How accurate is Apple watch outdoor cycling calories? The question must have crossed your mind during the training session. The answer is right here in our article!
Contents
Introduction
Apple has incorporated some new cool cycling features in its Apple watch series. The products offer your personal information to calculate your daily exercise routine metrics. But how accurate is Apple Watch outdoor cycling calories?
Fall detection, automatic cycling detection, and calorie tracking make it a perfect companion in every trail you do. Follow us to find out its calorie measuring accuracy and working steps!

Do you know How Accurate Is Apple Watch Outdoor Cycling Calories
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Is Apple Watch Outdoor Cycling Calories Accurate?
How accurate is Apple Watch outdoor cycling calories? It can be if you set it up correctly.
The Apple Watch calorie counter is designed to track your movement and heart rates mainly. Some personal health information like weight and height can calculate your daily calorie expenditure.
The device has all calculations based on health standards, so ensuring accurate and reliable results. More specifically, calorie estimate depends on a scientific principle named metabolic rate.
This principle involves how quickly your body expends calories through food intake. This rate is based on your weight, height, and gender. You should accurately fill in this information when setting up your device.
How does Apple Watch calculate calories burned when cycling?
The watch will concentrate on two main metrics: Basal Metabolic rate (BMR) and Active Metabolic rate (AMR). The former is calculated when you are in normal resting conditions, while the latter is during exercising.
Those two metrics determine how much you need to exercise to run a calorie deficit. There is no need to worry about measuring accuracy.
A study by Stanford University in 2017 has shown that Apple Watch is the best among 60 products for energy expenditure tracking.
A medical device like a calorimeter is often ideal for tracking calories used. However, it supersedes this product by tracking calories burnt and heart rates.
To ensure the most accurate results, don’t forget to set up your product correctly at first.
How To Activate Apple Watch Outdoor Cycling Calories?
Keep Your Personal Information Up To Date
Personal information contributes greatly to the overall result. This is because your device uses this data to calculate the number of calories.
Weight, height, age, and gender should be accurately filled in the first place. However, as those figures are constantly changed, especially weight, you should update them frequently.
Follow our below steps to edit your personal information:
- Open Apple Watch workout app on iPhone
- In the My Watch tab, choose Health and head to Health Profile
- Here, choose Edit and tab any item you want to change
Earn Move And Exercise Credit
Any full moving minute equaling or exceeding the brisk walk’s intensity can count towards your daily goals. The smart product keeps track of our cardio fitness levels to determine the most suitable brisk.
For wheelchair users, it depends on brisk pushes. All activities below the given level count in your daily Move goals. So it would help if you allowed the arm wearing your device to swing naturally. This way, you will earn accurate credit when walking.
If you need both hands to push a stroller when walking, you can activate the Workout app to earn Exercise credits. All you need to do is open the workout app on your device and choose Outdoor Walk.
The Activity app will use an accelerometer and arm motion to track your movement. On the other hand, the Workout can use an accelerometer, GPS, and heart rate sensor to track your progress.
Keep Wrist Detection On
Your product cannot follow your Stand progress without Wrist Detection on. In this case, you also cannot get background heart rate readings such as walking rates and resting.
Therefore, never forget to check the settings on your iPhone. In the Passcode, make sure the Wrist Detection function is on.

Make sure the wrist detection function is on
Check The Fit
Don’t wear your device too loosely or tightly. It is vital to spare room for your skin to breathe. The right fit also ensures optimal comfort and allows the built-in motion sensors to work effectively.
Besides, the Apple Watch sensor only works when you wear it on the top of your wrist.

Tight it up.
Get The Most Accurate Heart Rate Measurement
When using Workout mode, you need to have your product fit snugly on your wrist top. This way will ensure the most accurate measurements.
The heart rate sensor will turn off if you choose Power Saving Mode in the running or walking workout session. So make sure to turn off the Power Saving Mode before training.
Check the Heart Rate function in the Privacy settings, turn it on, and start exercising. Cyclists have a better chance of avoiding heart diseases.
What Are the Benefits Of the Apple Watch?
Automatic Cycling Detection For Forgetful Cyclists
You may have once forgotten to start workouts manually and failed to get credits for your exercising efforts. That’s where the Apple Watch comes in handy.
The product can detect when you start your cycling workouts and track every minute. It analyzes your readings and GPS data to determine the number of calories burnt.
Better Calorie Tracking For Electric Bikes
Again, with heart rate and GPS data, this product can detect when you get a boost from your bike. For example, your cycling speed increases, but your heart rate isn’t proportional.
In this case, the watch will get help from the bike and determine the calorie count based on your heart rate.
Continuous Workout Times
Why does outdoor cycling not count as exercise on my Apple Watch? This is because there are various outdoor factors that affect calorie calculations.
Time waiting for traffic lights can be added to the overall workout time and affect the average speeds. Apple watches come with auto pause and resume functions for bike rides.
Fall Detection
Fall Detection function is turned automatically for those over 55 years old. If you come off your bike and remain motionless for a few minutes, the device will immediately contact emergency services for help.
Injuries from falling are way more common than ones from collisions; we remind you.
Voice Prompts
The Apple watch is incorporated with audible cues to notify certain workout milestones. This function is useful and boosts your progress.
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Conclusion
How accurate is Apple Watch outdoor cycling calories? We bet that you have got the answer after reading our article. An Apple Watch is undoubtedly a reliable, user-friendly, and compact device.
Carrying this excellent companion with every cycling track will offer you the most accurate calorie measurements. So let’s set a perfect cycling routine and have a fit body!
If you do not use iOS devices, you may want to check out Strava.