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Is An Exercise Bike Good for Weight Loss?

7th Jul 19

Exercise bikes are one of the most popular cardio machines to have at home. They offer you numerous health and fitness benefits, from weight loss right through to toning and strengthening your legs. Sticking with the weight loss idea, though…

Like most cardio machines, exercise bikes are a fun and effective way to burn calories. That’s made even better by improving your endurance and overall fitness ability too. To use this for your weight loss effectively, though, you need to be using it to get a calorie deficit of around 100-500 calories per day. (in combination with your diet, of course)

A great thing about exercising on cardio machines, too, is you can monitor the number of calories burnt during a workout. That’s awesome for making that calorie burn easier to keep track of! Of course, if you use them with other equip too, like fitness trackers or calorie counters, you’ll be able to really get a good insight, but back to bikes.


Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.


How Long Do I Need to Exercise?

woman using an exercise bike for weight loss

If your main equipment is an exercise bike, you need to ensure that you exercise regularly. You should be aiming for at least 2.5 hours of exercise per week, split over 2 or more days. So, for example, if you do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per day on an exercise bike, you’ll be able to reach your fitness goal more efficiently. Each to their own, though; that’s just a guideline.

You could even mix up your exercise bike workouts by including interval training (high-intensity interval training), including 1-minute fast pedalling on the bike and 30 seconds at a slow pace, repeated to complete a 20-minute workout.

(HIIT workouts are ideal for those looking to burn fat – Here’s one we made earlier!)

Nutrition

woman using an exercise bike for weight loss at home

If your primary health and fitness goal is to lose weight, it is imperative that you combine exercise with a healthy diet and be sensible with how you approach dieting. The results will be more beneficial and sustainable in the long run. A good starting point is to have more carbs (they’re not the enemy) on your exercise days, like pasta, rice and potato, and on none training days, reduce the carbs and increase the healthy fats like nuts, greek yoghurt, avocado and eggs.

Although exercise bikes are good for weight loss, we recommend that you include different exercises in your workout. This will help keep you motivated and focused on achieving your goal and seeing more noticeable results. Plus, it helps to keep your workout more interesting!

You can still keep the exercise bike central to your workout and create a circuit of several exercises around it. For example, your circuit workout could include up to 8 stations and after each exercise, jump on the stationary bike for a 2 minute HIIT cycle, with 10-second rest before moving onto the next one. Ideally, this workout should last up to 30 minutes.

Types of Exercise Bikes

If you’re looking to invest in an exercise bike for your home, here are our recommendations for weight loss.

Marcy NS-652 Folding Upright Bike

Compact, quiet and easy to use with no mains power needed.

Marcy NS-652 Folding Upright Exercise Bike for weight loss

Marcy Azure RB1016 Recumbent Bike

If you have back pain or knee issues, this is perfect!

Marcy Azure RB1016 Recumbent Exercise Bike for weight loss

Marcy NS-1000 Dual Action Fan Bike

For short, intense HIIT workouts, this is your bike (shown in the video below).

Marcy NS-1000 Dual Action Fan Exercise Bike for weight loss

Additional Benefits

In addition to weight loss, all three exercise bikes will also have a positive impact on the following:

  • Improving general health and fitness
  • Toning, but not just your legs – the Dual Action Bike tones your arms, back and chest as well as your legs
  • Strengthening your core (Upright and Dual Action Bike)
  • Improving your posture (Upright and Dual Action Bike)
  • Supporting lower back (Recumbent Bike)

If you’re not sure which exercise bike to buy or which will be more beneficial for weight loss, check out our exercise bike buying guide.


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Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.

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