Cycling is a great way to strengthen the lower body and burn calories. However, taking your cycle outdoors is not always feasible. Fortunately, indoor cycles allow you to work out at home and enjoy various health benefits. You can also enhance the benefits of indoor cycling by combining it with other resistance or cardio workouts.
If you are still wondering why indoor cycling has recently gained so much popularity, you may learn about its benefits in the section below.
- Comfortable on the Joints
Indoor cycling is a form of low-impact cardio that is gentle on the joints. Cycling is often recommended for people with joint-related issues during rehab as it eliminates the impact of other exercises like running. Moreover, cycling is a closed-chain exercise connected to the pedals, creating less stress for the body. Hence, it can be ideal for working out for people who like an intense workout session but don’t want to stress the joints.
- Strengthen Lower-Body Muscles
Age causes muscle imbalances and joint stiffness. And when your joints have a full range of motion, the surrounding muscles gain strength during the workout, increasing the overall effectiveness. Meanwhile, you can improve your bone health and lubricate the joints with indoor cycling. As a matter of fact, with regular cycling, you can experience a significant reduction in joint pain and improvements in muscle stiffness. Furthermore, since stationary cycles simulate outdoor terrains, you get a complete workout for your glutes, calves, hamstrings and quads.
- Burns Calories
Indoor cycling can be a good way to lose weight. For that, however, you need to remain consistent with your workouts. So, make sure you dedicate at least 30 minutes of your time to cycling every day.
You should also note that caloric expenditure depends largely on your workout intensity. Therefore, the harder you work out, the more calories you burn.
- Build Endurance
Like other cardio exercises, indoor cycling improves heart health by improving muscular endurance. The time spent on the saddle at varying resistance levels increases the efficiency of lower body muscles and keeps the heart rate up. And as you become stronger over time, you can increase resistance and challenge your muscles even more.
- Improved Posture
Cycling can improve posture if you sit tall and pull your shoulders down. And when you practise a solid posture while cycling, you counteract poor postures that you fall into due to your sedentary routine.
- Convenient and Easily Customisable
Indoor cycling is an easy and effective alternative to outdoor cycling. For instance, you can work out at any day hour for as long as you want. Furthermore, you can control your workout intensity by adjusting the resistance and speed and making sure it fits your training program.
You can also customise the terrain of the indoor cycles and have a unique workout experience.
- Boosts Mood and Improves Mental Health
Any form of physical activity or exercise is associated with stress and anxiety reduction. And you can boost your mood with just 15 minutes of indoor cycling, as it helps decrease cortisol levels in people.
Furthermore, cycling also helps build mental strength. As you push through the feeling of physical fatigue and breathlessness, you gain self-esteem and confidence that spill over into various other sectors of your life.
Following a well-designed cycling workout routine can help you achieve the best results if you are trying indoor cycling for the first time. You can even enrol in an indoor cycling class to enjoy the benefits of a team atmosphere. Plus, you can ride with other individuals with different fitness levels and have a fun-filled workout session.