Is cycling good for losing belly fat?
Is cycling good for belly fat? if you also have the same question in your mind then you are at the right place. In this article, we have discussed in depth whether cycling is good for belly fat.
Yes, cycling is good for losing belly fat. Belly fat is the excess amount of fat collected around your waistline over time, it is also known as visceral fat. Subcutaneous, intramuscular, and visceral are the three types of belly fat. Belly fat is the most dangerous kind of fat as it surrounds your internal body organ.
This excess belly fat can be responsible for developing different kinds of health problems which includes heart disease, diabetes, and liver problems, which is why it is very important to lose belly fat.
There are many exercises to lose fat but not all exercises are effective in belly fat reduction. Exercises like walking, running, biking, rowing, swimming, cycling, etc are some easiest exercises that can be done by people of any age group. These exercises are highly effective in losing belly fat.
In this article, we will discuss how cycling can help you in losing belly fat. Cycling is the most low-impact cardio exercise that can be done by people of any age people. Cycling is the only exercise that is gentle to your knees, ankles, and other joints.
Regular cycling can help you in losing extra fat accumulated around your waistline. Pedaling beyond your leisurely pace can help you in losing an impressive number of calories. cycling also affects your basal metabolic rate and muscle mass.
Benefits of cycling-
Here are the physical and mental health benefits associated with cycling
- Reduces risk of developing chronic diseases
- Increased cardiovascular fitness
- Increase your muscle’s strength and flexibility
- Helps in losing body fat
- Improved posture, balance, and coordination
How to lose belly fat by cycling?
Cycling is an effective way to lose belly fat. A study published in the international journal of obesity has proven that riding a cycle regularly is as effective as exercising at the gym. Cycling increases your metabolic rate, builds up muscles, and burns calories.
So if you want to lose belly fat then you must include regular cycling in your daily routine. To lose belly fat you have to remove fat all over your body, cycling beyond your leisurely pace allows you to burn an impressive number of calories, which means stored body fat will melt down quickly.
Burn more calories-
By cycling regularly you can lose as much weight as you want to lose. For effective weight loss, you must burn at least 2000 calories in a week. By cycling, you can burn up to 300 calories per hour. You can burn more calories if you pedal with more intensity.
According to the Harvard health letter, if a rider pedals at a 12-13 mile-per-hour pace then the rider can burn up to 298 calories in a 30-minute of bike ride. For fast tummy flattening results you have to combine your workout with a healthy eating plan.
High-intensity interval training-
High-intensity interval training will help you burn more calories in less time, this will also improve your cardio fitness and help you to melt stored body fat at a much faster rate. High-intensity interval training includes short bursts of intense exercise followed by a low-intensity exercise for example
- In starting 30-60 seconds, cycle as fast as you can against high resistance.
- Then for 2-3 minutes cycle with low resistance
- Repeat this same process for 20-30 minutes.
By doing this high-intensity interval training, you can lose up to 10% of stored body fat within 12 weeks.
Go beyond your limits-
When you think you have exercised enough, then try to push your exercise limit and go a little further. This will not only helps you in improving your endurance but also help you in weight lose.
Stress level-
Many of us when depressed, stopped eating and lose weight and many of us start eating a lot and gain weight. Neither of them is ideal or healthy. Stress also affects your sleep level. We advise you to control your stress level, stress levels can surprisingly affect your weight loss.
Exercise pumps up the production of neurotransmitters known as endorphins, production of endorphins makes your brain feel happy this is how exercise helps in stress relief.
Including cycling into your daily routine can help in improving self-confidence, improve blood circulation, and also helps in combating stress and anxiety.
Eat the right food-
If you don’t take a proper diet before exercise then this will dramatically shift your blood sugar level. When your blood sugar level falls from normal then you start feeling Dizzy and lazy. This will lower your exercise performance, doing exercise in such state can lead to muscle mass drop instead of fat.
In such state we advise you to stop exercising immediately and eat some form of a quick carbohydrate or sugar like a banana or a glass of juice. This will help you to maintain your blood sugar level so that you can get back to your exercise mode.
Cycling or walking: which is best for losing belly fat?
Cycling and walking are low-impact exercises that can be done by people of all ages. Both exercises are great for burning calories but cycling is the most loved and enjoyable cardio exercise. If you also have doubts between cycling or walking which is better for belly fat loss then stay with us we will tell you which one is better and why.
In recent studies, it is seen that people who commute by cycle or walk to their workplace are more likely to develop good mental and physical health. To lose weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you burn. Both exercises are great for burning calories but some of you might be thinking walking is better than cycling. MTB bikes are best for losing weight as these bikes are harder to ride in comparison to a road bike or a hybrid bike. These MTB bikes can help you in burning more calories. So we recommend you buy an MTB bikem here are the list of some MTB bikes that you can buy as per your budget MTB under 5000, MTB under 10000, MTB under 20000
Well, both exercises need the engagement of different muscles and both exercises have different benefits.
Calories burnt during walking or cycling depend on the intensity of the workout. In many studies, it is proven that cycling helps in burning more calories in comparison to walking. We will tell you how many calories a person would burn in 30 minutes if he workout at different intensities for the same time intervals.
| Intensity | Cycling | Walking |
| Light | 240 calories if he pedals with a speed of 16-19km/hr | 154 calories if he walks at speed of 5.6km/hr |
| Moderate | 285 calories if he pedals with a speed of 19-22km/hr | 179 calories if he walks at speed of 6.4km/hr |
| High | 357 calories if he pedals with a speed of 22-25km/hr | 250 calories if he walks at speed of 7.2km/hr |
In all cases, you will see that cycling burns more calories for the same category of intensity during the same time period. So if you want to get in shape in a short time then cycling is best.
How much should I cycle a day to lose belly fat?
Burning your belly by training your core is not easy, these core exercises are not effective in removing fat from a particular area, especially in burning belly fat as these exercises help in building muscles and strengthening your core.
Cardio exercises like running and cycling are best for burning belly fat. Here is how many calories a person weighing 68kg can burn in 30 minutes of cycling. If a person rides a bicycle for 30mins with normal intensity then he can burn up to 240 calories, if a person pedal with moderate intensity then he can burn up to 285 calories.
A rider can burn up to 357 calories within 30 mins of cycling if he pedals with high intensity. If you consistently burn 300 calories every day then in 10-12 days you will lose 1kg of weight.
If you want to get yourself in shape then you have to cycle for at least 30 minutes a day. If you cycle consistently for one month, you can lose up to 3-5kg of weight within 30 days.
By cycling, you can lose as much weight as you want to lose. In order to burn more weight you have to increase the cycling time or you have to pedal with more intensity.