Trying to burn some calories and lose weight on a stationary bike? Here’s a quick way!
No matter where you go, what gym you go to, you’re bound to find at least one exercise bike, and I know you will take one look at that bike and go ‘nope not today’ and hop on the treadmill instead, after all, it isn’t the most exciting form of exercise.
But a stationary bike workout has way more benefits than you may think! If you do the exercise right, you can rank the calories burned quickly, and you will drop a clothing size before you know it.
Now:
A stationary bike workout is much more low impact than any, let’s say, the running machine; it puts less pressure on your joints while burning as many calories with the right workout plan.
I’m here to introduce some fun, fat-killing workouts that will slim down your physique in no time. I have factored in a range of different skill levels, from beginner to more advanced workouts.
Stay tuned; you won’t want to miss this one.
Different Types of Stationary Bikes:
First things first, we need to break down the different types of stationary bikes to know which muscles each works and which burns the most calories:
Upright bike:
You can design your own personalized workout plan that suits you and help you achieve your fitness goals. You will also find that an upright bike comes with a central console that allows you to follow training sessions and training programs.
The most common exercise bike you will find for indoor cycling is an upright bike; it allows for a complete personalized workout session.
Recumbent bike:
Now for a recumbent stationary bike, you will notice that you’re sitting in a reclined position with your back resting against a backrest. This provides a much more comfortable and natural reclined position to reduce body fatigue, relieve muscle soreness in your upper body, and provide back support.
It mainly focuses on working out your lower body.
The seat tends to be much more comfortable; it is even compared to the comfort of an office chair so you can remain comfortable in your workout for longer periods. The pedals are positioned in front of the body, and your body is well-positioned in the bike frame.
Spin bike:
A spin bike will be your best friend in interval training and when it comes to a high-intensity workout. They allow you to stand up on the pedals or cycle sitting down; it allows for a more intensive workout and increases stamina.
They mimic the feel of a real-life road bike; you can lead forward into a crouching position; they also offer different resistance levels to customize your workout. They’re brilliant at burning calories and improve cardiovascular fitness.
Which stationary bike will make me lose weight?
All of the exercise bikes are brilliant for burning calories and weight loss, but some will burn more calories than others.
Let’s break them down:
Recumbent stationary bike:
A recumbent exercise bike is the king of comfort; they add a more relaxed biking experience than other exercise bikes and will allow you to cycle for longer comfortably.
The pedals are in front of you rather than in front of you, but you cannot stand up while cycling. Recumbent bikes will burn fewer calories than upright bikes and spin bikes, but they are a much comfortable option and still aid effectively in losing weight.
By being in a more comfortable position, you can exercise more intensely for longer and pedal lightly with minimum resistance. It has so many benefits on your health and will still burn almost as many calories.
Upright bikes:
Upright bikes tend to be less comfortable than a recumbent ones as they don’t tend to have a large seat nor a backrest. They are less comfortable for beginners.
Upright bikes do tend to burn more calories quicker because you’re working your upper body as well as your legs; because of the upright position, you can work more intensely, and they’re brilliant for fat-burning interval training.
Spin bike:
Spinning bikes are commonly found in the gym, and they offer very popular calorie-burning spin classes. You can add magnetic resistance to intensify your workout too,
A spinning bike does burn as many calories as upright and recumbent bikes would but in terms of fitness goals, you’ll usually notice you’ll lose weight quicker on a spin bike than you would on a recumbent one.
They definitely burn more calories than recumbent bikes too.
The heavy flywheel allows you to change the resistance and vary your position while training; you can alternate periods of stand cycling and cycling while seated, which will help with weight loss as it will burn more calories.
Plus by your back not being supported by the backrest has more benefits for your core muscles’ health and strength. You stabilize more muscle on an upright and spin bike than you are on a recumbent, causing more calorie burn.
Spinning bikes are also an excellent choice if you’re looking for a full-body workout and a very popular choice for those who love spin classes.
So which exercise cycle is best for weight loss?
If you want to help with your weight loss, it is important to find the right bike for you; for beginners or particularly overweight people, I recommend getting yourself a recumbent stationary bike.
This is because it puts less strain on your muscles and joints. In the beginning, you aren’t putting your full weight on your joints while you cycle, so you can build up your fitness easily while still burning near as many calories.
If you love interval training, then I would recommend getting a spin bike because you can alternate between sitting and standing during intervals, allowing you to get a high-intensity workout.
