Is A Exercise Bike Good For Weight Loss? If you are wondering this then yes it is absolutely true. Though people have been using exercise bike for weight loss, the truth of the matter is that they aren’t too effective. An exercise bicycle helps in burning calories, increasing metabolism and making muscles more visible.
Why exercise bikes are good for weight loss
First, let’s talk about calories.
Calories are necessary for your body to function.
Everything that your body does is fueled by calories, from running and jumping to blinking and even just breathing. It also controls whether you will gain, lose or maintain the same weight.
Everyone has a certain number of calories they use and burn each day just to function normally depending on factors like your gender and age.
Your maintenance calories are the number of calories you need to ingest that will help you function in everyday life and maintain the same weight, i.e. it will stay the same.
Now, when it comes to weight loss, a caloric deficit is required. This means that you need to be eating fewer calories than what your body needs. So if your maintenance calories is 2000 a day, then a sustainable caloric deficit might mean you can only consume around 1500-1700 calories.
So how does the exercise bike come into this?
Well, one way of creating a caloric deficit is by exercising. Exercising burns calories and so when you work out, you’re contributing to the deficit that you need to lose weight.
How many calories will I burn on an exercise bike?
The number of calories you can burn on an exercise depends on the intensity in which you’re training, how long you spend riding, as well as individual factors like your weight.
According to Harvard Health Publishing:
- A 155-pound person who cycles at a moderate-intensity for 30-minutes can burn 260 calories.
- A 125-pound person can burn 211 for the same time and intensity
- A 185-pound person can burn 311 for the same time and intensity.
By upping the intensity, you can achieve a higher caloric burn as well but as you can see even at moderate levels, you’re well on your way to creating or contributing to a calorie deficit (coupled with good nutritional choices).
Pros of exercise bikes
CONVENIENCE
The first is the convenience. Stationary bikes only require a space big enough to fit one in. This could be in your living room, your bedroom or even your garage. This means that you can use them anytime you like, no matter the weather.
SAFE ALTERNATIVE
If you want to cycle but don’t want to head out onto the roads, then indoor exercise bikes are the ideal choice. You can cycle in the comfort of your own home without having to deal with hazards such as vehicles, pedestrians and even other cyclists. Plus, weather obstacles won’t be a problem so there’s no need to worry about wet or slick roads or dark vision.
LOW IMPACT
Another reason why exercise bikes are good for weight loss is that it’s a low-impact exercise. This means that they are not hard on the joints or ligaments like other exercises can be. If you’re worried about your joints, particularly the knees, then an exercise bike is ideal. It’s also recommended for those who already have problems and need to protect their joints, while still improving their cardiovascular fitness, which brings us to our next point.
IMPROVES CARDIO FITNESS
Exercise bikes assist in improving your cardiovascular fitness and endurance levels. A healthier heart also means that it’ll be able to pump blood and deliver oxygen around the body more efficiently so you’ll have better lung capacity. You’ll be able to cycle longer, faster, and stronger.
STRENGTHENS THE LOWER BODY
It’ll come to no surprise that exercise bikes can do wonders when it comes to strengthening the lower body. It works the legs, particularly the quads and calves, but also the hamstrings and glutes.
PUTS YOU IN A BETTER MOOD
Like most, if not all exercises, exercise bikes are great for putting you in a good mood. It relieves stress, anger, anxiety and you can take it all out on the pedal. Not to mention, cycling releases endorphins that generate that post-training high that we all know and love.
Stationary bikes: the benefits
A stationary bike is good for weight loss because it is efficient and effective. Another great benefit to the exercise bike is that it is safer than riding a bike outdoors. There are 2 common types of stationary bikes:
Upright
- The upright exercise bike is the most traditional and requires you to be in an upright body position. When you think of the exercise bike, most of the time this is the one that pops up in your head. Upright bikes help your posture and will give you the most similar experience to riding a bike outdoors.
Recumbent or reclined
- Reclined and relaxed, you can multitask while using this bike if you like reading or watching television. If you are opting for the comfort, you’ll want to consider using the reclined exercise bike and it’s great for you if you’re just getting started.
Each stationary bike benefits weight loss in a slightly different way but all will help you start feeling healthier and happier.
Are exercise bikes good for losing weight?
Exercise bike benefits include losing weight. It takes commitment and consistency to see weight loss results.
When you first get your bike, start working out 3 times a week for 30 minutes at a time. This will introduce your body to a cardio workout, and you’ll slowly start to replace fat with muscle. After a month of consistent cardio workouts, you will begin to improve your stamina and endurance.
If you’re wanting to up the intensity of your workout, increase the length of it after about a month.
Other tips for losing weight
When the goal of your workout is to lose weight, you’ll want to look at your diet and adjust it too.
