Cycling is the best way to lose weight: that was the conclusion I came to working as a professional trainer for over 20 years. Over the years, I have seen many customers cut their size in half and heard from readers who have lost more than 50 pounds including the bike in their weight loss arsenal. Of course, along with a healthy diet – but you already knew that, right?
How is cycling different? In short, he makes you happier, says Jimmy Weber, who at 1.85 m and 118 kg is not a small cyclist, but is now 70 kg lighter than his maximum weight of 186 kg, seven years ago. He started losing weight with the help of bariatric surgery and a lot of walking. But walking 10 km a day started to get boring and running was out of the question. “I’m too big and the impact would do me more harm than good,” he says. Although he pays for the gym, he finds it difficult to maintain discipline. The bike is another story.
Weber bought his first bike in 2011 and traveled 30,000 kilometers over the next 5 years, including many club pedals and races along the way. “Cycling is varied in terms of weight loss. You can spin hard and burn a lot of carbohydrates, or pedal high and burn fat. I wouldn’t be so happy if I had to maintain my weight on a diet. ”
Weber is speaking the truth. If you still need to convince yourself, see more reasons that show that biking is the best choice to lose weight.
Because it’s not for exercise
The research is definitive: most people who exercise because they need to end up quitting. About 80% of people who start exercising throw in the towel in less than a year. The excitement of the beginning wears off and they look for more interesting things to do. But cycling is fun, you can explore other places, see beautiful scenery, and feel the fresh air on your face. You don’t look at the clock every minute, anxious for it to end. You’re enjoying it – and you don’t even realize you’re exercising.
It is easy to reach your maximum heart rate
Exercise science shows that high-intensity interval training is an easy way to improve your shape, speed up your metabolism and stimulate the production of growth hormones, which also help you burn more fat. There is no better way to reach your maximum heart rate without impact, just with effort. Find a quiet stretch of road or trail – even better if you have a slight slope – and cycle. Give your maximum for 10 to 20 seconds, relieve it twice as long (20 to 40 seconds), and repeat 8 times. Rest 4 or 5 minutes and do it again.
It’s good for your joints
Cycling is so smooth with your joints that it is often recommended as the best exercise for people with joint problems or arthritis. It is necessary to check if the bike fit is well done. But with the bike properly adjusted and a good warm-up, you can increase the pace without straining your hips and knees.
You will make friends
Even the roll can be fun
Most outdoor activities are dark if you need to do indoor activities, such as running on the treadmill. But with the help of apps like Zwift, Sufferfest and TrainerRoad, as well as spinning classes, they can make pedaling on the roller or exercise ergometric fun. This means that even in bad weather, you will continue to enjoy training.
You can cycle all day
What other sport allows you to cover 100 km or 150 km at a time? Burning fat by exchanging ideas with your friends and hanging out for a few hours is fun. To lose weight, reduce your snacks to a maximum of 200 calories per hour and you will create a great calorie deficit with your workouts.
It fits in your life
The beauty of the bike is that it does not need to take part of your day, as a gym. Cycling to go to the market, to work, or to exchange your car for a bike on other trips can add hours of activity during the week, valuable to lose weight without realizing it.
