Many people invest in the best exercise bike to lose weight, but they don’t achieve optimal results and this can be demotivating. An exercise bike is a very effective tool to boost cardiovascular activity and burn excess calories. It’s a low impact exercise which makes it a perfect fit for people that have not engaged in regular exercise for a while. And, unlike a real bike you don’t need to worry about road traffic and puncture repairs in the middle of nowhere.
When you ride an exercise bike you are naturally increasing your respiration and heart rate. The internal organs are challenged to boost the circulation of blood, which improves heart function and your lungs get a workout at the same time.
This activity will help to promote weight loss and the intensity of the workout will affect the amount of weight you may lose. In this article, we will take a closer look at eight tips to use when using an exercise bike to lose belly fat efficiently.
8 Tips When Using an Exercise Bike to Lose Weight
1. Switch Up Your Indoor Cycling Workouts
If you do the same ride day in and day out, your body will adapt to this indoor cycling activity, and the efficiency of your workout will suffer. The best way to deal with this problem is to vary the rides by alternating between a focus on racing, intervals, strength, and endurance. Making regular changes will coax your body into an efficient calorie burning mode both during and after your ride.
2. Vary the Difficulty and Pace on the Exercise Bike
During a standard workout at the gym, interval training can be used to boost your metabolism for short periods. This is a great way to optimize the burning of calories quickly and this same principle can be applied to indoor cycling. During your ride, alternate faster bursts of hard pedaling in with a steady comfortable pace.
Using a faster speed or cadence against a heavier resistance setting will improve your fat burning efforts. As an added bonus, this will promote greater oxygen consumption after the workout is finished and you will continue to burn calories after the ride is over.
3. Split a Longer Workout into Shorter Rides
Let’s face it, many people simply don’t have sufficient time to take a 45-minute ride each day. But it is possible to burn the same number of calories with a couple of shorter 25-minute rides. In fact, if you can push yourself harder during a shorter ride, you can get the after-ride calorie burn twice per day! Over a 24-hour period, this can make a dramatic improvement to your fat burning results.
4. Move More After the Workout
The natural reaction to a hard session of cycling is to rest afterward. If you’re very tired after your ride, a certain level of short rest is needed, but don’t use this as an excuse to do nothing for the remainder of the day.
To make the most of your calorie burning exercise, it’s important to keep moving to boost the effects even further. Take a gentle walk and stretch your muscles to lose even more weight naturally.
5. Watch Your Diet
Because indoor cycling is an intensive exercise, it’s easy to fall into bad eating habits. Many people new to this type of exercise believe that they can eat more and they can still lose weight. But, even if you’re riding efficiently, you will max out at around 400-600 calories burned during a 45-minute ride.
So, if you’re treating yourself to a piece of cake or a candy bar, you may be putting the same number of calories back into your body. Like all weight loss activities, indoor cycling works on the tried and tested principle of creating and maintaining a calorie deficit.
6. Eating Before and After the Ride
This advice may seem to be contrary to the previous tip, but there is a right way to eat when you’re using an exercise bike to lose belly fat. The best way to prepare your body for exercise is to supply it with the fuel and energy required to achieve and maintain the workout.
Ideally, you should be eating a small meal around 30 minutes before you take a morning ride. Some good foods to eat include a few dates, a small bowl of whole-grain cereal, a single slice of toast with jam, or a small banana. For an afternoon ride, eat an hour before the ride with a focus on carbs and protein. Some good foods for evening rides include a small apple, a protein bar, or a few tablespoons of almond butter.
Sufficient fuel for your ride creates a thermic effect that will boost fat burning but you need to drink water before, during, and after your ride too.
7. Ride Frequently at a Moderate Pace
When you use the best exercise bike to lose belly fat, it’s easy to go too hard to burn fat faster. But, riding in the 1-2 training zones at a moderate pace is effective for most of the ride. Aim for a heart rate of 68-79% of your maximum with shorter intensive bursts.
If you want to optimize your efficiency, set up a heart rate monitor to work with your bike computer. Try to ride for an hour each day and choose a pace that leaves you a little out of breath and yet still able to converse normally.
8. Select the Correct Ride Times
The key to effective weight loss is a calorie deficit. It’s important to burn more calories than you’re taking in and each pound of fat is equal to around 3,500 calories. So, if you want to lose a single pound of weight, you need to burn off at least 3,500 calories more than you’re eating. This is possible with diet alone, but the process is much slower and indoor cycling can make a significant difference.
A Harvard Medical School study found that a person weighing 155 lbs can burn around 260 calories during a 30 minute ride. And a person weighing 185 lbs would burn 311 calories during the same activity. Indoor cycling also increases aerobic capacity, it improves body composition and it helps to lower the blood pressure.
Hopefully, these tips will help you to get improved fat burning results from your indoor cycling workouts. Even if you choose the best exercise bike to lose weight, the calorie burning potential will vary depending on the intensity, resistance, and frequency of your rides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Exercise Bikes Good for Weight Loss?
Yes, exercise bikes are a great option if you’re looking to lose weight. They provide aerobic exercise and if you have a bike at home, you can fit in a work out whenever it is convenient.
How Long Should You Ride a Stationary Bike to Lose Weight?
This will depend on your current fitness level. There is no point in trying to start out with a long workout if you are typically inactive, as you put yourself at risk of injury. So, if you’re new to cycling, start slowly with a 20-to-30-minute workout and build from there to start working towards your weight loss goals.
Does a Stationary Bike Burn Belly Fat?
Regular cycling can enhance your overall fat loss, promoting a healthy weight. If you want to burn belly fat, moderately intense cycling sessions can be an effective strategy.
Is 30 Minutes a Day on an Exercise Bike Enough?
30 minutes a day is a good level of exercise bike workout, but whether you achieve your desired results will depend on other factors including your diet and overall activity level. You’ll burn approximately 260-300 calories for 30 minutes of riding, so if you haven’t adjusted your diet, you may not see the desired results with cycling alone.
How Long Does it Take to See Results From Riding a Stationary Bike?
Even with the best exercise bike to lose weight, you’re unlikely to see any results overnight, but after a month, you may start to notice your body changing. You may find that not only is your physique changing, but your overall fitness has improved. So, you may not feel as out of breath when you exert yourself.
Can You Use an Exercise Bike Every Day?
You can use an exercise bike every day, but you will need to adjust according to your current fitness and mobility levels. If you’re new to exercising, you may feel stiff and achy after your first few workouts, so you may want to include a rest day once or twice per week until you start to get used to the routine and really appreciate the exercise bike.