Is Cycling Good Exercise? We Asked Experts
Are you looking for ways to get fit without spending too much time or effort? Cycling might be the answer.
In fact, it’s one of the easiest forms of exercise out there. And it’s also great for improving your cardiovascular health.
Cycling has become a very popular form of fitness. It’s low impact, requires little equipment, and is accessible anywhere.
Plus, it’s fun and social. If you want to try cycling, here are some things you should know before hitting the road.
There are several benefits associated with cycling. For starters, it helps improve your cardio endurance.
This means you burn calories faster and longer. It also improves your overall strength and balance. You can lose weight by riding regularly. The more you ride, the more calories you will burn.
What Are The Benefits Of Cycling?
If you want to burn calories fast and build muscle, consider adding cycling to your workout routine. But what are some benefits of riding a bike?
The benefits of cycling are many. Cycling can benefit the lungs, bones, muscles, and brain. It can also provide a great workout for the entire body.
If you’re looking to lose weight, riding a bicycle can burn calories faster than most other forms of exercise.
Cycling can help build muscle mass, increase bone density, reduce risk factors for osteoporosis, and even boost brain function.
She adds that it can also provide some relief for people suffering from arthritis, fibromyalgia, or chronic fatigue syndrome.
We recommend incorporating bicycling into your fitness routine because it provides many benefits including improved balance, flexibility, endurance, coordination, and overall wellness.
What Are The Muscles That Are Used During Cycling?
The pedaling motion is divided into four phases:
- Push Power Phase – This is initiated at the top of the cycle and involves the activation of the glutes and hamstring muscles.
- Hip Extension Phase – This occurs as the bike moves downwards, and the rider pushes off the ground. The glutes and hamstrings are again involved in this movement.
- Knee Extension Phase – This takes place as the pedal reaches approximately three o’clock. During this phase, the quadriceps muscles contract to extend the knees.
- Ankle Plantar Flexion Phase – The final phase occurs as the foot approaches six o’clock. At this stage, the gastrocnemius contracts to dorsiflex (point up) the toes.
How Can You Make Cycling Harder Or More Difficult?
Whether you’re looking to improve your fitness or just want to explore new terrain, there are many ways to make cycling more intense.
And while riding uphill might seem like the most obvious way to increase the intensity, there are plenty of other options. For example, you could use a trainer, change gears, or simply pedal faster.
There are many ways to increase the difficulty or intensity of a bike ride. You can ramp up the resistance by increasing the slope of the hill, or you can go faster, or both.
If you want to keep things simple, you can simply shift into a lower gear and pedal harder. Or you could use a power meter to measure how hard you’re pedaling.
What Does The Average Bike Ride Burn?
The calorie count depends largely on how hard you pedal and what type of bike you’re riding. A 155-pound person can easily burn up to 500 calories per hour on a stationary bike, depending on how fast they go.
But it takes about four hours to burn off just 300 calories on a road bike. To burn off 500 calories, you’d have to exercise for 4½ hours straight.
How Long Should You Cycle For?
There are no hard and fast guidelines on how long and often people should bike. The amount of time spent riding per day varies based on personal preference and health status.
But there are some general guidelines that apply across riders. For example, if you want to improve aerobic capacity—that is, increase your ability to use oxygen while exercising—then you should do moderate to intense cardiovascular training three to five times per week.
This could mean 30 minutes to an hour of steady-state activity such as walking, running, swimming, or biking.
For strength training, most experts recommend three to four workouts per week. This includes both resistance training and cross-training.
Resistance training refers to activities that require muscle contractions to lift weights, whereas cross-training involves light weightlifting combined with low-intensity movement.
Cross-training can include activities such as yoga, Pilates, or even just stretching and mobility exercises.
If you are new to cycling, start out slowly and build up gradually. Starting with 10 to 15 minutes of cycling each session and increasing the duration by 5 to 10 minutes every few weeks is the best way to go.
What Are The Differences Between Outdoor And Indoor Cycling?
Whether you ride down the street, in your living room, or both, indoor or outdoor riding provides some form of exercise.
Indoor cycling allows you to enjoy the benefits of exercising without having to deal with inclement weather or other factors that might interfere with your ability to exercise outdoors.
But what are the main differences between indoor and outdoor bicycling?
Whether you ride down the street, in your living room, or both, indoor and outdoor riding are equally good ways to burn calories and improve your health. But what are the main differences between indoor and outdoor cycling?
If you’re looking to go outdoors, consider one of these options:
- Road bikes — These have gears and handlebars designed for handling hills and wind resistance, making them ideal for longer rides. They typically weigh less than mountain bikes, too.
- Mountain bikes — These are similar to road bikes except they usually come with suspension forks and shocks, giving them better traction over rough terrain. Because of their extra weight, they tend to be slower than road bikes.
- Hybrid bikes — These combine features of both road and mountain bikes. Some hybrids have disc brakes and even electric motors to help power the bike up steep inclines.
Outdoor cycling requires different equipment, such as helmets, lights, reflective gear, and water bottles. You might want to bring a lock and helmet strap, too.
Whether you ride down the street, or in your living room — get on either bike, and it will give you some form of exercise.
Indoor cycling can provide more control for beginners, allowing people to feel more comfortable and safer while learning how to stand on the pedals or balance on the bike.
And then there are the benefits of having more control over your environment, including whatever music you want to listen to and sing along to.
Outdoor riding, on the other hand, is subject to available daylight hours, weather, and traffic, but provides the benefit of being outdoors and breathing fresh air.
Road cycling allows riders to build muscle strength, coordination, and balance skills while giving the rider an opportunity to explore the world in a healthier way.
Final Thoughts
While both indoor and outdoor cycling offer many benefits, choosing which type of cycling to do depends largely on personal preference.
For example, if you live in a city where you don’t have access to a gym, you may prefer indoor cycling because you can work out at home without leaving your house.
On the other hand, if you like the idea of going outside and getting some fresh air, you may choose outdoor biking instead.
