Do you want to quickly get in shape for summer? Cardio exercise is an easy way to lose weight. Among them, the most effective exercises are running, swimming, aerobics and cycling. And if the former require a certain preparation and some effort of will from a person, then everyone can afford pleasant walks around the city on a two-wheeled vehicle. To do this, you don’t have to buy one; it’s convenient and cheap to rent a bike. First, you should decide on two factors, without which you will not lose weight, no matter how much you pedal. It's about habit and proper diet.
Consistency is the result of daily self-improvement
To lose weight with a bicycle, you need to go out for bike rides systematically and regularly (ideally, every day, but for beginners such a schedule may be overwhelming). How to form the right habit and stick to it? The answer will be disappointing - you will have to make efforts on yourself every day for a long time. The minimum time to form a habit is 21 days, the maximum is 8 months.
There is some good news. In forming a new habit, not only motivation plays a huge role, but also pleasant emotions. For example, it is much easier to accustom yourself to cycling than to running, because pedaling at a measured pace is more pleasant than dragging your feet in your last breath after ten minutes of cross-country.
Basic mistakes
If there is no progress in losing weight when riding a bicycle, even after intense exercise, this indicates mistakes have been made. They need to be analyzed and eliminated. Experts consider the most common mistakes to be:
- Slow metabolism. Because of this, too few calories are burned. Drinking water will help speed up your metabolism.
- Incorrect posture. Because of this, the load is distributed disproportionately, mainly falling on the spine. An uncomfortable fit prevents you from developing high speed, which is important for losing weight. In addition, the risk of injury increases.
- Low intensity. You need to train to lose weight at least 3 times a week for at least 45 minutes, since active fat burning begins from the 40th minute.
Riding is a great way to solve several problems at once: how to lose weight on a bike, tighten your figure and improve your health in general. Regular exercise in the fresh air combined with proper nutrition will give good results. The main thing is to do everything right.
An uncomfortable fit will not allow you to develop high speed, which is important for weight loss.
You need to train at least 3 times a week for 45-60 minutes, otherwise you won’t have to expect results soon
Sad information for those with a sweet tooth
We will not recount the main diets in detail, but we will touch on the most important things. First of all, just riding a bike is not enough. Losing weight requires that you burn more calories than you take in. And the greater the difference between calories received and calories burned, the faster you lose weight. This is a simple principle that is actually difficult to adhere to. To achieve the desired effect, diet, like exercise, must become a habit. The only way to lose weight is by cycling.
And in order to say goodbye to fat as quickly as possible, ideally you need to completely give up (or greatly limit your consumption) of the following foods: sugar, soda, baked goods, chocolate and beer; they all go straight into the fat layer.
And besides health?
In addition to health, cycling gives you the opportunity to combine business with pleasure.
Firstly, if you do not live very far from work, in the spring and summer this is an ideal way to get
on it, bypassing traffic jams. Many of the author’s friends do this if they are 6-7 kilometers away from work.
Secondly, you can walk your dog
. Both you and the dog will be healthy. Unless, of course, your dog has a temperament that requires him to run here and there.
You can even accompany your friends
who prefer real horses rather than iron ones. Another gelding may mistake a bicycle for one of his own.
Losing weight on a bike
First of all, it is worth saying that fat remains longer in problem areas: thighs and abdomen. it is there that it is accumulated by the body “in reserve.” Therefore, training a separate muscle group, for example, the abs, hoping that it will be slim, does not make much sense. Yes, you will get the desired “cubes”, but they will be hidden from admiring glances by a good layer of fat.
Cycling for weight loss (like any cardio exercise) is good for those who use subcutaneous fat as fuel. This is exactly what we need. The main load during cycling falls on the quadriceps; the muscles of the buttocks, femoral biceps and calf muscles are slightly less tense. Therefore, for someone who often rides a bicycle, perfect legs and a beautiful butt are only a matter of time. We briefly summarize the main advantages of such loads:
- suitable for people with any physical fitness;
- extremely simple and quite effective;
- you can independently adjust the degree of intensity;
- recommended for varicose veins;
- develop a sense of balance and coordination;
- increase endurance, strengthen joints;
- Excellent prevention of cellulite.
