The idea of “cycling for 1 hour a day weight loss” is a fun way method to burn the extra fat in your body. Especially, a combination low-calorie diet, fat-burning foods, healthy-living habits, and regular biking will produce a significant reduction in body weight.
However, spending one hour a day cycling is easier said than done. You’ll need tremendous motivation and a clear strategy to make your biking exercise productive and enjoyable. Fortunately, there are a few good apps that can help you get the best out of your bike training. I personally use the new Vingo app which is the most popular indoor cycling app for cyclists.
In this article, you’ll read about all facts and ideas on cycling 1 hour a day for weight loss, which includes the strategy, methods, tips, and expected results.
Benefits Of Cycling 1 Hour A Day For Weight Loss
Unlike rigorous diet regimens or high-intensity workouts, biking is an enjoyable activity. It not only trims your body weight but also makes you feel happy and relaxed.
When you cycle for an hour or more, you burn an impressive number of calories by repeatedly pedaling, especially when you’re pedaling beyond a leisure pace.
Biking is a low-intensity training like aerobic exercise. It has fewer chances of injuring your body compared to high-intensity workouts. Also, it doesn’t cause wear and tear to your knees and joints unlike jogging or walking for weight loss.
Research indicates that regular bike riders have a stronger immune system and better metabolic rates. According to a study carried out by Appalachian State University, people who engage in low-intensity aerobic exercise, cycling, or swimming have a 40 percent reduced chance of falling sick.
Compared to other fast weight loss plans, cycling has added advantages such as:
- low impact
- a good muscle workout
- increases strength and stamina
- as intense as you want
- time-efficient
- a fun way to get fit
From one hour a day of cycling, besides the weight loss you also get other health benefits:
- increased cardiovascular fitness
- improved joint mobility
- decreased body fat levels
- decreased stress levels
- increased flexibility and muscle strength
- strengthened bones
- improved posture and coordination
- prevention of disease
- reduced anxiety and depression
Calories Burned While Cycling
The number of calories a cyclist burns per hour depends on the speed of cycling, terrain (indoor, outdoor, or mountain), the body weight of the cyclist, and the type of cycle used.
A cycle rider at a slow or medium pace is expected to burn an average of 300 calories per hour. High-intensity cycling at a high speed and on uneven terrain is expected to burn an average of 600 calories per hour.
A person who weighs 130 pounds and rides at speed of 14 miles per hour will burn a minimum of 500 calories in an hour. In the same scenario, a 160-pound individual will lose about 600 calories after 1 hour of cycling.
Similarly, a cyclist riding up the hill will burn 5 times more calories than when he is going down the hill.
How Much Weight You Can Lose From Biking?
As we have already said, the weight loss results from biking 1 hour per day will vary depending on various factors like speed, terrain, and body weight of the cyclist.
A bike rider at a steady, moderate speed burns about 300 calories in 60 minutes on average. The faster and harder you pedal higher will be the calories burned. According to a Harvard Health Letter, a 155-pounds person after a 30-minute bike ride may burn up to 298 calories, if they pedal at a 12-to-13.9 mile per hour speed.
Many weight loss gurus recommend cycling as a good low-intensity exercise for shedding weight; a gradual process but a very healthy method.
When cycling for an hour at a moderate, a 180-pound obese person will lose up to 650 calories. If that person rides the bike six days a week for a year, he will burn about 202,800 calories, which is equal to 58 pounds of body fat.
One hour of cycle riding every day can result in an average of one pound of weight loss per week. Those who are new to cycle riding will begin to notice a significant reduction in weight, up to 3-4 pounds in three weeks. If you’re over-ambitious about losing 30 pounds in 30 days, then you have to go beyond cycling.
Indoor Cycling Weight Loss Results
Many people doubt the effectiveness of the indoor cycle for weight loss. But they really work.
If you are riding on a stationary bike or spinner, obviously, the weight loss result will be more than outdoor cycling. Indoor cycling involves continuous pedaling, except for a few seconds of breaks that people take because of tiredness. On the other hand, outdoor cycling is dominated by freewheeling, especially, while riding on plain or sloppy terrain.
