Does cycling help you lose weight - proper riding for weight loss

Losing weight by cycling is the cherished dream of many people. Many people think: as a child, they rode a bicycle and were slim. Maybe, instead of buying a ticket to the gym, it’s better to buy a bicycle to lose weight and, with its help, regain your former shape and good mood?

Losing weight with a bicycle: advantages and disadvantages

According to reviews conducted on the Internet, among people aged 25–35 years, the votes were distributed as follows:

Benefits of cycling for weight loss

Cycling is considered aerobic exercise.
The cardiovascular system works with maximum efficiency throughout the entire ride. To increase your calorie burn, track your heart rate. It is important to keep your heart rate between 90 and 120 beats per minute.

At this heart rate, the body burns fat more efficiently and metabolism accelerates.

When the pedals are actively rotated, when exhaling and in the form of sweat, excess water leaves the body, first fast carbohydrates are consumed, then fat reserves. Standard cycling exercises for weight loss without additional load involve:

abdominal muscles, buttocks, calves and thighs, quadrotriceps;
ankle;
knee joints;
core muscles.

During complex exercises, joints and ligaments are strengthened, and overall muscle tone increases. Regular cycling helps burn from 200 to 1000 calories per 1 hour of exercise. The exact value depends on the riding speed, the type of terrain on the route (country or flat road), and the athlete’s body weight. According to reviews from those losing weight, if you follow the diet and basic training rules, you will be able to burn up to 1–2 kg per week.

Disadvantages of training

Not everyone likes such walks. Cycling training has its downsides:

The need to buy or rent sports equipment. Riding can be replaced by regular exercise on an exercise bike in the gym.
Large load on joints. When constantly pedaling, your legs get very tired. Beginning athletes are recommended to use relaxing compresses or baths after exercise.
Seasonality. In winter, training will have to be stopped.
The need for careful selection of the route. For training, it is better to choose special bike paths, a highway with a wide shoulder, or a country road.

How to choose a bike for weight loss

The quality of equipment affects the effectiveness of training. The benefits of cycling will be noticeable only if you choose the right two-wheeled vehicle:

Bike type . Mountain and road models are not suitable for training. They have too much or too little weight, specific fit, and level of shock absorption. It is better to choose a simple urban or tourist model.
Frame material . Steel and aluminum parts are distinguished by their average price, high reliability and maintainability. A less common option is a carbon frame. It is light in weight, has good strength, is resistant to corrosion, but cannot be repaired.
Depreciation . The most commonly used option is a hardtail. Only the front wheel is equipped with shock absorbers, while the rear wheel is rigidly fixed to the frame. This design increases riding comfort and prevents damage to the fork or front wheel rim when hitting a curb or stone. Another option - rigid - is more suitable for a completely flat road. The design has no shock absorption, but is distinguished by a reduced price and reduced weight.
Brakes . Classic pads wear out over time and require tuning. Braking acceleration can be easily adjusted. The disc brake system is more rigid, helping to stop faster. The module requires almost no maintenance, but is complex and expensive to repair.
Saddle . Must be selected individually. It is important to avoid narrow models made of hard material - they contribute to the appearance of chafing and discomfort when riding.
Steering wheel . The width of the handles is fixed and cannot be changed. The material of the handles itself should prevent the palms from slipping and have a relief texture.
Equipment . The complete set consists of a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, protective gloves and goggles. All elements must fit snugly to the body. The best material is carbon or impact-resistant plastic. Additionally, you can purchase special cycling clothing: a T-shirt, shorts, pants, sneakers and a jacket, which do not interfere with the natural heat exchange of the body.

Some useful tips for those who want to lose weight by cycling

Try not to drink a lot of water, both during training and after: learn to first hold water in your mouth, and then divide one sip into 3-4 small ones. To better quench your thirst, it is recommended to squeeze lemon juice into water.
Bring a backpack and a change of clothes that absorb sweat well. If you are sweating, change into dry clothes before heading home.
After a trip, no matter how much you want to eat well right away, you need to wait an hour or two. Remember that all calculations were based on the fact that food consumption did not increase.
After training, it is useful to eat low-calorie foods: vegetables, fruits, fiber, low-fat fish.

In conclusion, I would like to say that with patience and regular trips, you can lose weight not only with excessive loads, as many imagine, but also with a very calm pace of driving. The main thing is not to forget that a trip in which you travel at least 20 - 25 kilometers every day will be useful.

Only if you learn to perceive the time spent behind the wheel of a bike not as violence against yourself, but as part of your life, will you be adequately rewarded for your efforts.

It is this kind of load that will lead to the long-awaited result and strengthen your body, as well as bring the joy of communicating with nature.

How to start losing weight with a bike

The optimal duration of training is 1.5–2 hours per day. It is not recommended to break the regime - the muscles will lose tone and begin to get tired faster. Basic training rules:

Nutrition . To speed up your metabolism and set your body up to burn fat, you need to drink at least 2-3 liters of water per day. Eliminate fast carbohydrates from your diet, eat more fruits and vegetables. You can’t ride on an empty stomach, just like you can’t overeat. Control your calorie intake, track your food balance according to the BZHU.
Movement speed . For beginner athletes, the optimal value is 9–12 km/h. Gradually increase your speed to 21 km/h or more.
For effective weight loss, keep your heart rate between 90 and 120 beats per minute . If the heart beats too slowly, only glycogen is used to fuel the muscles. With a rapid heartbeat, the body becomes overworked and tired.
Warm up . Before riding, warm up your calf and thigh muscles, stretch your knees and ankles. Preparation reduces the risk of injury.
Route . Prepare it in advance so that there are frequent ascents (slope up to 20–30°) and descents along the way. This helps reduce cellulite. When riding on a straight road, maintain a steady pedaling pace, relying less on inertia.

