Indoor cycling is excellent for weight loss as it burns lots of calories. Plus, the biking motion, which works the bum, thighs, and legs, tones the lower body.

One thing to note is that exercise bike workouts are not for slimming down specific body areas. Your entire body needs equal attention, not just your lower body, for efficient weight loss.

So, read on and learn how indoor cycling can help you achieve a better physique. I will also be listing helpful cycling tips you can do to shape your lower body.

Table of Contents

How Does Your Body Type Affect Weight Loss?

Before I explain the connection of lower-body weight loss with exercise bike workouts, let’s understand how body type affects our fitness goals and progress.

While exercise and a healthy diet are crucial to weight loss, genetics is also a factor. Specifically, people with pear-shaped body types tend to collect fat around the butt, hips, and thighs.

It usually takes time for them to burn and lose the fat that accumulates here. Pear-shaped individuals may also experience noticeable weight loss results on their upper body first before their intended target areas.

This fact only means that we cannot change our body type, and weight loss progress varies from person to person. It will also likely take some time to slim down your problem spots.

According to Penn Medicine (2022), consistent workouts and healthy eating should eventually take effect no matter your body type.

Once they do, you should make them a part of your improved lifestyle. Sticking to behavioural changes and healthier habits are also essential to weight loss.

Weight Loss and Body Types

What is the Best Way to Achieve Lower-Body Weight Loss?

Whether you want to lose the flab on your arms, trim your belly, or get shapely legs, there is only one correct formula. That is to get your body into calorie deficit mode.

That means exercising to burn calories and controlling your food intake.

With physical activity, researchers Donnelly and others (2013) agree that aerobic or cardio exercise is best for significant weight loss.

As you need to lose fat to shape your lower body, Boutcher (2011) concluded that high-intensity interval training or HIIT provides substantial results. He explained that HIIT can boost aerobic and anaerobic fitness, lower insulin resistance, and enhance fat oxidation.

These contribute to effective weight loss and fat reduction, particularly among overweight individuals.

Now, here’s an important point to remember. Based on several studies, spot reduction in weight loss is a myth (Kostek et al. 2007; Ramírez-Campillo et al. 2013).

For example, you can choose indoor cycling for your cardio and HIIT sessions but do not expect your lower body to shape up quickly. A whole-body approach is significant to successfully shaping your lower body.

Aside from cardio workouts, you should also perform strength training or compound exercises that work your upper body. Lift light weights like dumbbells or kettlebells. Perform some core-strengthening exercises, too.

The more muscles you activate, the more calories you burn, and the better for your lower-body weight loss goal.

How Can Indoor Cycling Help with Lower-Body Weight Loss?

There are two reasons why exercise bike workouts are effective for lower-body weight loss.

First, indoor cycling is a low-impact workout that burns many calories. You can complete a moderate-pace 30-minute cycling session to kickstart your weight loss program.

More importantly, you can safely switch to HIIT cycling and burn more calories without straining your joints too much.

Second, pedalling on a stationary bike engages the slow-twitch muscles of your lower body, which work for aerobic metabolism and toning.

As you cycle on an incline or increase your resistance level, your lower-body muscles also work harder, maximising the toning effect, particularly on your thighs. You can learn more about how the lower-body muscles work during cycling from this previous article.

Aside from these fitness facts, you can adjust your indoor exercise bike workouts for optimum lower-body weight loss.

Here are some tips to help.

Hovering Form on an Exercise Bike

Exercise Bike Workout Tips for the Glutes

  • Cycle with the correct indoor bike seat settings. Stand beside the saddle and adjust the seat height to your hip level. This tip ensures you are targeting your glutes properly and you stay comfortable throughout your session.
  • Cycle with the ideal leaning posture. Adjust the handlebar to make your upper body lean forward slightly. This cycling form bends your hips and keeps your glutes engaged.
  • Maintain proper foot positioning. Keep your feet flat on the pedals, so you can push down the pedal hard and target your glutes more.
  • Boost your cycling resistance level. Increase your exercise bike workout intensity to make your glutes work harder.
  • Use a spin or upright bike. These types of exercise bikes encourage the leaning posture. Also, these bikes allow you to stand while pedalling. Cyclists call this the hovering move, which can shape your bum.

You can also read this article on the glute-toning effects of exercise bikes to know more.

Exercise Bike Workout Tips for the Thighs and Legs

  • Increase your cycling resistance. Like your glutes, the legs exert more power as you bike at higher resistance. And more force exerted results in a more defined lower body.
  • Try HIIT. You can increase your sprint frequency, speed, or resistance level to design your HIIT cycling session. Alternately performing high and moderate-intensity cycling lets you burn more calories in shorter periods.
  • Stand up while pedalling. This technique puts more load on your legs, turning your cycling sessions into a weight-bearing exercise. Also, aside from making your legs work harder, cycling while standing up increases upper-body muscle engagement.

Check out this article on indoor cycling and leg sculpting, too.

Additional Workout Tips

Even if you enjoy exercise bike workouts for lower-body weight loss, don’t forget to give your other muscles equal attention.

Try exercises that target your upper body or perform activities that complement your indoor cycling routine. These encourage better weight loss outcomes and ensure you keep your spirits up throughout your journey.

After all, cycling every day can become monotonous over time. So, switch things up and keep your body challenged.

Remember that eating a balanced diet is the other half of the weight loss equation. Even if you’ve become more active, it cannot be your excuse to eat more.

Starving yourself is not an option either. You need food for energy to fuel your workouts.

To keep things balanced, practice mindful eating. Eat in controlled portions and follow the Australian guide to healthy eating for better food choices.

Indoor Cycling Session for Weight Loss

Final Words on Weight Loss

Losing weight is hard. Whether you’re a pear or apple-shaped person, exercise and a healthy diet are still the top solutions.

If your goal is lower-body weight loss, workouts with a good-quality exercise bike can help.

Still, cardio is not the only thing that matters. Activating your other muscles is also necessary for optimum calorie burn and continuous weight loss.

So, try all sorts of activities to make your weight loss journey more fun and productive!

Other Questions on Exercise Bike Workouts

1. Are full-body workouts possible on a stationary exercise bike?

It is possible to work your entire body by using an air-assault bike for your cycling routine. This bike type has infinite resistance and moveable handles, pushing you to exercise harder and burn more calories. Hybrid training is also another method. With this option, you can combine cycling with a complementary exercise in one session.

2. Are stationary bike workouts effective on belly fat?

Research and experts say that aerobic or cardio exercises, like cycling, are the most effective way to burn fat. This is because cycling workouts burn calories and help you lose weight, which eventually leads to the reduction of body fat. Following a consistent fitness routine and pairing it with a balanced diet also helps flatten the belly.

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