A bicycle is a very effective thing, otherwise there would be no exercise bikes in sports clubs. But you must admit, exercising on an exercise bike is monotonous. It is quite another thing to ride a real bike down the street – and change the “picture” and fresh air. On the one hand – entertainment, and on the other – a great sport.

Despite the fact that the main load falls on the muscles of the thighs and lower legs, cycling for weight loss also involves the muscles of the back and abdomen – they stabilize the body. Some of the work is done by the muscles of the hands, as they hold the steering wheel. But the most important benefit of a weight loss bike is the active work of the heart muscle.

This is a kind of cardio training, which, subject to optimal intensity, directly burns fat. Intensity is a key parameter of cycling for weight loss: if it is low, the training will not be effective, if it is too high, it will already be an anaerobic load that burns carbohydrates, not fats.

Optimal Intensity
An indicator of intensity is the pulse or heart rate – heart rate. You can, of course, focus on the average – 120-150 heartbeats per minute, but it is better to make an individual calculation, especially since it is very simple.

1. First, find your maximum heart rate using the formula:

for men: 205- ½ age;
for women: 220-age.
2. We take 60-70% of the maximum heart rate – this is the heart rate at which training is aerobic in nature and burns fat. The heart rate should not go beyond this value.

For example, for a 25-year-old girl, the calculation would be: 220-25=195 (maximum heart rate).

(195:100) * 70 = 136.5 – this is 70% of the maximum heart rate.

With the resulting heart rate value, cycling for weight loss should take place.

To control your heart rate, it is best to get a heart rate monitor. This device is worn on the wrist like a watch.

If your weight loss bike is equipped with a speed sensor, you can do without a heart rate monitor and rely on the speed of movement. A slimming bike will be effective at speeds between 15 and 25 km/h.

A weight loss bike without a speedometer and a heart rate monitor will have to experimentally find the speed of your ride at which the pulse will be in the desired range: for this you need to try to ride at different speeds for 10-15 minutes and stop to measure the pulse.

The easiest way is to measure it by a watch with a second hand (or a stopwatch) for 15 seconds, and multiply the resulting value by 4. This is not very convenient, because you can only focus on some kind of speed – also approximate. Better yet, have a speedometer or heart rate monitor.

How much do you need to ride a bike to lose weight?

One intensity for weight loss is not enough – you also need the optimal duration of the workout: the more we train, the more fat will burn.

An untrained person should start with a 15-20 minute ride, and then gradually increase the training time by 5 minutes, but not every time, but after one day (or through training). Those who regularly visited the gym (at least 2 times a week) can immediately ride for an hour. spend 300-500 kcal.

Length of ride for weight loss

It is advisable to ride a bike for an hour every day. If this is not possible, then at least three times a week. In this case, you can increase the training time to one and a half hours.
But if you really want to lose weight, start monitoring your calorie intake, otherwise the fat stores that your cycling burns will be successfully replenished from excess calories.

Effective training to you!