If you've recently acquired a stationary bike in your home or find the only open cardio machine at the gym is one, there are ways to use an exercise bike to blast fat and get a great workout. Exercise bikes are becoming a more popular fitness option in health clubs and homes because they offer all the cardiovascular, fat-burning benefits of stair climbers and treadmills without the stress or impact to the joints. You might even find that the stationary bike becomes part of your favorite cardiovascular fitness routine.
Steady Aerobic Activity
Allow 10 minutes to warm up and steadily reach your target heart rate. The American Heart Association recommends working at 50 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. These numbers are based on factors such as age and health conditions, so be sure to find your optimum target range before undertaking any exercise program. Most healthy individuals should exert themselves at about 65 percent of the maximum heart rate for the duration of their workout.
Once you've attained your target heart rate after 10 minutes of warm-up, maintain a level of effort on the exercise bike to keep your heart rate in the target range for 20 to 30 minutes. Many individuals will burn up to 300 calories at this level of steady aerobic activity. Cool down for another 5 to 10 minutes at a lower intensity on the bike.
Interval Training
Interval training on an exercise bike involves short periods of intense effort followed by periods of recovery. Also referred to as anaerobic exercise, this type of training can help you burn three times as much fat as a typical aerobic routine. Interval training allows people of various fitness levels to choose from different degrees of intensity.
A moderate intensity interval routine might include 8 seconds of intense effort followed by 12 seconds of recovery, repeated for a duration of 20 minutes after a 10 minute warm-up.
A more advanced level of intensity could include intervals of intense effort that steadily increase in duration, followed by recovery times that do not change. One interval program starts with 8 seconds of intense effort with 45 seconds of recovery, followed by 10, 15 and 20 seconds of intense effort and 45 recovery seconds, then decreases from 20 seconds to 15, 10 and 8 seconds of intense effort. Rest for 2 minutes between sets and repeat the entire cycle three more times.
Utilize a Change of Scenery
Pick up a biking DVD that takes you on a tour through some of the most popular scenic bike routes such as the hills of Dover or California vineyards. You can record or purchase footage of the Tour De France to put you in an athletic mood and provide motivation while you workout on your stationary bike. There are even some models of recumbent and stationary bikes that have virtual scenery built into the monitor screens. The key to keeping up with your exercise bike routine is to add variety and keep it interesting.
Vary Your Biking Positions
More advanced options for riding your exercise bike include changing the position you use while exercising to utilize different muscle groups. Raise your bottom off the bike seat with your hands wide on the handlebars. Use your upper body and core to hold yourself upright as you try to pedal standing up.
Another position is to lift your tailbone off the seat while keeping your hips aligned over the top of the bike seat. Don't lean forward or put too much weight into your hands and arch your back to keep your alignment over the seat.
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