Exercise Bike

PartyPerson

Hi! having been banned from running by doc he suggested cycling. I am terrified of bikes but have forced myself to get out on a bike at the weekends - but can't fit it in in the evenings because it's dark when I finish work (and therefore even more scary!). So I invested in an exercise bike for when I can't get outside.

My question is - what do you think is better: riding shorter bursts (say 20 mins) at higher resistance or prolonged time with lower resistance?

While I'm trying to lose weight I also want to get generally more healthy and have always loathed exercise so have set myself a target of being able to cycle to have picnics with friends when summer arrives.

TimothyFish

Riding longer will give you more benefit. A higher resistance will tend to burn calories more quickly, but the difference isn't as significant as you might think. The reason is that at a lower resistance your cadence will increase. It is possible to put in just as much effort at a low resistance, high cadence as it is to put in at a high resistance, low cadence. It is beneficial to switch it up, because both develop different abilities.

PartyPerson

Thank you! That's a huge help.

sijomial

I would suggest that predominately you go for longer lower intensity to build your endurance and fitness base.
Certainly adding in some harder/faster sessions will be useful too. A bit of variety is a good thing.

I'm "banned" from running by dodgy knees but can cycle all day long.

I see you are in England too - sustrans.org and Transport For London are good resources to find nice cycling routes. Enjoying exercise makes it a pleasure not a chore.

sheermomentum

Not to be trite I hope, but the best workout is the one you'll stick with. Especially if you don't like bikes and you don't like exercise. If it mentally easier to get yourself to to 15 minutes at any resistance twice a day than it is to pedal for 30 minutes, do that. Worry about the next thing in a couple of weeks.

trigden1991

I would advise enjoying the ride and not looking at it as exercise (otherwise it can become a chore). Pick the most scenic route and enjoy.

PartyPerson

You are right about trying to get more enjoyment out of the exercise - at the moment the goal of being about to cycle to the river to meet up with people and the calories are the enjoyment. I am hoping that the scenery will start to make a difference, but beating my fears is the biggest incentive. If I can get through a whole ride without any incident which terrifies me I've had a good ride! I am determined to get fitter and to beat the phobia, though I'm a very long way from riding anywhere near any traffic - at least I've managed to get onto the cycle path and not just complete circuits of the park to the hilarity of the local youth. I even manage to change gears without a panic attack now. So just making sure that the exercise bike is making the outdoor rides easier is the main aim. One day I'll be able to look somewhere other than the path ahead.

TimothyFish

PartyPerson wrote: »

You are right about trying to get more enjoyment out of the exercise - at the moment the goal of being about to cycle to the river to meet up with people and the calories are the enjoyment. I am hoping that the scenery will start to make a difference, but beating my fears is the biggest incentive. If I can get through a whole ride without any incident which terrifies me I've had a good ride! I am determined to get fitter and to beat the phobia, though I'm a very long way from riding anywhere near any traffic - at least I've managed to get onto the cycle path and not just complete circuits of the park to the hilarity of the local youth. I even manage to change gears without a panic attack now. So just making sure that the exercise bike is making the outdoor rides easier is the main aim. One day I'll be able to look somewhere other than the path ahead.

Traffic takes some getting used to. The most dangerous thing is riding where people have trouble seeing you. Most cars have blind spots big enough to hide a trash truck. It pays to be aware of this when you are riding in traffic. I choose my route carefully and have found that many of the things I feared about riding in traffic simply aren't so. That's not to say there isn't a risk of being hit by a distracted driver or by one who refuses to change lanes, but those risks can be minimized.

sijomial

When you build up your confidence enough to mix with the traffic you may find using a rear view mirror helps enormously - when you are confident what's going on all round you feel more in control and that reduces the anxiety.
Even helps avoid more of the damn potholes that infest our roads when you know you have room to manoeuvre.
(There are time only a backward glance will do of course.)

Good on you for persevering to beat your fears, the more people who cycle the more normal it is and the safer for all of us.

TimothyFish

sijomial wrote: »

When you build up your confidence enough to mix with the traffic you may find using a rear view mirror helps enormously - when you are confident what's going on all round you feel more in control and that reduces the anxiety.
Even helps avoid more of the damn potholes that infest our roads when you know you have room to manoeuvre.
(There are time only a backward glance will do of course.)

Good on you for persevering to beat your fears, the more people who cycle the more normal it is and the safer for all of us.

My experience with mirrors is that they are far less beneficial than they seem like they should be. A cyclist is already far more aware of their surroundings than someone in a car because they have no blind spots and because they can hear the traffic around them. By just turning one's head one is able to see as much as a motorist sees in the mirror. Besides which, what am I going to do if I see a car that isn't getting out of my lane? If there were a safe place for me to get out of its way, I would already be out of its way.

NorthCascades

PartyPerson wrote: »

but can't fit it in in the evenings because it's dark when I finish work (and therefore even more scary!).

You should consider getting a light. Even if you never ride after dark, a light will help other people notice you while you ride, which will make you safer.

I've noticed that @sijomial and @TimothyFish pretty much always give out excellent advice here, but you may not have been around long enough to notice that. So I'm going to second their advice: riding longer at a moderate pace will do more for your health (and midsection) than shorter rides with more resistance. Some variety is good, too, but especially for beginners, moderate is best. Endurance should be your aim for now.

You said your goal is to ride to have picnics with friends. That's completely achievable, and won't take any heroics.

sijomial

TimothyFish wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

When you build up your confidence enough to mix with the traffic you may find using a rear view mirror helps enormously - when you are confident what's going on all round you feel more in control and that reduces the anxiety.
Even helps avoid more of the damn potholes that infest our roads when you know you have room to manoeuvre.
(There are time only a backward glance will do of course.)

Good on you for persevering to beat your fears, the more people who cycle the more normal it is and the safer for all of us.

My experience with mirrors is that they are far less beneficial than they seem like they should be. A cyclist is already far more aware of their surroundings than someone in a car because they have no blind spots and because they can hear the traffic around them. By just turning one's head one is able to see as much as a motorist sees in the mirror. Besides which, what am I going to do if I see a car that isn't getting out of my lane? If there were a safe place for me to get out of its way, I would already be out of its way.

Not my experience at all - mirror is a great planning aid.
Yes you do have a big blind spot, our eyes are on the front of our heads!
While I glance in the mirror my peripheral vision is still alert to dangers ahead of me.

If I can see I don't have room to avoid a pothole then I'm obviously not going to swerve in front of a car. But because I've planned for it I would normally already have taken up a better position on the road nice and early so no surprises to either me or the driver. Controlling the space around me rather than being passive if you like.
As I said though - it's an "as well" not an "instead of" looking over the shoulder.

PartyPerson

Thank you for all of the advice and support - as I have a day off today am planning to go out for around an hour, depends on how bad the wind is! Have a great day.