Just cycling

lucysmommy
lucysmommy Posts: 460
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi

Wondering if anyone has seen good weight loss and increase in fitness levels with cycling alone? I get a sore calf when running so it looks like I need to stick to the bike for the time being to get my cardio

Thanks
«1

Replies

  • adambatley1
    adambatley1 Posts: 5
    Never done cycling on the road but I've done spinning and that was a great workout.
  • susannahsutton1
    susannahsutton1 Posts: 372
    I have lost just over 11lb in 5 weeks and 80% of my exercise is cycling and spinning. Rest is walking. I can run I just find it deadly boring.
  • tadpole242
    tadpole242 Posts: 507 Member
    In the last two years I've gone from 24 stone 4lb to my current weight (and mostly before I started on MFP) cycling to work first two day a week then three days a week, now five days a week. two years ago I cycled 1000 miles a year, last year 3500 miles.
    From January this year, I'm more careful about my food and watching what I eat, as I have a lot less weight to lose, so really my diet started only this year. So cycling is a great way to lose the fat and get fit.
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    Hey,

    I cycle 24 miles a day and have noticed huge improvements in my fitness (I log my average HR after each ride and compare it in a graph). Also my legs are now beasts. However I've done it so much I don't think I burn a huge amount of fat from it since I"m so used to it. But its still great cardio, and cheaper than a car (free). Plus chicks dig the lycra (they dont).
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    In the last two years I've gone from 24 stone 4lb to my current weight (and mostly before I started on MFP) cycling to work first two day a week then three days a week, now five days a week. two years ago I cycled 1000 miles a year, last year 3500 miles.
    From January this year, I'm more careful about my food and watching what I eat, as I have a lot less weight to lose, so really my diet started only this year. So cycling is a great way to lose the fat and get fit.

    How heavy are you now dude? Thats great work!
  • EmmaPinkyB
    EmmaPinkyB Posts: 7
    Cycling is great. You can make it more of a workout by going up a gear or two, also try and cycle on different terrains, hills etc

    My issues is that it can get a bit tedious, so I try and find different routes to make it more interesting. Also sticking the ipod on also helps.

    If your having issues with your calf, then you probably need to stretch it out more.
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    99.9% of my weightloss is down to cycling!

    :wink:
  • lucysmommy
    lucysmommy Posts: 460
    thanks everyone

    i really enjoy cycling so this makes much better news for me
  • tadpole242
    tadpole242 Posts: 507 Member
    In the last two years I've gone from 24 stone 4lb to my current weight (and mostly before I started on MFP) cycling to work first two day a week then three days a week, now five days a week. two years ago I cycled 1000 miles a year, last year 3500 miles.
    From January this year, I'm more careful about my food and watching what I eat, as I have a lot less weight to lose, so really my diet started only this year. So cycling is a great way to lose the fat and get fit.

    How heavy are you now dude? Thats great work!
    Last time I weighed myself (two weeks ago) I was 15 stone 9lb
    Edit, if you find cycling dull you need to Strava your rides. Down load strava from the net, sign up a free account and ride against the only person you'll never beat....
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    Also sticking the ipod on also helps...

    ... you not hear the traffic around you & will aid you in getting knocked off!
  • lucysmommy
    lucysmommy Posts: 460
    In the last two years I've gone from 24 stone 4lb to my current weight (and mostly before I started on MFP) cycling to work first two day a week then three days a week, now five days a week. two years ago I cycled 1000 miles a year, last year 3500 miles.
    From January this year, I'm more careful about my food and watching what I eat, as I have a lot less weight to lose, so really my diet started only this year. So cycling is a great way to lose the fat and get fit.

    How heavy are you now dude? Thats great work!
    Last time I weighed myself (two weeks ago) I was 15 stone 9lb
    Edit, if you find cycling dull you need to Strava your rides. Down load strava from the net, sign up a free account and ride against the only person you'll never beat....

    wow thats amazing
  • mrsclairelucas
    mrsclairelucas Posts: 5
    I managed to lose quite a lot of weight cycling to work too (15 miles a day just but I did it every day), I went from 11 stone to 10. That only worked for about a year though and now I'm still as hungry but have to not eat any extra (even though I'm now cycling 22-23 miles a day).
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    I have a good friend on here who is just cycling and keeping the carbs tight... He lost 2.7lbs this week and 1.6lbs last week so it can be done.

