Do Low-Impact Indoor Cycling Workouts Work?

If you want to stay fit and healthy without putting too much stress on your joints, you might have considered low-impact indoor cycling workouts. These are exercises that involve pedalling a stationary bike at a moderate intensity while keeping your heart rate within a certain range. But do these workouts actually work? What are the benefits and drawbacks of low-impact indoor cycling? And how can you make the most of your sessions?

This blog post will answer these questions and more based on the latest scientific research and expert opinions. We will also give you some tips and tricks to optimize your low-impact indoor cycling workouts and achieve your fitness goals.

What are low-impact indoor cycling workouts?

Low-impact indoor cycling workouts are aerobic exercises involving using a stationary bike to simulate riding outdoors.

Unlike high-impact exercises, such as running or jumping, low-impact exercises do not involve a lot of pounding or jarring on your joints. This makes them ideal for people who have joint problems, injuries, or chronic conditions, such as arthritis or osteoporosis.

Low-impact indoor cycling workouts can vary in intensity, duration, and frequency, depending on your fitness level and goals.

However, a common feature of these workouts is that they aim to keep your heart rate within a target zone that is appropriate for your age and health.

This zone is usually between 50% and 70% of your maximum heart rate (MHR), which is the highest number of beats per minute that your heart can pump. You can estimate your MHR by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if you are 40 years old, your MHR is 220 – 40 = 180 beats per minute.

Keeping your heart rate within this zone can improve your cardiovascular health and endurance, burn calories and fat, and reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.

What are the benefits of low-impact indoor cycling workouts?

Low-impact indoor cycling workouts can offer many benefits for your physical and mental health. Some of the benefits are:

Improving cardiovascular health

Cycling can help strengthen your heart and lungs and lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Burning calories

Cycling can help you burn calories and lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. According to Harvard Health Publishing, a 155-pound person can burn about 260 calories in 30 minutes of moderate stationary biking.

Strengthening your muscles

Cycling can help you tone and build your muscles, especially in your legs, glutes, core, and arms. This can improve your posture, balance, and stability.

Boosting your mood

Cycling can help you release endorphins, which are natural chemicals that make you feel happy and relaxed. Cycling can also help you relieve stress, anxiety, and depression.

What are the drawbacks of low-impact indoor cycling workouts?

While low-impact indoor cycling workouts have many advantages, they also have some drawbacks that you should be aware of. These include:

Boredom: Some people may find low-impact indoor cycling workouts monotonous or repetitive, especially if they do not vary their routine or listen to music or podcasts while exercising.
Lack of upper body involvement: Low-impact indoor cycling workouts mainly target your lower body muscles, which means that you may neglect your upper body strength and posture. To avoid this, you should incorporate some upper body exercises into your weekly routine, such as push-ups, pull-ups, or resistance bands.
Risk of overuse injuries: Even though low-impact indoor cycling workouts are gentle on your joints, they can still cause overuse injuries if you do not warm up properly, use the correct form, or adjust the bike settings to fit your body. Some common overuse injuries from low-impact indoor cycling include knee pain, lower back pain, neck pain, and saddle sores.

How to prevent indoor cycling injuries?

To prevent these injuries, you should follow these tips:

Warm up for at least 10 minutes before starting your workout. This will increase blood flow to your muscles and joints and prepare them for exercise.
Use the correct form when pedalling. Keep your back straight, shoulders relaxed, elbows slightly bent, and wrists neutral. Avoid hunching over the handlebars or bouncing on the saddle.
Adjust the bike settings to fit your body. Make sure that the seat height is at a level where your knee is slightly bent when the pedal is at the bottom position. Also, adjust the seat distance and handlebar height so that you can reach them comfortably without straining.
Wear padded shorts or use a gel seat cover to protect your skin from friction and chafing.
Stretch after your workout to loosen up any tight muscles and prevent stiffness.

How can you make the most of your low-impact indoor cycling workouts?

To get the best results from your low-impact indoor cycling workouts, you should follow these guidelines:

Do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week

This is the minimum amount the American Heart Association recommends for adults to maintain good health. You can divide this into shorter sessions of at least 10 minutes each throughout the week.

Vary your intensity and duration

You should occasionally change up your low-impact indoor cycling workouts to avoid boredom and plateaus. You can do this by increasing or decreasing the bike’s resistance, speed, or incline or by doing high and low-intensity intervals. You can also try different types of indoor cycling classes, such as spinning, which are more challenging and fun.

Monitor your heart rate

Use a heart rate monitor or a smartwatch to measure your pulse to ensure you are working within your target zone. You can also use the perceived exertion scale, which measures how hard you feel you are working on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is very easy, and 10 is very hard. Your target zone should be between 4 and 6 on this scale.

Hydrate and fuel properly

Low-impact indoor cycling workouts can make you sweat a lot, so you should drink plenty of water before, during, and after your sessions. You should also eat a balanced diet that provides enough carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats to support your energy and recovery.

Conclusion

Low-impact indoor cycling workouts are a great way to stay fit and healthy without putting too much stress on your joints. They can improve your cardiovascular health and endurance, burn calories and fat, and reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. They can also strengthen your lower body muscles, improve your balance and coordination, enhance your mood and mental well-being, reduce stress and anxiety, boost your immune system, increase your energy levels, and support your bone health.

We hope this blog post has given you some useful information and tips on effectively doing low-impact indoor cycling workouts. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. Happy cycling!