You don’t have to go on a diet to lose weight, instead, focus on eating healthy. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, it helps boost your metabolism. It is ideal to drink water before meals. Cut back on added sugars – not only sugar but high glucose corn syrup too. Sugars are associated with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
To maximize the benefits of the exercise bike that help to prevent these, change the number of sugars you include in your diet. You don’t want your diet to be working against you and your weight loss journey. Low carb and less refined – lower the amount of carbs in your diet as they turn into sugars. Eating these can spike your blood sugar and increase your appetite. Include more protein in your diet – protein can also boost your metabolism. Focus your meals on your exercise goals in mind.
Pay attention to the power supply
Your manmade power that is created when using the exercise bike can be measured in watts. Just like the benefits of stationary bikes, your watt goals will be individual to you.
If you’re just beginning as a cyclist, your wattage will be lower than that of a pro cyclist, it all depends on how hard you work.
The more reps per minute you can get with your feet on the pedals, the more power you will create. Your ability to exert energy is changed by many factors so the better care you take of yourself, the more energy you can exert and the more wattage you will have. Paying attention to your wattage can help you know how efficiently you are working out.
Get at least 8 hours of sleep
Exercising can help you sleep better, and better sleep can help you exercise. Sleep is so important.
Just as important as a healthy diet and exercise routine. Our body recovers and rejuvenates during sleep. If you don’t get enough, you limit how well you can function. Giving yourself 8 hours of sleep allows you to rebuild the energy you need. The wrong amount of snoozing can put you more at risk for obesity. Getting enough sleep can help with weight gain but it also has many other benefits.
Important Factors to Lose Weight on a Recumbent Bike
Recumbent bikes are becoming an increasingly popular form of cardiovascular exercise for those looking to build a regular cardiovascular routine.
Recumbent bikes are becoming an increasingly popular form of cardiovascular exercise for those looking to build a regular cardiovascular routine. Recumbent exercise bikes are one of the most comfortable ways to achieve a cardio workout, while still being an incredibly effective choice for burning calories, losing weight, and building overall fitness. If you’re interested in losing weight with your recumbent bike at home, keep reading for 3 important factors to losing weight on a recumbent bike.
1. Find the Right Recumbent Bike
This may seem like a no-brainer but choosing a recumbent bike that’s a good fit for your body and needs will best set you up for a successful and effective fitness routine. With a proper bike fit, you’ll be able to ensure a good range of motion so you can both sit comfortably, and pedal with good form. If you’re unable to exercise with proper form, you’ll be at a higher risk for an injury which will only delay your weight loss.
First, ensure the weight capacity, and inseam range of the recumbent bike you’re interested in is a good fit. Your inseam is the measurement from the upper inner thigh to your heel when standing straight and is a good measure to ensure you can achieve a full range of motion when pedaling on your bike.
2. Consistent Exercise Routine
When it comes to weight loss, the results you see are largely based on maintaining a regular, and consistent exercise routine. Think about it, just as one healthy meal isn’t going to change anything, one great workout – while it’s better than nothing – isn’t going to help you see the lasting results you’re looking for.
Regular, consistent workouts are what’s going to deliver weight loss results. It all comes down to calories. With more regular cardio sessions, you’ll see a higher overall calorie deficit which will contribute to greater weight loss over time.
For weight loss, I recommend a minimum of 3 cardio sessions on your recumbent bike each week. Ideally, you’ll be able to fit in 5-6 sessions with at least one day of total rest if you’re really serious about losing weight.
3. Varying Intensity of Sessions
Last but not least, to see better results, you’ll want to vary the intensity of your sessions. By increasing the intensity of your workouts, you’ll be able to burn even more calories. You can change the intensity of your workout by increasing the resistance or speed.
Most of our recumbent bikes offer up to at least 8 levels of resistance, some ranging up to 24 levels to really challenge your fitness and your body for even more calorie-burning potential. Having a bike that has a wide range of resistances will ensure that you continue to progress and challenge your fitness over time, which is an important factor to continue to see weight loss results. Don’t shy away from making use of the resistance on your recumbent bike – it will not only help to increase calorie burn but also help to build lean muscle tone in your legs.
However, you won’t want to do high-intensity sessions every day, or at least not on consecutive days. It’s important to give your body time to recover between intense sessions. So, if you do plan to incorporate high-intensity workouts into your schedule, I recommend alternating high-intensity workout days with moderate intensity steady state cardio days so you can fully maximize your schedule and continue to work out consistently throughout the week.
How Often Should You Use An Exercise Bike To Lose Weight?
Based on current research, the American Heart Association recommends that adults should aim for approximately 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week. Hopping on an exercise bike is an effective way to log those minutes.
Additionally, it’s recommended that we incorporate strength-building activities into our routine. Whether it’s with resistance bands, barbells, kettlebells, or the best dumbbells you can buy, time spent building your muscles is time well spent.