Cycling and Weight Loss

I started cycling to work & back in February. I had last week off work & I've put weight on weight which I'm putting down to not cycling!

It wont hurt. I started cycling last year and rode 67.5 miles this last Saturday. Your not going to get the high HR cardio like other workouts unless your doing sprints. I ride at a slower pace and maintenance a HR of 120-130, my norm being 60 so I am burning something.

I ride all the time. It helps me but I cannot ignore the diet.

I think cycling all depends on the effort you put into it. If you are biking slowly and leisurely - it is not going to get your heart rate up. However, if you are using the bike as a tool to challenge yourself, for example, hills, resistance, intervals, etc, it will totally help you lose weight. I suggest using Strava or another GPS tracking app or system - maintaining 12-14 mph is hard, and I think a lot of people overestimate how fast they are going.

But, if you love riding your bike - just do it!

I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but, I ride my bicycle every single day, competitively and leisurely, have listened to seasoned cyclists and participated in bike tours spanning over 700 miles.

-N.

Love love love cycling.
I am going out for a 90 min ride this evening.

It will be an amazing workout for sure.

You can definitely lose weight by biking. Eventually you should consider incorporating other kinds of cardio and strength training into your routine, but its a great place to start, and an awesome, enjoyable way to get your butt moving!

Finding something you enjoy doing is a big part of starting a healthy (sustainable) lifestyle! :happy:

I agree with the above posters that with the right heart rate and effort, cycling can be a great form of exercise not only to loose weight but to also increase your cardio ability/VO2 Max. I also agree that utilizing a heart rate monitor is one of the best ways to track your effort and progress. Best of luck!

You can absolutely lose weight cycling! As others have said, the big challenge is to keep your heart rate up and maintain the cardiovascular benefits of the sport.

Without getting too complicated, the simplest way to ensure you're working (and not just coasting) on your bike is to monitor cadence. Luckily, you can buy a cadence monitor for about $10 at any local sporting goods store. Ideally, you monitor heart rate as well, but if you don't already have a HR monitor, don't worry too much about it.

Cadence is simply your revolutions per minute (ie. RPM). The ideal range for cycling is an RPM of between 85-100 RPM. This means that your legs are actually moving pretty quickly. The first few times you try it, you might need to adjust your gears to find the right gear where you can maintain that cadence without going into cardiac arrest.

If you're anything like me, I used to always cycle on the hardest gear, pedal a few times hard and then coast for a bit. To get a good workout, this is not solution. Spinning is. This means finding a gear where you can maintain 85-100 RPM - it should feel like you're working, but you should feel like you can maintain the rate for a long time. This also means adjusting your gears as you ride along different terrain so that you're constantly exerting approximately the same effort, while at the same time, maintaining the same RPM.

Example, when you approach a hill, start to change gears as you ride up the hill so that it doesn't feel like you're burning your quads to get up the hill while maintaining 85-100 RPM. Same thing going down...if you maintain the up-hill gear, it's going to be way too easy on the way down. In fact, you won't even be able to pedal because your tires will be moving faster than the gear you are in has the capacity to spin. To find a gear that has more power behind it and find your 85-100.

Once you've mastered spinning, you can add fun things like intervals into your weekly routine. Spin in a comfortable gear for 2 minutes, then gear up into a harder gear for one - all the while, trying to maintain your 85-100 RPM.

I've been strictly on the bike for the last 3 weeks, as I'm recovering from an injury. And in that time, I've continued to lose - I think about 6 or 7 pounds during this time.

One last thing - recognize that as you get fitter, you will be able to maintain RPM in a harder gear all the time. So take note of where you start (ie. what is your "comfortable" gear). That way, you can celebrate the strength you've gained after a few weeks of committed cycling!

If you love cycling then as they say in Scotland, "On yer bike!

Cycling, whether at a leisurely pace or velodrome speeds is great cardio exercise and if you want to know how good it is for weight loss, just look at the Dutch or the Danes. They like their beer and their pastries and doughnuts and sandwiches and yet most of them are in great shape because they cycle (and walk) everywhere.

I'm not a road cyclist, nor a mountain biker, but I love getting on my bike and I cycle to the gym (and around town). I also love swimming and between the two, I've lost 60lbs (28kg) - of course I count my calories too but I enjoy my food and enjoy my exercise and that's what makes things work!

I normally mountain bike up hill in the summer time. It definetly gets your heart rate up. Can't wait to get back on my bike.