Here are some brilliant exercise bike workouts for weight loss:
Here are my top picks of the best weight loss for weight loss:
Interval workout:
Interval training bike workout is crucial for weight loss or any cycling training. They have massive aerobic benefits and burn so many calories; you can do this indoors and outdoors.
I would recommend making 6 efforts of 30-second sprints under zone five. You should start by doing a 10-minute warm-up then your first 30-second sprint, resting for 2-3 minutes after each interval.
You should start by doing this 6 times, with a 10-minute cooldown of steady-state cycling at the end. This is a great way to lose weight, and it also enhances your endurance by working at short, high-intensity sprints.
When you begin to build more muscles and build up your stamina and endurance, you can start to extend these sprints to 1 minute long with a 5-minute rest, easy-pedaling ride between each. You can also increase the number of rounds you complete.
It should be no more than an hour because your heart rate should be at the Vo2 max at 90% in these zone 5 sessions.
You should aim to do this exercise 2-3 times a week to build up your endurance, and then you can continue to build up your resistance, too (remember to have recovery days too.
An interval stationary workout is brilliant for weight loss and burning calories over going at a steady pace; it is definitely the biggest fat-burning payoff than most stationary bike workouts.
You can work out at your own preferred exertion (easy, moderate, hard, and all-out):
Easy: Have your resistance feel like you’re riding on a flat road with a slight base resistance; you’re moving at a pace you can do for long periods.
Moderate: You will start to feel the resistance more, but it is still manageable; it will help to get your heart rate up too and build your cardiovascular fitness. You can still talk but not in full sentences.
Hard: You feel like you’re definitely working too, your breathing is much heavier, and your heart rate is up; you should be looking for a medium to heavy resistance per interval.
All-out: This is giving your full effort; you may feel your legs getting a bit gelly-like; you should aim for a high resistance if you can take it!
This exercise is a real fat burner:
- Pedal at a low intensity for 5-10 minutes
- Switch to medium intensity for 3-5 intensity.
- Alternate between a high intensity for 1-3 minutes and medium intensity for 20-30 minutes.
- Make sure you remember to cool down at a steady state for 5-10 minutes.
Endurance training:
Endurance training is an essential stationary bike workout for building your riding capabilities. Improving your endurance will help you in your interval training to work for longer and burn more calories!
Improving your endurance will also help improve your aerobic capacity; I would recommend cycling at a steady pace for an hour or two a few days a week before jumping into interval training.
You can even do this on your rest days between interval training to build muscle and prevent injury.
Start with a 10 minute easy pedaling to warm-up on your stationary bike, and then aim for 45-60 minutes worth of steady-state cycling or even more to push the limit.
If you’re looking to push the limits, then try cycling for two hours at a low intensity. This will increase your heart rate by up to 70%, although I would recommend either doing it with friends or watching a good film while doing this to prevent you from getting bored.
HIIT Workout:
A HIIT Bike workout is among the most popular stationary bike workouts in the industry; it focuses on high-intensity interval training that is brilliant for cardio training and an ideal way to burn calories and lose some pounds of body fat.
Let’s break down the workout:
- For the first 4 minutes, you should warm up with a light pedal at medium resistance.
- Between the 4 minute and 1o minute mark, you should pedal at a high resistance for 15 seconds at full effort, then pedal at a low resistance for 15 seconds. The low resistance is for recovery and not a workout, so take it easy.
- Do this for 4 rounds of 15 seconds high intensity and 15 seconds of a break.
- Between 10 and 20 minutes, you should be pedaling at a high resistance for 20 seconds at full speed with a 40-second recovery between each interval.
- You should continue to do this until you reach the 20th minute (it should be around 6 rounds).
- For the last five minutes, you should pedal at a low resistance and take your time, cool yourself down, and recover your muscles.
This paired with some strength training, and you will notice the weight loss and be fit as a fiddle in no time.
Strength training:
That being said, let’s jump into some key strength training bike workout. To build strength and aiding fat loss in every pedal stroke, you should be maintaining a zone of 4 or 5.
The best way to build your fitness level and strength climb steeply at a high resistance level for 5 minutes with 1-2 minute recovery periods.
You should do this a few times per week, especially if you’re a beginner, before you jump in with a higher fitness level or more intense exercise.
Summary:
No matter what stationary bikes you choose for your indoor cycling, they will be bound to help burn body fat and aid with weight loss, and improving your fitness level.
Biking has so many benefits on your health, as well as your fitness. Cycling workouts are a great form of cardio and will gradually build your endurance and strength in no time.
Training for regular intervals and riding regularly in the week will make a world of difference, and you will drop clothing sizes in no time.
