What Are Good Goals With an Exercise Bike?

Riding an exercise bike offers a variety of health benefits. To maximize the rewards of using an exercise bike as part of your workout, you need to establish fitness goals. These goals can range from losing weight to strengthening your leg muscles. Many exercise bikes have monitors that track calories burned, speed, heart rate and distance. An exercise bike is a great tool for accomplishing many reasonable fitness goals.

Depending upon how hard and fast those pedals are pushed, a 150-pound person can burn approximately 240 to 400 calories in 30 minutes on a stationary exercise bicycle. This is about the same amount of calories burned in a half-hour of jogging.

Consider riding an exercise bike one important aspect of your weight-loss program. Combine the bike with other calorie-burning exercises such as aerobics to round out your fitness regimen. Pair these exercises with a healthy, calorie-conscious diet, and you will be on your way to achieving your your weight loss goals.

If muscle tone is your goal, be sure to ride the exercise bike on a regular basis. Include a 30-minute spin at least three times per week. Also, don’t forget to customize the fitness settings on your bike. To give your legs a real workout and strengthen your lower-body muscles, crank up the resistance. Mimic riding uphill for several minutes during your exercise bike session. You’ll know you are pedaling toward your goal when you feel a healthy burn in those leg muscles.

For those just getting back into a fitness routine, a stationary bike is a good starting point before tackling the more demanding gym machines such as the treadmill. You are seated, allowing you to safely and comfortably build up your endurance. A half an hour on the exercise bike may not be attainable if you are just starting out. Start with 15-minute increments, and challenge yourself to at least keep the pedals in motion if you cannot keep up your set pace for the allotted time. By consistently riding your exercise bike, you will quickly see your endurance level improve.

An exercise bike is a great way to relieve stress. Pump those pedals hard, and feel your stress fly off of the machine. Any vigorous exercise that gets your heart pumping improves circulation and offers you a mental and emotional lift. Riding an exercise bike allows your mind the freedom to wander so that you can work out solutions to stressful situations or simply meditate, leaving you feeling mentally refreshed by the time your feet come off the bike pedals.