Indoor bike riding can produce approximately 10 percent higher weight loss results than biking outdoors.
Just like outdoor cycling, you have to spend an hour of indoor cycling to lose 400 to 600 calories.
Most people will find it hard to ride an indoor cycle beyond 10-15 minutes at a time. Whereas outdoor cycling is all fun, an enjoyable activity that encourages people to ride non-stop for an hour or more. Unless you’re highly motivated, indoor cycling won’t be sustainable training. Indoor cycling is more tiring and uninteresting compared to outdoor cycling.
Four Key Strategies For Weight Loss Cycling
Just by cycling for 30 minutes to 1 hour per day, you can lose an average of 1 pound per week. Here are four key strategies for weight loss:
1. Increase the intensity
Pedaling at a leisurely pace is not going to be productive. Work harder and up the intensity of your ride, and within a week you’ll notice a good bit of reduction in body fat.
The faster you cycle the more calories you burn. Inevitably, the body has to burn more calories to cycle faster. From the average of 300 calories per hour, you can burn up to 600 calories in 60 minutes by increasing the intensity of biking.
2. Do high-intensity interval training (HIIT)
HIIT training requires a lot of energy and it burns more fats to produce that energy. It involves short bursts of intense exercises followed by a brief schedule of low-intensity exercises.
Set your bike riding in high-intensity mode by pedaling as fast as possible against the high resistance for 60 seconds. Then, do 2 to 3 minutes of leisure cycling with low-intensity pedaling. Repeat this pattern of HIIT cycling for at least 30 minutes.
3. Go on endurance training mode
Just when you are nearly exhausted and want to quit, try to cycle still further. That’s all about endurance training.
Studies suggest that endurance training burns more fat, which may help with weight loss.
Ideally, try to progress slowly while you’re trying to build endurance. Start with 15 minutes of cycling in one session, then you could slowly increase the duration of the session by a couple of minutes every day until you reach 1 hour of cycling per day.
4. Include Cross Training
Cycling has its limitations and your body can’t burn calories beyond the point through bike training.
Think of cross-training to maximize the weight loss results from cycling. Add a few more varieties of fat-burning activities like jogging, swimming, or walking to your low-intensity workout plan. For example, you may ride a cycle for 25 minutes and then try another activity for the next 20 minutes.
In a gym, you can easily combine indoor cycling with a session of weight training. Or, one day go biking, and the next day you can be at the gym for two sessions of high-intensity exercises.
Some more ideas
Everyone is tied down with busy life, thus it becomes hard to find time for cycling for an hour a day for weight loss. However, you can conveniently make cycling a daily habit; here are a few ideas:
Use a bike as a mode of commutation while you go to the office, shopping, or other nearby places for any reason.
If your residential area has no cycle lanes or pathways for cycling, get a stationary bike for a workout. Indoor cycling helps to burn more calories than a leisure bike ride outdoors.
Do not miss opportunities to take part in cycle-race challenges in your locality, or weight loss challenges that involve cycling.
Prepare and participate in bike-cross-country races that are often part of local festivals in many places.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to burn more calories with a stationary bike?
A cyclist can burn anywhere between 40 to 80 calories by riding a stationary bike for 10 minutes. It’s possible to burn more calories on an indoor bike by adopting the High-Intensity Interval Training method in cycling.
How many hours a day should I ride to get slim?
For optimum results, regularly cycling for one hour a day with HIIT and High Endurance techniques will help you lose 1 to 2 pounds per week on average.
How much cycling to lose 1kg?
There is 7,700kcals (kcal=calorie) worth of energy in 1kg of fat. One has to have a calorie deficit of 7,700 to lose 1 kg of fat. An hour of cycling at a moderate pace is expected to burn approximately 350 calories. Thus about 22 hours of biking is required to lose 1 kg of weight.
Can you lose weight on an exercise bike?
Yes, an exercise bike can help with weight loss. Depending on your body weight and intensity of exercise, you can burn 300-600 calories by cycling for an hour on a stationary bike.
What to eat after cycling to lose weight?
You can have any weight-loss-friendly foods after cycling. Brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, fruits, vegetables, or lean proteins can be eaten before or after cycling.