    Zara
  • vzryder
    vzryder Posts: 129 Member
    They say ''find an exercise you like''. Well bicycling has become that for me, I enjoy it and it burns terrific calories/kilojoules, it is exhilarating, enjoyable and out in the great outdoors for me!
    I do use and MP3 player, and find that I can still hear traffic around me, and I try my best to vary the route a little as I am able.
    All in all, I say ..................go for it, is great exercise!
  • tadpole242
    tadpole242 Posts: 507 Member
    I managed to lose quite a lot of weight cycling to work too (15 miles a day just but I did it every day), I went from 11 stone to 10. That only worked for about a year though and now I'm still as hungry but have to not eat any extra (even though I'm now cycling 22-23 miles a day).
    If you're hungry all the time, try drinking more fluid, I've been hungry most of my life and I mean not just bored and wanting to eat, but physically hungry, until about 5 months ago I could count the number of times I felt full on my fingers, I now drink 3ltrs of water every day, and am no longer hungry all the time.
  • riggsy81
    riggsy81 Posts: 44 Member
    Any form of exercise is good for you, I think with cycling it depends on the effort you put in..

    Sprints are good inbetween lamp posts etc to make it a higher intensity ride
  • susannahsutton1
    susannahsutton1 Posts: 372
    Try joining a cycling club - that's what I did to vary my routes. I have no sense of direction so every ride with them for me is a delight because I have no idea where I am!
  • Cyclink
    Cyclink Posts: 517 Member
    That would be me

    I've lost 25 pounds since August and have not done any exercise other than cycling.

    I've also got a pretty intense and regimented training routine, but any activity that is going to both increase fitness and decrease body fat will need that as well.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    YES!!!, when the weather is great, that is what i do!, a little hard here where i live and it is minus 25 with snowing, blowing snow.
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,686 Member
    Hi

    Wondering if anyone has seen good weight loss and increase in fitness levels with cycling alone? I get a sore calf when running so it looks like I need to stick to the bike for the time being to get my cardio

    Thanks

    I don't know... depends on what you call a good weight loss I suppose, but I've managed to lose 160lb so far, pretty much the only cardio exercise I've been allowed by my physio. being cycling - his actual words "... if I find you've been running, even for 50 yards to catch a bus, I'm taking you off my treatment list faster than Mark Cavendish on the Champs Elysees"

    As far as increase in fitness levels - well, again, its all relative, but when I started on this in july 2011, my first ride (on the indoor trainer - I wasn't allowed outside in case I fell off and wrecked the surgeons work on my knee) was 6.5km - and took me just over 16 minutes ( http://connect.garmin.com/activity/96742855 if you want proof ) and left me a complete wheezing, gasping, sweaty mess! My first ride outside nearly 2 weeks later was 14.27km and took 49m20s ( http://connect.garmin.com/activity/99276537 ) - again, cue the fat sweaty wheezing gasping mess - in fact I was almost 15 minutes before I could answer the simple question "how was your ride then?"

    As time passed, I kept riding, watched my food, and the weight came off. By the end of last year, I was regularly (as in once a week) riding 100km+ rides such as this one - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/244435782, and rode a total of 7,720 miles in 2012...

    8330481189_9d713c38ca.jpg
    8330480973_2f367c424d.jpg
    8331537280_25fee79779.jpg

    I've gone from 50" waist jeans to 38" (that need a belt to keep them up...), from 56" chest to a 48" and my resting pulse has dropped from 68bpm to 48bpm with a bp that's pretty much rock stable at 108/67.

    So, all in all, and taking everything into consideration, i'd say it's probably quite possible to see an improvement just from cycling :laugh:
  • rides4sanity
    rides4sanity Posts: 1,269 Member
    Plus chicks dig the lycra (they dont).

    Sure we do.
  • rides4sanity
    rides4sanity Posts: 1,269 Member
    My answer is yes if you are also aware of your intake.

