Whether it’s at home, office, gym, or in a hotel, there are many types of cardio machines you can consider for effective aerobic workouts. Other than a treadmill, an exercise bike is a popular option if you’re looking to lose weight and also achieve your daily fitness goals.
Now, when it comes to exercise bikes, it’s sometimes hard to understand how this gym equipment aids in weight loss since it’s just a stationary bike. The truth is that these bikes offer a seated exercise that’s not as effective as running or jogging on a treadmill.
However, for you to benefit from an exercise bike, you need to understand how to use it effectively. For instance, there are two ways you can use best exercise bike for knee replacement rehab for successful cardio workouts. One is by performing high-intensity workouts for a short time and the second is by performing low-intensity workouts for a longer time.
So, in today’s discussion, we’re going to share some important tips that you can consider if you’re looking to lose weight on an exercise bike.

But First, Why are Exercise Bikes Good for Weight Loss?

The best thing about exercise bikes is that they allow you to exercise while in the comfort of your home or gym. These machines promote low-intensity workouts making it easier for you to exercise without straining the body.
Now, speaking of calories, the human body is fueled by calories to perform different functions. When it comes to weight loss, the body needs to consume fewer calories for you to lose fat. This means that if your daily calorie intake is 2,000, then you need to lower it to around 1,500 for you to lose fat.
So, where does an exercise bike come in? Now, since maintaining a sustainable caloric deficit is quite hard, an exercise bike is a perfect option as it helps you to burn calories by exercising effectively. However, the amount of caloric deficit you can achieve depends on the intensity of your training.
According to Mayo Clinic (1), burning 3,500 calories is equivalent to losing one pound of fat. Also, according to Harvard Health Publishing (2), a 155-pound person should burn around 260 calories when performing moderate exercise on an exercise bike for 30 minutes. A 185-pound person should burn 311 calories while a 125-pound person should burn 211 calories under similar conditions.
So, having said that, let’s now discuss how one can lose weight by using an exercise bike.

4-Tips to Lose Weight On An Exercise Bike

Pick the Right Exercise Bike
To lose weight effectively, you must start by choosing the right exercise bike. Now, any exercise bike can help you lose weight. That’s because, the more you exercise, the more you burn calories. However, to burn enough calories for effective weight loss, you need a specific type of bike that will help you achieve that goal quicker.
In that case, you need to pick either a spin bike or a resistance bike. Spin bikes resemble actual bikes as they allow you to stand or sit upright when cycling. These bikes use magnets to create resistance making it hard for you to peddle. I also saw some amazing sports flooring what was from InstaFloor recently and the quality was just amazing, so that’s a great place to get sports flooring from.
Air resistance bikes, on the other hand, use fans to create the same resistance. With both bikes, the pedals become harder as air/magnetic force increases forcing you to work out the entire body to overcome the resistance. As a result, this offers you an effective way to burn calories.

Incorporate the HIIT Occasionally
The High-Intensity-Interval-Training is an effective training routine you can incorporate into your weight loss plan. This workout method includes performing short bursts of intense workouts followed by fairly shorter rest periods.
So, in this workout plan, you can decide to perform sprint cycling for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of low-intensity workout. You can repeat this procedure for either 10 minutes or 45 minutes depending on your weight loss goals. You can also decide to perform a high-intensity workout for 30 seconds followed by a low-intensity workout of 60 seconds for 20 minutes.
In either way, HIIT is an effective workout plan that has immense benefits. Some of these benefits include improving blood sugar levels, increasing fat metabolism, improving cardiovascular health, and aiding in weight loss.

Mind Your Diet
To maximize the benefits of an exercise bike, you need to focus on eating a healthy diet. After all, exercising without eating a balanced diet will only delay your plan and make it hard for you to achieve full-body fitness.
Therefore, to lose weight effectively, you need to drink plenty of water before meals to boost your metabolism. You also need to minimize sugar intake, as sugar is associated with conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart illness. Lastly, you need to lower your intake of carbs and instead, increase the intake of fiber as fiber has fewer calories.

Warm-Up and Cool Down
For successful weight loss using an exercise bike, you need to plan your cardio workouts very effectively. Just like any other workout plan, you need to start by warming up to elevate your heart rate and allow proper blood circulation throughout the body.
In most cases, you can incorporate the HIIT style routine in your warm-up where you’ll begin with a low-intensity workout for about 60 seconds followed by a high-intensity workout for 30 seconds or so. After you’re through working out, you can conclude the session with a low-intensity workout to cool the body and lower blood and heart rate back to normal.
Once you get off the bike, you can try some light stretching to stretch key lower body muscles such as the hamstrings, quads, and adductors among other muscles.

Conclusion

As you can see, an exercise bike is essential gym equipment that lets you meet your fitness goals at the comfort of your home. Unlike actual bikes, exercise bikes are stationed in one place meaning you won’t have to worry about any restrictions in the outdoors.
When it comes to performance, exercise bikes are the best when it comes to losing weight. They’re also considered for muscle strength, burning fats, and repairing broken joints as the workout is not as intense as cycling an actual bike.
So, are you still struggling to achieve realistic fitness goals? Well, exercise bikes are a go if you’re looking to stay fitter and healthier.