There are many who would rather not engage in a physical activity than “stress” their body and feel sore for the rest of the day (not always the case), or so they think. If you are one of those people, then you should consider cycling. A stationary bike workout plan is probably the most basic fitness program anyone can do. Not only is it simple, but it also offers a bunch of benefits, and does not require any skills. This is exactly like cycling, only in this case, the machine is stationed at a place, probably indoors. You can say it is easier than riding a bicycle because you do not have to bother about navigation.
How to Do a Cycling Exercise
After adjusting your bike, start with the warm-up. Then follow each segment of the routine.
Warm-up:
Find a pace/resistance that allows you to go at the suggested rate of perceived exertion (RPE) on a scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (extremely hard). RPE is how hard it feels to work at the level of resistance you’ve chosen. If it feels too hard, back off on the resistance and speed. If it’s too easy, increase the resistance.
Your legs may get tired quickly if you’re not used to the bike. It takes time to build endurance, so do not exert yourself yet for the warm-up stage of your stationary bike workout routine. The aim at this point is to get your blood pumping (not too fast) and to flex out your muscles in preparation for the workout proper.
Workout Proper 1:
Cycling can help you to build strength and endurance. It can also help you to build speed. You should know what you want out of it before making your choice on what routine to go for. On the other hand, you can go for the two. Here is another plan, a stationary bike interval workout that can help you lose weight and maintain a standard level of general body fitness.
- Warm up for 3-5 minutes. You can use the same warm up procedure mentioned above.
- Start on a high intensity after the warm-up and go on for 30 seconds. Then reduce it to your warm-up easy-going pace to enable you to catch your breath for the next 60 seconds. Do this 12 to 15 times.
Workout Proper 2:
- After the warm-up, increase the resistance 1 to 4 increments or until you’re working harder than your warm-up pace. You should feel you are working, but you should be able to carry on a conversation. This is your baseline pace. Do this for 3 minutes at an RPS of 5.
- With an RPE of 5 to 6, increase your resistance and/or the pace once again until you’re working slightly harder than baseline for the next 2 minutes.
- For the next 3 minutes, reduce the resistance to the baseline pace. This should give you some time to catch your breath.
- For the second time, increase your resistance and intensity to 5/6 RPS for 2 minutes.
- Reduce the resistance again to a comfortable level to take some rest and cool down.
- Keep doing this for 20 minutes
- Stretch your lower body after your workout.
You can add a little time to each workout to slowly build strength and endurance. You can even stop and stretch your legs if needed. This is a great stationary bike workout weight loss and should be performed about three times a week with a day of rest in between. Progress by adding a few minutes each time you work out until you’re up to 30 minutes.
Benefits of Stationary Bike Workout
People of all ages – children, teenagers, adults, and old people can do this exercise without bothering about prior experience. Stationary bike workout brings about health benefits like:
- Strong and naturally lubricated joints in the knees and hips.
- A good low-impact move for people who may have some form of injuries, especially with regards to the knees and hips.
- It is safe and comfortable.
- A low intense muscle workout
- Great for building strength and stamina
- It is fun too
- Suitable for people of all ages
- Great for weight loss and improved cardio
So far, it is obvious that stationary bike workouts are not as stressful as other forms of exercise. As interesting as that may sound, you still need to put in some real efforts to achieve the results you want. The level of intensity depends on what you want, so you can tune it down or up as you see fit.