    I do lift on occassion & run from time to time, but my primary exercise for the past 3-4 years has been cycling or spinning. When I first started riding I didn't drop a bunch of weight, because I refused to look at my diet. I gained fitness and strength, but my weight didn't really move much. When I started evaluating my intake in addition to the rides, that's when everything finally came together. Best of luck.

    BTW, TheBigYin is awesome!
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,686 Member
    BTW, TheBigYin is awesome!

    Aw, Shucks... :embarassed:
  • cargilb
    cargilb Posts: 116
    Hi

    Wondering if anyone has seen good weight loss and increase in fitness levels with cycling alone? I get a sore calf when running so it looks like I need to stick to the bike for the time being to get my cardio

    Thanks

    Yes, biking isexcellent It may be the best activity for weight loss, bar none.. I can bike all day and have burned up to 4000 calories in a day. There are few other activities with such a nice burn that one can do for such a long time consistently over months.
    I started doing 30 mile rides the begining of June of 2012 and have lost about 55 or 60 lbs since then by burning calories bicycling and staying within myy calorie budget by COUNTING CALORIES. Both activities were essential to my weight loss. so, get a nice bike; get a nice camera or cell with a camera and go out and ride the trails and see the scenery.

    There are some great apps for smart phones out there too that will mao your ride. google maps also has a bike route map on the web so that you can find bike trails near you.
  • trijoe
    trijoe Posts: 729 Member
    I don't ONLY cycle. I also run and swim (and occasional weights). So maybe that disqualifies me. Still, I just LOVE LOVE LOVE cycling. I'm neither fast, nor particularly athletic. But I do have fun at it.

    I have a bike trainer, which is this odd little gizmo that you mount your back tire to, and it turns your bike into a stationary bike. They're handy dandy, easy to find at your local bike shop, and not terribly expensive. I'll do a trainer ride early in the morning, while the rest of the house is asleep. When it fits my schedule, I like to go for ride on a local trail, called The Katy Trail. It's a dirt n gravel trail that used to be a railroad line. "Rails To Trails". It's basically a 250 mile long trail. I get on my cyclocross/touring bike (Bianchi Volpe), and ride an hour or so out, then an hour or so back. The scenery is beautiful. Occasionally breathtaking. It's pure joy. About 20 miles down the road is the first of many wineries. I like to pull in, refill water bottles, do some tastings, buy a bottle or two, put them in my saddlebag, and ride home with a little something for my wife. She gets wine, I get a workout. Win win!

    I never EVER ride with headphones. EVER. I'd rather ride without a helmet than ride with headphones. And I NEVER ride without a helmet. I do, though, wear headphones when I'm doing my morning trainer ride. I have different play lists so I can do different rides. Easy, hard, and (*gulp*) intervals. The music helps me maintain my workout goal, throughout.

    I think you can do this. Cycling is so great, on so many levels.

    Enjoy!
  • Goldie_13
    Goldie_13 Posts: 71
    I try to at least get on my spin bike for 20 minutes a day. :) It's a great burn & works up a great sweat.
  • skcardiog
    skcardiog Posts: 316 Member
    Bump for later - - I am cardio .
  • moustache_flavored_lube
    moustache_flavored_lube Posts: 849 Member
    Try to add in at least 2 days per week of strength training.

    It will help you with your weight loss, make you a better cyclist, and most importantly prevent muscle imbalance that will lead to injury
  • KitTheRoadie
    KitTheRoadie Posts: 641 Member
    Plus chicks dig the lycra (they dont).

    Sure we do.

    Yup! I like guys with amazing legs that dress like superheros!

    Does that mean we have to wear our underwear on the outside too snow?! :wink: :laugh:
  • matsprt1984
    matsprt1984 Posts: 181 Member
    Good point that is missed many times by recreational cyclists.

    (Cyclink - you want to get to the next level this is critical. Your putting in the time make it count)

    Try to add in at least 2 days per week of strength training.

    It will help you with your weight loss, make you a better cyclist, and most importantly prevent muscle imbalance that will lead to injury

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