Not too long ago I read a very inspirational account of guy in Great Britain who lost something in the neighborhood of 350 pounds, mainly as the result of riding his bike to work and back.
But it wasn't quite as simple as merely riding six and a half miles to work and six and a half miles home again. It started much more tentatively than that.How about one half mile to the nearest park bench for a ten minute rest before he turned around and pedaled home...drenched in sweat, thoroughly exhausted, and very embarrassed?
5 Bike Trainer Advantages
Reading his story, and inserting my knowledge of bike trainers into the equation, got me thinking about some of the advantages an indoor trainer (or stationary exercise bike) provides, particularly for those individuals who are significantly overweight and are just beginning their journey to a healthy fitness level.
1). A bike trainer never has to leave the house. Duh! I hadn't given it too much thought previously, but a 550 pound man usually feels pretty conspicuous on a bike. That's the first thing he said about his initial bike ride...and if embarrassment at being exposed to the 'neighborhood watch' can be avoided by riding indoors, there's one more obstacle between you and good cardiovascular health removed.
2). Exercising doesn't always go as planned. Whether it's flat tires, derailleurs getting jammed, or even unscheduled bathroom breaks, finding yourself stranded beside the road isn't as convenient as merely getting off the bike trainer and walking the thirty feet to the bathroom or repair kit.
3). Here's another element of an outdoor bike ride that you'll never have to struggle with when you're on a bike trainer...undulating terrain. And in case I have to spell it out more explicitly...what I mean is that there are no humiliating hills to push your bike up while drivers crane their necks to see who that chubby guy is walking his bike up the slope.
4). Bike trainers are in the category of those machines that don't punish your joints with the pounding that running or jumping dishes out. Of course, this advantage also applies to other indoor exercise equipment. There are other cardio-style machines that are also in the family of 'smooth' exercisers as well, with elliptical trainers coming to mind.
5). The advantage of controlling the weather is very similar to controlling the terrain. Let's face it, riding a bike throughout the winter isn't practical in much of the country. So being able to get in a workout no matter what mother nature throws at you allows you to endure fewer gaps between your workouts.
Tailor-Made For Intervals
When you really want to maximize your weight loss efforts, 'interval' training will kick the fat burning metabolism into high gear...both while you're exercising and afterward for as much as several hours.
One advocate of interval training on a stationary bike had a simple little workout for his clients that consisted of-
10 minutes easy warm-up.
10 minutes; alternating 10 seconds very hard pedaling with 10 seconds soft pedaling.
10 minutes easy warm-down.
Another suggested interval workout would be-
10 minutes warm-up.
Three minutes moderate to hard pedaling.
Three minutes of easy pedaling.
Repeat the three minutes hard/three minutes easy until you've done five hard efforts.
10 minutes warm-down.
A pyramid interval workout would be for a pretty advanced rider and would look something like this-
10 minutes warm-up.
2 minutes hard.
3 minutes easy.
3 minutes hard.
3 minutes easy.
4 minutes hard.
3 minutes easy.
5 minutes hard.
3 minutes easy.
4 minutes hard.
3 minutes easy.
3 minutes hard.
2 minutes hard.
10 minutes warm-down.
Bike Trainers And Intervals For All Levels Of Fitness
So, no matter where you're sitting on the fitness spectrum, an indoor bike trainer has some important advantages over other forms of exercise. Certainly, trainers aren't alone atop the exercise equipment pile, but for many people they're 'just what the weight doctor' ordered.
And when you combine a well-thought-out interval workout with an indoor bike trainer, you can count on some healthy weight loss...as long as you're minding your Ps and Q's in the diet department.
About the author:
Ron Fritzke is a converted long distance runner who now uses cycling as his form of exercise. He's recently written Cycleops Fluid trainer reviews and Cycleops Mag trainer reviews on his website, Cycling-Review.com.
