Stationary Bike

aj445

Any cyclists around? I am curious if there are "workouts" when using a stationary bike, or if people just bike for xx amount of time. I'm a runner. Love running, can run long distances. Can't bike. Kills me lol. So I'm getting a stationary bike for free from my brother and I'm going to use it for cross training days for the marathon I'm training for. Any tips?

RepsnSets

I have various workouts for the bike but I left my book at home. Its like doing HIIT training

I up the level every minute for six minutes then drop a few levels for one minute then hike up each level every minute. I do this for 20 minutes or 30 minutes.

Doing it this way for me doesnt make me feel bored and the time goes quicker

aj445

funny I never thought of an HIIT workout on the bike. I just always picture the people I see at the gym on the bikes reading etc. I really want to get as much out of the bike as I do the treadmill though!

dmkoenig

Sure, therre are plenty of workouts you can do on a stationary bike. I would stay away from just spinning for xx time at a steady rate; it's really not going to do much for your fitness and will become deathly dull very fast. Instead focus on doing some interval training. You have 2 variables to play with - RPM (how fast you pedal) and tension (how difficult it is to push the pedal) and you can use both to great effectiveness. I would target a workout in the 30-45 minute range doing sets of 3-5 repetitions working moderately hard to hard anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes depending on intensity, with 30-90 seconds rest (easy spinning) between each repetition. That should be a nice supplement to your marathon training.

gwensoul

I fond some podcasts that are like coached spinning sessions. Great because I can't push myself unless someone is yelling at me.