Can Bike Riding Help Lose Weight?


Bike riding is considered one of the most excellent cardio workouts. It boosts your heart rate and lung health as well. Besides, the pedaling cycle increases the blood flow and makes your muscles strong. If you’re suffering from high stress, then it can be the best solution that can lower the stress level.

Apart from these, bike riding helps you burn fat and lose weight too. A 3 days ride can aid you get significant fitness progress.

However, the question is can bike riding help lose weight or not? In short, yes, bike riding helps lose weight by burning torch calories. Between 300 to 1,000 calories can be burned within 1 hour of bike riding, relying on rider weight and intensity.

Meanwhile, for the purpose of losing weight, you should maintain a few things for an efficient biking workout. In this context, we’ll show you how bike riding helps you lose weight and what are the strategies that work best to optimize weight loss with riding.

Can Bike Riding Really Help You Lose Weight?

Bike riding is considered as one of the effective ways to lose weight. A 30-minute regular ride on a bike can burn between 250 and 500 calories, though it completely depends on the speed of riding and a person’s weight. Reducing body fat with biking is a bit difficult, but maintaining a proper healthy diet can help you most.

To lose weight, you first need to set weight loss goals and then you need strong determination. As we know, “the difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.”

After setting up your goals, maintain them on a regular basis no matter what happens to you. Besides, avoid eating foods that hold high calories. Otherwise, it won’t work if you eat more calories than burn.

Keep in mind that for effective bike riding you have to pick up the right bike as well that will be convenient and suitable for you. You can check out the bikes under 700 that are quite affordable and provide you with the best biking experience.

Ways of Losing Weight with Biking

According to experts, biking is a low-impact option for aerobic exercise. It enables you to improve your heart rate and alleviate your knees and ankle injuries as well.

Bike riding is also an effective way to burn an extra pound of body fat. It happens because you’ll be able to burn an impressive number of calories while pedaling.

If you’re looking to lose your extra weight with your cycling workout, the below strategies will help you out.

1. Amplify the Intensity

Pedaling at a low speed won’t help you much to lose weight. If you can drive yourself to work harder and increase the intensity of your ride, you’ll be able to achieve the best results that you have set.

Generally, if you’re able to cycle at a fast pace, then more calories will be burned. Research shows that when a person pedal is comparatively faster, the body uses more energy.

As we already mentioned, electric bike riding can burn about 300 calories in an hour generally. But, if you want, you can burn more calories by increasing the intensity.

As stated by a Harvard Medical School’s publication, a person with 155 pounds can burn more than 298 calories in a half an hour bike ride, if they cycle at 12 to near 14 miles per hour speed. At the same pace, 355 calories can be burned by a person with 185 pounds.

If a person with 155 pounds increases the pace near 14 to 16 mph, they can burn more than 372 calories within 30 minutes of cycling. In contrast, 185 pounds will be able to burn nearly 445 calories at the same time.

2. Prefer HIIT

High-Intensity Interval Training is one of the prominent ways to stimulate your body and lose weight.

Here’s how a HIIT workout works:

  • Pedal fast as opposed to high resistance for 30 seconds to 60 seconds.
  • Cycle 2 to 3 minutes with a low resistance level.
  • Reiterate the framework for at least 20 to 30 minutes.

These kinds of workouts will help you burn more calories in a short time and develop your cardio fitness and help you burn fat as well.

3. Subsistence Training

Now move to the endurance training that assists burn fat and helps with weight loss. If you would like to increase endurance, try to kick off slowly.

But you have to extend the duration with time. For instance, if you begin with 10 to 15 minutes pedaling in a single session, then add a few minutes in each session after a couple of days.

And do it until you reach a minimum of 150 minutes of pedaling in a week. That means 5 days and 30 minutes in a week.

Safety Precautions of Bike Riding

Biking outdoors comes with some definite risks. To avoid the risks and keep yourself safe during riding bikes, track down the safety tips below.

1. Wear a Helmet

Everyone will agree with the fact that helmets safeguard your head and prevent you from major injuries. 

That’s why always wear a helmet and make sure it fits your head appropriately.

2. Ride on the Right Side of the Road

Never forget to ride on your right side of the road. Because, in almost all countries, cars drive on the right side of the road.

So, make sure you’re cycling on the right side, which will protect you from road accidents.

3. Use Signal When You Are Planning to Turn

When you’re planning to turn or move onward by overtaking a car, then use a signal that ensures extra safety.

4. Keep an Eye on Road Hazards

The majority of riders don’t notice potholes, standing water, or uneven terrain on the road. Thus, they suddenly fall into danger. 

That’s why it’s mandatory to keep an eye on road hazards to avoid these types of accidents.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you have got your details on how bike riding can help you lose weight.

If you’re trying to lose weight for a long time but couldn’t find an effective way, then you can try this out. Electric bike riding on a daily basis burns calories and loses weight effectively. You can burn up to 1,000 calories with biking depending on the intensity level and pounds.

Apart from these, riding cycles play a crucial role in developing muscle strength. People with knee pain can also work out with a cycle as it’s a low-impact exercise.

As a result, you get less stress on your injured knees and get relief from the pain you’re suffering from.

Shailen Vandeyar

A proud Indian origin Kiwi who loves to plant trees and play with my pet bunny when not out doing about every kind of biking and experiencing the occasional tumble. Ready to share the ride with you.

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