Calories burned while hiking - a calculator

Ze Hiker · Post by **Ze Hiker** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 1:37 pm

While I've always been interested in measuring this in the "field", I have yet to take out the proper equipment (a good heart rate monitor). Still, I feel one can get a decent estimate and feel for calories burned on a certain hike with indoor studies, and so I did some interpretation of a research paper and consequently made a '1st generation' caloric expenditure hiking calculator.

Now there is still a lot of work to improve the estimates, but generally they will be decent. At least to give a sense of relative magnitude of different hikes in terms of energy demands.

Sorry if you're not interested, but I figure some people will be

jimqpublic · Post by **jimqpublic** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:33 pm

My gut feeling is that the downhill effort level is higher. Once you pass about 10% downgrade I feel like downhill starts to use more energy than flat. Maybe I'm confusing the jarring to muscles and joints with energy expenditure.

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:42 pm

jimqpublic wrote:My gut feeling is that the downhill effort level is higher. Once you pass about 10% downgrade I feel like downhill starts to use more energy than flat. Maybe I'm confusing the jarring to muscles and joints with energy expenditure.

I'd say you are. Think about how hard you're breathing, or your pulse rate. Both are related to energy expenditure and both are a lot higher when you're going uphill. Figure 1 in the Journal of Applied Physiology article Ze cites shows this clearly.

Ze Hiker · Post by **Ze Hiker** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 8:22 am

yeah I think the downhill values should definitely be higher. for instance, this equation predicts a similar exertion walking flat and walking downhill on 20% grade. now, on a treadmill, yeah I see that...but not when walking down a trail.

that estimate can only be refined by recording a bunch of heart rate data outside...

EManBevHills · Post by **EManBevHills** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 12:08 pm

Interesting. But as with most analysis, it's about the assumptions.
The big ?? is probably the subjective difficulty input, and I presume that makes a significant difference in the results.

A total hike summation might be useful as well, IMHO.

Thanks for posting. Your formula seems to be a lot more accurate than my ipod calorie expenditure calculator contained in the app "Lose It"...

spotfin · Post by **spotfin** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 12:42 pm

I have often wondered about my calorie burn. Good stuff, keep it coming.

tinaballina · Post by **tinaballina** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 10:14 am

Joe, i f'ing love this-thank you so much....btw, when are you going to plan something soon? I need a good calorie burner. love the snow but the technical stuff is building my leg muscles so big i don't fit into my jeans anymore. They are big in the waist and tight in the quads...HELP! why can't i have both....lol