside somewhere?  So to get my steps in, I walk, jog and hell, sometimes even just dance inside my house so that I can make sure I can keep moving when I can't get outside.

Or for another scenario, I live in Florida.  You would rather that, on the occasions that I could get someone to stay with my autistic child with seizures, even if it is in the middle of a tropical storm or hurricane, it would be better that I walk outside, so as not to be accused of cheating?

I don't think so.

Let me explain something.  Prior to getting my Fitbit I was lucky if I got in 2500 steps a day.  I have severe arthritis and fibromyalgia and a heart condition and I am only 34 years old.  I am also about 50 pounds overweight because of those conditions.  Now, a little over a month in, I am fairly consistently hitting 9-11K steps a day, I have lost 5 pounds, and I feel great and have more energy than I have had in years.  I will take my so called fake steps any day over my inability to walk to the end of my driveway and back two months ago.

You really shouldn't judge other people based on your assumptions.  You have no idea where their journey has taken them, or how far they have come.  I completely agree with kjgreen on this one.

[SunsetRunner]

@LPOTTGEN apparently so

yes, because jogging on the spot is cheating, so even if there is a hurricane/tropical storm, you have to go out with your disabled child otherwise your steps are fake and you are cheating

haven't thought of dancing.... 

[SunsetRunner]

'Recall it's a pedometer challenge'

unless the challenge states what kind of steps is allowed and what is not, then a step is a step, regardless of whether you did them walking, jogging, running even on the spot, unless you say attach it to a fan, dog etc, those then are obviously fake/cheating, argue all you want, those that argue are just making a fool of themselves

some say that steps done via a bike is fine, some say not, some say jogging on the spot is fine, some not, some ssay using a desk stepper is fine, some not, even though it is a 'stepper', what does that tell you? that they are steps, just that some people have their own opinion as to what is and what is not a step

like I said, a step is a step, you say a step in putting one foot infront of the other, then why do some say biking steps are 'fake', why are steppers, under the desk steppers called stepers?, what is classed as a step is down to personal opinion, but the reality is that a step is lifting the foot and then putting it down, regardless of whether it has gone forward/backwards or not, Wii Fit for example, you 'step' in place, not around the room

the rules are there for a reason, so that you can lay out the rules however you want, until we join your challenge and break your rules, then you technically are just making posts to cause trouble

we do not join your challanges, so you have no right to comment or judge us on the challenges we join

you say that we do vasts amount of fake steps, I would not call 30k steps vast, it maybe for someone who has a busy lifestyle or works fulltime, but for someone who has all day to do what they want, it is not, I am in some challenges that some people do 100k+ steps, if what I am doing is cheating then what are they doing, afterall, it takes me nearly all day to do 30k

like I and many others have said, some of us are disabled, have ailments etc that makes us unabled to go out for a walk/jog etc, so what some of you are saying is that we have no right to use a fitbit or join challenges, because our steps are fake/unqualified

or to put it plainly, 'disabled people are not allowed to use a fitbit or join challenges' because the steps they do are fake, unqualified etc

I don't know about the USA, but in the UK, but I am pretty sure it is the same worldwide, that is discrimination against the disabled, and that is technically what you are doing and promoting

the problem is that FitBit has released a product to help people get more active and fitter, which the majority of people who have purchased one are doing, but then people create challenges which are suppose to be fun etc and help each other do more steps etc, which the majority of people in the majority of challenges are, but then you get the some people who take it a step further and get serious about it, which is great for them, but then they go round accusing the majority of users as cheating etc because they are not serious about it

I don't mean this to be personal attack etc, but Shipo, great that you have lost weight and are now fit and healthy etc, but should one day come when you become disabled like we are, you will then realise how stupid, selfish etc the comments you and others are making sound like

all it takes it one mistake, one ailment etc that can change your life forever, for me, I used to be fit and healthy, at least compared to what I am now, out and about etc, then all it took was virus to change my life forever

because when you are housebound and have to get the steps in anyway you can, you will then realise the only way to get those steps in is to jog in place, use an exercise bike etc and that going outside for a walk/jog/run is not an option

or are you saying that even though we are disabled and housebound, that we have to leave the house, put our lives at risk and go out for a walk/jog/run, just to do so called real/qualifed steps and to satisfy people like yourselves?

[GershonSurge]

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@LPOTTGEN wrote:

Or for another scenario, I live in Florida.  You would rather that, on the occasions that I could get someone to stay with my autistic child with seizures, even if it is in the middle of a tropical storm or hurricane, it would be better that I walk outside, so as not to be accused of cheating?

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This is one thing that ticks me off. I NEVER suggested that you take your child outside in a tropical storm or hurricane. Your suggesting such a thing is simply not true. DO NOT PUT WORDS in my mouth and infer I'm a bad person. Bearing false witness is a sin in most faiths and other philosophies of life. 

All I'm saying is people who enter STEP BASED competitions expect steps to be steps. 

To turn the tables, would you rather I lose my motivation because of fake steps in activity groups and die sooner because of it?  Do you really value your needs so highly above the needs of others that you are willing to risk other people's lives?