Workout plan for weight loss

Do not overload your body: ride with increased load 1-2 times a week. As your muscles strengthen and their tone increases, gradually increase your riding speed, frequency of training, and their overall intensity. Recommendations for creating a lesson plan:

Complicate your route by adding sections with hills and driving on country roads.
“Dilute” your races with fasting days. Once every 4-5 workouts, you can reduce the riding speed and remove difficult sections from the route.

Interval training

The skating technique involves a constant alternation of increased aerobic exercise and rest.

Interval training involves riding for 3-5 minutes at maximum speed, with the same amount of time allotted for rest.

Over time, you can increase the intensity of the load by increasing the tempo of pedaling, but without reducing the rest time. You can replace it with a leisurely drive to the starting point. Interval training is carried out according to the following scheme:

10–15 minutes – warm-up;
4 minutes of intense exercise;
4 minutes rest;
repeating the stages of load and rest – 4–5 times.

Short sprint

Training involves a series of sharp accelerations, between which the athlete is given time to rest. A sudden increase in pedaling speed is hard on your knee joints and ligaments, so a good warm-up is important. Training scheme:

15–20 minutes – warm-up.
Drive for 20 minutes at an average speed of 9–15 km/h.
Sharp acceleration (100 rpm) – 20–30 seconds
Rest or drive at low speed for 4–5 minutes.
Repeat periods of acceleration and rest 5-6 times.

What should a bike be like to lose weight?

A weight loss bike doesn't have to be heavy. Many people confuse a vehicle with a weight. The bike should be comfortable, because it not only carries out classes, but also serves as a means of transportation and returning home.

A good compromise would be to choose a mountain bike or mountain bike. It makes it possible to make both road trips and move along forest paths, as well as “screw in” the pedals while standing on them. If you often use this method of riding in combination with others, you can lose weight much faster than with monotonous and monotonous riding.

On a bicycle, the very pace and nature of muscle contraction do not imply maximum muscle tension, as when doing, for example, powerlifting. “Short-circuits,” in which the calves and thighs refuse to lift the bike up the hill along with the cyclist, occur during mountaineering. In addition, eating chocolate immediately improves the ability of muscles to contract.

How to increase the effect of cycling training

The following factors positively influence the efficiency of cycling:

Lifestyle . Quitting smoking, alcohol and junk food is the basis of a sports weight loss program. You should drink at least 2 liters of liquid during the day.
Additional physical activity will speed up the weight loss process. Skating can be combined with yoga or anaerobic exercises. It is better to do the latter before a fasting day so that the muscles have time to recover.
Constantly increasing load . Long races are more difficult for beginner athletes. Over time, endurance increases, and the optimal load for the athlete increases. You should increase your riding intensity once a month.

How much time do you need to train?

Cycling sessions should ideally last up to two hours. After 40 minutes of active training, the process of burning excess fat begins. To lose weight, you need to ride a bike for at least an hour a day. It makes no sense to exhaust yourself with long workouts for more than two hours, especially in the absence of sufficient physical training. In addition, from an overabundance of training, you can overstrain your muscles, which will subsequently become very sore, which certainly will not add comfort in the next few days. You should start cycling for 20 minutes a day, each time increasing the duration of the workout until it becomes as comfortable as possible to carry out the necessary loads.

Sportswear for cycling training

How to train properly

You will be able to achieve the desired effect quite quickly if you follow the correct riding technique and do not neglect your training. With daily exercise, you can achieve maximum formation of a healthy, fit figure.

One of the most important factors, without which a positive result is impossible, is taking the correct body position during the trip. To avoid having to idle the pedals, your feet should rest firmly on them, and your emphasis should be on your toes while riding.
It is better to ride away from dusty city roads, because the respiratory system is especially active during training.
It is necessary to alternate the pace of training. Changing the rhythm of movement will have a positive effect on the body, because when the process of burning fat has already started, you can give yourself a little rest from an active cycling race, and then increase the speed again.
Climbing uphill will significantly increase the load and allow you to achieve what you want faster.
In order to increase efficiency, you can periodically try to ride standing, leaning on the pedals.
It is better to eat food an hour before the start of classes.
To get the necessary results as quickly as possible, in addition to cycling, you also need to eat right. If you eat healthy food along with exercise, your immunity will be significantly strengthened, and you will not find out about health problems very soon.
To choose the optimal time of day when it is best to exercise, you need to listen to your own biorhythms. Each person perceives physical activity differently at certain times.

It is important to remember that speed in this matter is not as important as the correct pedaling and body position while riding. In addition, you need to ride a bike as often as possible so that your muscles are always in good shape and do not become unaccustomed to the load. If the conditions for proper training are met, then it is not difficult to achieve results in just a month or two.