Cycling for a Smaller Waist

Aerobic exercises involve large muscle groups and are rhythmic in nature. Combined with a healthy diet, aerobic exercise can help you lose weight and keep it off. Cycling is a good aerobic exercise whether you’re already fit or are just beginning an exercise program because it allows you to individualize your level of intensity. Cycling is a non-weight bearing activity that’s easy on your muscles and joints, helps improve your cardiovascular fitness and burns calories -- which can lead to a smaller waist.

A safe way to trim your waist is to simply cycle moderately for 300 minutes each week. MayoClinic.com notes that to effectively lose or maintain weight loss, some people might need up to 300 minutes a week of moderate physical activity. Cycling steadily for this amount of time will result in overall weight loss, which will eventually lead to a trimmer waist. You need to burn 3,500 more calories than you consume to lose one pound of fat. You can increase the intensity of your cycling to burn more calories. According to the HealthStatus.com, a 150-pound person burns 594 calories in an hour when cycling at a moderate pace of 12 to 14 miles per hour. If the same person steps that up to a vigorous pace of 14 to 16 miles per hour, she would burn 720 calories in an hour.

Training in intervals can also increase your calorie burn. Interval training involves alternating periods of high intensity and low intensity. Beginning cyclists can alternate pedaling leisurely with fast-paced pedaling, while more advanced cyclists can alternate moderate or intense cycling with very intense cycling. If you use a stationary cycle, you can easily time and control your intervals. For example, you can begin by warming up at a steady pace, increase your intensity for 30 seconds, then slow down for one to two minutes, following that with another burst of intensity. Do this routine for 20 to 30 minutes.

Cycling is a full-body workout that requires strength and balance, both of which come from your core -- which includes muscles in your pelvis, back, abdomen and chest. A strong core helps you maintain the cycling position whereby the saddle, pedals and handlebars support your weight. If want an enhanced cycling workout that can help strengthen your core, turn to a stationary cycle. Set the cycle at an incline, contract your abdominal muscles, come off the saddle so that you're pedaling in a standing position, and remove one hand from the handlebars as you continue to pedal with your abs contracted. This will make your core work harder to keep you upright and balanced. Switch hands after one minute.

While cycling requires core strength, regular cycling doesn't actually build core strength, according to Bicycling Magazine. If you want to work at building your core strength to increase your cycling endurance, you need to focus on your innermost abdominal muscle, which strengthens your entire core as a unit. To do this, you should add core exercises like the bridge, plank, side plank, scissor kick and boat pose, to your exercise routine.