Cycling Stationary Bikes

Ideally we would be outside everyday of the year, but unfortunately, even in the nicest climates, sometimes the weather makes this a near impossibility. If it is not the weather, then it something else in our daily routine that makes it difficult to regularly schedule a bike ride. Nothing beats being outdoors, but a stationary bicycle might be just the answer to meet those fitness goals and maintain a training schedule that must be fit into a small time slot on a winter day. You don’t even have to give up the hills and valleys with the variable settings on most stationary bikes.

Like any type of physical workout, it is important that you warm up properly before getting in to the strenuous part of your routine. Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes is usually sufficient. A warm up is called a warm up for a reason, so do not begin full exertion until your muscles are warm and flexible.

A workout for beginners should happen 2-3 times per week and last anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes. A good rule of thumb is to increase your workout time by about 10 percent every week and eventually 3-5 times per week.

A common misconception among beginners is that they have to pedal as hard and as fast as they can, all the time to get a meaningful workout. You will often hear cyclist refer to the pedaling cadence; the speed at which you pedal. Since involves the whole body the cadence will determine which muscles tire first and how long you might be able to keep riding.

Contrary to what you might think, pedaling slower requires more muscle power since you are pushing against more resistance and subsequently your legs muscles will become fatigued before you are out of breath. When you pedal faster less stress is placed on the leg muscles, but the heart and lungs become more involved. Your heart and lungs do not tire the same way that leg muscles do so by pedaling faster you can extend the length of your workout.

Basically, a slow cadence with high resistance is best for developing leg strength and a fast cadence provides a good cardiovascular workout. A good strength building workout will consist of pedaling at approximately 50 to 55 pedal rpms, either uphill or against some resistance, for 5 to 10 minutes followed by 5 minutes rest and then repeated for a total of three times. A similar pattern can be used for a cardio workout, but at 95 to 100 rpms. As you become more experienced and in better shape you will want to advance to other workout routines with more variables and degrees of difficulty.