Fact: if you weigh 70 kg, then in 60 minutes of active cycling you will burn about 500 kilocalories.
Two to three months of regular cycling with a gradual increase in intensity will lead to the fact that you will have to radically change your wardrobe, as the old things will turn out to be too big. After a year of such stress (of course, with a diet), you will be able to easily fit into the suit/dress that you purchased for your school prom.
Advice: in order not to lose the results accumulated over the summer of riding, in winter it is worth joining a gym and continuing to exercise on an exercise bike.
Build hips, burn fat
Cycling is a great way to get rid of fat deposits
on your thighs.
This is not very intense (if you ride slowly), but constant work, more intense than walking. Therefore, the body burns fat with pleasure and builds muscle tissue. Another thing is that for noticeable changes in the muscles of the thighs, you need to ride regularly
(or better yet, daily) - and for a long time, at least 40 minutes a day. By the way, we have published on our portal the most complete table of calorie consumption for various types of activities: from washing dishes to skiing.
Planning cycling training
If you are wondering how much cycling you need to do to lose weight, then this information will be extremely useful. Let's start with the most basic:
- Duration of classes For people who are not prepared for physical activity, classes lasting up to 30 minutes are suitable for the first time. Next, you should gradually increase the duration of the ride up to 2 hours. If time does not allow you, you can split one workout into two. For example, an hour in the morning, an hour in the evening.
- Frequency A person in good physical shape can easily withstand daily training, and his body has time to recover overnight. This is the ideal and most effective mode. For beginners, the following schedule is suitable: 1 day of training - 1 day of rest. If you still feel that you are very tired, you can further increase the frequency: ride for 1 day - rest for 2 days.
- Number of kilometers Everything is quite simple here. An experienced bike rider can ride as much as he wants. To lose weight with a bicycle, a beginner only needs to ride no more than 20 kilometers a day. As with other parameters, you should gradually increase your mileage, focusing on your well-being.
- The best time to ride a bike for weight loss The best time to exercise in terms of weight loss is in the morning. Since physical activity allows you to speed up your metabolism for the rest of the day. But not everyone can afford such a regime. For example, it is better for night owls to exercise when they feel a surge of energy, that is, in the evening.
Muscles of the core and arms
You can't go far on a bike on just your legs. Much depends on the muscle groups of the body - the back and abdomen. They work to keep the upper body stable, that is, they are responsible for stability.
Few cyclists pay tribute to the abdominal muscles, but if back pain occurs, one of the reasons is precisely the weakness of the first. Moreover, the abdominal muscles provide the foundation for the legs, which need a strong, stable foundation for maximum performance.
Incorrect body position, weak muscles, sitting too high or low - all this can cause back pain after cycling.
And your hands also get a load. You can feel this if you drive off the asphalt into the forest for the first time and ride there for a very long time. The next day you will feel pain in your arms. The muscles of the core and arms are especially involved when rising from the saddle when the cyclist rides uphill.
marathon and half marathon training plans and start training today!
But a strong shoulder girdle is important for long periods of aero landing, that is, triathletes and cyclists specializing in time trial racing need to train these muscles.
Those who cycle long distances at a time know how much stress the neck receives. Here the splenius capitis and trapezius muscles come into play.
So, in the upper body the following muscles are involved:
- abdominals: rectus, transverse and oblique abdominal muscles;
- erector spinae muscle;
- arm muscles: biceps and triceps;
- deltoid muscles (shoulders);
- latissimus dorsi muscle;
- pectoral muscles;
- splenius capitis muscle;
- trapezius muscle.
How to choose a cycling route?
Cycling to lose weight should be safe and enjoyable, and you should choose the right environment for this. Parks are ideal: clean air, ancient trees, relaxed passers-by and beautiful views. For your convenience, we have prepared a catalog of the most suitable places for cycling in St. Petersburg. For your convenience, we list the parks in different parts of the city that you should pay attention to.
