Stationary bike

Options
ladyj22
ladyj22 Posts: 146 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm wanting to switch up my cardio routine. What's a good speed and duration for the bike. I'm wanting a really good sweat and calorie burn.

Replies

  • teicu1
    teicu1 Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    There’s a wide range of what you can do--from short, slow+easy sessions by yourself to the “take no prisoners” intense madness of some extreme gym spinning groups. I’m no experienced info guru, but... If you’re just starting out, try moderate intensity sessions that aren’t too long so you don’t beat yourself up right off the bat. You’ll quickly figure out what it takes to work up a sweat and how long you can go without hurting yourself. Build intensity and session length cautiously as your ability increases. Good luck with it.
  • ladyj22
    ladyj22 Posts: 146 Member
    Options
    Thank you so much!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    Difficult to answer except in generalisations as you haven't told anyone what you have been doing, your capabilities and goals (beyond "switching up", wanting to get sweaty and burning calories).

    Slightly faster and for a longer duration than is currently comfortable would be a very general answer.
    (BTW - your can't really compare "speeds" on different stationary bikes as none of them actually move!)

    Calorie burn comes from intensity and duration primarily, hence faster and longer....
    Maximum effort you can sustain for the entire time you have available would be your personal maximal burn.
    Think of a one hour time trial - that would be your maximum for an hour but a lower intensity two hour ride is going to get you a higher overall burn.

    If you want fitness improvements then depending on your capabilities then a mix of steady state and interval training sessions may well be beneficial. If you are building a fitness base then predominately long, slow sessions would be the core of your training.

    BTW - sweating may indicate to you that you are trying hard but it's not really a goal or indicator of high calorie burns. Just means you are getting hot, if that exhausts you then you are actually compromising your workout.

    PS - it's much more fun cycling outside and then the possibilities are far wider. On road, off road, all day long.....
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,891 Member
    edited February 2017
    Options
    Take an intermediate level spinning class or two ... that'll give you an idea of what you might do on a stationary bike.

    In addition to that, I do commercial intervals. I turn on the TV and during the show I ride at a moderate pace ... then during the commercial I ride as hard as I can. When the show comes back on, I go back to a moderate pace ... and repeat.


    Oh, and sweating doesn't equal calorie burn. If it did, I'd be borderline underweight right now with all the hot flashes I've been going through lately.

Categories