Among the few effective cardio machines, the exercise bike is one. They are not very expensive compared to a few other cardio machines and doesn’t require much space which is why most people prefer making their own small gym in their house with a bike.
From strengthening the bone to toning the muscles, exercise bikes do a lot for us but now the question running on some people’s head is, are exercise bikes effective for weight loss?
Well, let’s find that out.
Does Exercise Bike Help You Lose Weight?
Obviously, exercise bikes are effective for weight loss. If you hate exercising being around sweaty giant people in the gym, an exercise bike is a great solution for that. You can make your room a home gym by bringing an exercise bike.
Exercising regularly on an exercise bike will surely help you burn fat which will result in weight loss. But only riding the bike won’t do the work, there are some techniques that you have to follow in order to get a toned body.
How to Lose Weight Riding an Exercise Bike?
Just sitting on the bike and riding is not enough to get a good body. There are ways which you should follow exactly. Below I have covered all the steps of riding an exercise bike for weight loss. Have a look.
Step 1:
One mistake most newbie makes is, they just get on the bike without doing any kind of stretches. Doing stretch right before starting exercise is highly important.
So before you sit on the bike, do dynamic stretches, it will loosen up your muscles tissues so that you won’t face any kind of pain or anything during the exercise.
In case you don’t know which kind of stretches you should do, try lateral lunges, knee highs, trunk rotation, side bends, ankle bounces, leg swings, alternating toe touch, etc.
Another reason why professional suggests doing stretches is, you will know if you have any kind of pain body that might get worse with exercise.
Step 2:
Now it’s time to adjust the seat height. Different seat height will target different areas of muscle, so it is important that you adjust the seat height. In order to get the right seat height, you have to set the height equal to your waist.
Stand beside your exercise bike, loosen the seat knob and adjust to the height of your waist. Then sit the bike, your leg should bend slightly when you will make a full round with the pedal. The knee should not bend too much and neither it should stay completely straight.
Step 3:
You didn’t gain all the body weight overnight so you cannot lose them overnight, you have to go slow. In the beginning, pedal the bike slowly, that is just the warm-up. The reason why warm up is needed is that you have to make your body ready for adopting a completely new situation.
Start slow and after a while you can increase your pedaling speed but don’t force it, stay moderate at the beginning.
Step 4:
It is time to add some resistance to your exercise. Resistance exercise plays a big role in weight loss, and also in toning muscles. The more resistance you add to your exercise the more strengthen your muscles, the bone would be and effectively you will lose weight.
But that doesn’t mean you will add a high-resistance in which you can barely move the pedal, that is not going to work. Keep it at a moderate level and increase it with time. And make sure to push the pedal harder so that you start sweating.
According to health experts, for effective weight loss, one should perform 60 to 90 minutes of cardio exercise every single day. If you want, you can split that up in a couple of sessions.
Step 5:
Have you heard of interval training? You haven’t if you are new to exercise bikes. Anyways, adding interval training to your exercise will help you to lose weight faster. Interval training means more intensity.
Continuously pedal at a fast pace for 30 seconds and then be slow for 50 to 60 seconds. But don’t take rest, 60 second slow pedaling will be the active rest and when 60 second is over, again shift to fast pace.
Interval training is highly beneficial, with regular exercise, it will make you capable of exercising in higher heart rate, which means you will get increased stamina level.
Step 6:
Another important thing that most people avoids and don’t even think of, that is body posture. Wrong body posture during the exercise will prevent you to gain a nice body.
During exercise make sure you don’t lean too forward or backward, both have disadvantages. Your core should tight and straight whenever you exercise.
Keep a water bottle beside you. Most exercise bikes come with bottle holder, if your one doesn’t have one, you can purchase a Water bottle holder separately and add it to the bike. Drink water after every 5 to 10 minutes, that will keep you hydrated.
Step 7:
When you think you are done with your exercise session, don’t just stop pedaling suddenly. Slowly slow down the pedaling speed, pedal for 1 or 2 minutes and then stop.
Additional Tips:
If you want a faster result, then only exercise won’t do the work. You have to start dieting. There are thousands of resources on the internet, or if you can afford you can go to any fitness trainer that would be more beneficial.
Not only for weight loss, for getting a healthy body you must need to follow a diet chart. Most people think diet means less eating which is wrong. Diet means eating healthy. For a healthy life, healthy eating is highly necessary.
To Learn More Please watch the video:
Conclusion:
Now you know how effective exercise bikes are for weight loss but if compared treadmills are more effective since your entire body moves when you run on it. But still, if you can’t afford a treadmill (they are expensive), exercise bikes are still a good option.