You really shouldn't judge people based on YOUR assumptions. Fair STEP competitions are every bit as important to many people as your need for exercise. You have no idea where their journey has taken for them or how hard it is to get what is commonly is called STEPS.

NOBODY is denying you the ability to start an activity group with your own rules.

[SunsetRunner]

and again, some say they are not steps, some say they are

you say a step is the motion of putting one foot in front of the other, which cycling is

the only difference is that cycling, be it on a bike or exercise bike is that you are sat down, unless you are riding stood up

[RonnieP]

I occasionally read these comments when I need a good laugh.  Why get so emotially caught up in defending an issue that has no impact on our lives?  As long as you're moving and getting more fit you're on the right path.  Personally, I quit all "competitions" because I thought the numbers of some folks were unrealistic and de-motivational but I can tell you I didn't lose any sleep over it.  I just found other apps that suit me better.

Food for thought:

Step (n) - a movement made by lifting the foot and setting it down again in a new position, accompanied by a shifting of the weight of the body in the direction of the new position, as in walking, running, or dancing.

[Incognito]

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@shipo wrote:

Sorry, I have to disagree; jogging in place, while more active than sitting on the sofa, is, IMHO, simply a device to log a bunch of steps while doing very little real work.

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I laugh at what you said.  I don't partake in walking in place or jogging in place as I prefer scenary when I walk.  But to say jogging in place is very little real work is laughable.  When I was in boot camp, a huge part of PT was jogging in place to get the heart rate up.  And I will assure you that is not doing very little work.

[shipo]

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@Incognito wrote:

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@shipo wrote:

Sorry, I have to disagree; jogging in place, while more active than sitting on the sofa, is, IMHO, simply a device to log a bunch of steps while doing very little real work.

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I laugh at what you said.  I don't partake in walking in place or jogging in place as I prefer scenary when I walk.  But to say jogging in place is very little real work is laughable.  When I was in boot camp, a huge part of PT was jogging in place to get the heart rate up.  And I will assure you that is not doing very little work.

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I guess boot camp in the Marines was a bit different; my DI would have been all over me like shine on polyester if I had ever attempted to jog in place; fortunately I could out run him.  🙂

[GershonSurge]

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@shipo wrote:

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@Incognito wrote:

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@shipo wrote:

Sorry, I have to disagree; jogging in place, while more active than sitting on the sofa, is, IMHO, simply a device to log a bunch of steps while doing very little real work.

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I laugh at what you said.  I don't partake in walking in place or jogging in place as I prefer scenary when I walk.  But to say jogging in place is very little real work is laughable.  When I was in boot camp, a huge part of PT was jogging in place to get the heart rate up.  And I will assure you that is not doing very little work.

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I guess boot camp in the Marines was a bit different; my DI would have been all over me like shine on polyester if I had ever attempted to jog in place; fortunately I could out run him.  🙂

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At the Air Force Academy, we sometimes ran in place during basic training. Usually while holding the M-1 rifle with our arms stretched forward. The upperclassmen would hold their hands about stomach high, and you'd have to hit them with your knees. If you did it, they would hold their hands higher until you couldn't hit them. Then they would yell at you. 

[shipo]

I was, ahem, "fortunate" enough to have been through both Marine Boot Camp (MCRD San Diego) and Marine OCS (Quantico); the DIs (boot camp) and Sergeant Instructors (OCS) has some very creative ways of, ummm, motivating us to A) perform better as a unit, and B) tearing us a new one if we didn't.  🙂

[Incognito]

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@shipo wrote:

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@Incognito wrote:

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@shipo wrote:

Sorry, I have to disagree; jogging in place, while more active than sitting on the sofa, is, IMHO, simply a device to log a bunch of steps while doing very little real work.

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I laugh at what you said.  I don't partake in walking in place or jogging in place as I prefer scenary when I walk.  But to say jogging in place is very little real work is laughable.  When I was in boot camp, a huge part of PT was jogging in place to get the heart rate up.  And I will assure you that is not doing very little work.

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I guess boot camp in the Marines was a bit different; my DI would have been all over me like shine on polyester if I had ever attempted to jog in place; fortunately I could out run him.  🙂

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The jogging in place was done on alternating days that was not our "run" days.  A 2 minute run in place to loosen up and get the HR up before the "fun" begins.  

You know why the Marine Corp Boot camp is longer than the Army boot camp right?  It's because it takes a Marine that much longer to absorb what the Army grunt can learn in 8 weeks.  And why is the USAF boot camp shorter than that?  For the same reason.  

[DonnaJoan]

In the Olympics, all athletes are active.

In the Olympics, runners compete against runners.

In the Olympics, cyclists compete against cyclists.  

They are 2 different types of activity and should be treated as such; just like in the Olympics. 

I'm killing myself in a current competition.  I'm running, walking and kickboxing.   Some friends are riding a recumbent bike at an average pace.   How can that be comparable with running Eight 15-minute miles?   When  people compete - it should be for doing the same type of activity.

Bikers should compete with bikers.   Steppers should compete with Steppers.