The most picturesque places in the city, in our opinion:
- Victory Park (Moskovsky Prospekt, 188) with flower beds, canals and a network of alleys;
- Krestovsky Island - a combination of historical buildings and a huge park;
- Sosnovka Park (near Akademicheskaya metro station) with an area of 300 hectares reserved for hundred-year-old pine needles;
- Internationalists Park with an open amphitheater and the Church of St. George the Victorious;
- Kirov Central Park is an ideal place for cycling on weekdays;
- Udelny Park is an excellent choice for cycling if you live in the north of St. Petersburg.
If you can’t ride in the park, you can limit yourself to bike paths:
- On Parachute Street;
- Along the Petersburg highway;
- On the coast of Lake Razliv;
- On Glory Avenue.
Now you know where and how to ride a bike to lose weight and get a lot of pleasant pleasures. All that’s left is to buy the most suitable model or rent a bike at Pokatushkin and start training.
Bicycles can ruin your posture
If you don’t know what your seating position, handlebar and seat height should be, you can ruin your posture and even get injured. Due to incorrect positioning, there is a high probability of injury to the spine, shoulders and knees. Therefore, cycling is not just about getting on and going. There are many small nuances to consider.
While running, your back position will be more comfortable because it is physiological. When we walk or run, our body is in an upright position.
Photo: unsplash.com/@kbobike
How to choose the right bike for weight loss?
Any urban model is perfect for such tasks; spending money on mountain bikes or touring bikes does not make sense. The only strict criterion that needs to be taken into account is that the frame must be ten centimeters lower than the waist of the cyclist.
If you have already decided on the route, then you can think about the width of the wheels. Narrow ones are suitable for asphalt roads, but for rough terrain it is better to choose the widest possible wheels. Bicycles for weight loss should be light and comfortable - this is the main thing.
Bypass brakes are more than enough for driving around the city and parks, so there is no point in overpaying for hydraulic brakes and then servicing them. We strongly recommend purchasing knee and elbow protection, a helmet and gloves.
Cycling and the heart
Skating trains cardiorespiratory endurance and increases the ability of the heart muscle to tolerate stress. Typically, testing the heart under stress is carried out on a bicycle ergometer - a special exercise bike that sets the intensity.
“Any physical activity that is 60-80% of the maximum heart rate in the corridor has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system,” explains Viktor Krutskikh. — A load close to the maximum heart rate leads to hypertrophy of the heart muscle. This can negatively affect the functioning of the cardiovascular system.” Thus, another argument is to ride at a moderate pace and without extreme loads.
“The only thing is that it is advisable to choose routes not along the sides of highways,” recalls Natalya Kozlovskaya. - There is not the same air that has a beneficial effect on the heart and lungs. But trips through forests, parks, meadows, where there are no cars, are priceless.”
Is cycling good for women on menstruation?
Rotation of the pedals loads the lower abdomen, improving blood supply to the pelvic organs. In general, this is not bad for women’s health, but there are two “buts”:
- an uncomfortable saddle will rub the genitals, which will cause diaper rash and severe discomfort;
- If you have heavy periods, it is better to refrain from intense physical activity, postponing rides for a day or two.
If you live in a rural area, then during your period you can leave your bicycle as a means of transport to travel short distances. Cyclocross and other sports activities should be excluded. Each woman decides independently: whether to exclude cycling during her menstrual period - everything will depend on your well-being and the abundance of discharge.
We drink correctly
Another key point for a losing weight cyclist is drinking. It is not recommended to drink too much at once during and after training. It is better to drink gradually, often, but in small sips. This way you can stay hydrated without being unnecessarily heavy. Water consumption rates depending on body weight are given in the infographic.
However, it should be remembered that the more water is needed, the higher the person’s physical activity.
Exercises
You can use not only interval riding, it is also useful to use the following options:
classic rotation, pull your stomach in, straighten your back, extend your arms in a line, one leg presses the pedal, the other at the same time pulls the other pedal towards the buttock; without stopping the ride, stand up, straighten your back, pull in your stomach, tighten your buttocks as much as possible, skating occurs only due to the work of the hips, the rest of the muscles are in a static position, it is important to hold the buttocks; you need to stand up, transfer the center of gravity to your hands, alternately step on the pedals, intensively rotating your hips to the sides.
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.
