stationary cycling help in trimming fat/keeping muscle?

S

sexanoe

0
due to pain in my legs i have tried cycling for 20 minutes after lifting instead of running
however i could not get my heart rate pumping! the only way it started going fast is if i put the resistance on the bike at very high but my legs would give out long before i can get some good cardio in

am i doing something wrong or is cycling only good for warming up the body?
 
Stationary bikes can get my heart rate up as high as I want it. But, if your legs are hurting before you can get to the desired range, a stationary bike won't work for you. Sounds like you need an exercise that doesn't use the legs much, swimming perhaps?
 
well for this there wasnt anything wrong with my legs
i think anyone's legs will give out in under 10 minutes if you are pedaling as fast as possible at the resistance level i had it on
 
I know what you mean sexanoe, I wonder if it has to do with the type of bike? I've noticed those bikes that sit lower are harder for me, but when I go to a spinning class or something and sit upright it works alright for me (or maybe it's the class support) Hmmm lol
 
Have you tried the elliptical? It is another good option for cardio and if soreness in the legs is bothering you, you can transfer some of the effort to your upper body using the handles and still get the heart rate up.
 
You should try lowering the resistance level some and riding for a longer peroid of time. The more resistance you have the more of a chance you have to burn fat and muscle. If you lower the resistance and ride for a longer amount of time you will burn more fat and less muscle. I would ride for min. of 45 minutes to an hour. The lower resistance level should also help with the sore knees, your heart rate will get to where it needs to be riding for this amount of time.
 
so far i can run about 10 minutes before the shin splits kick into unbearable pain
would running for 10 minutes then cycling the other 35 on the bike be ok?

also whats a ball park % of what resistance i should have the bike on from 0-100%?
thanks
 
slim09 said:
You should try lowering the resistance level some and riding for a longer peroid of time. The more resistance you have the more of a chance you have to burn fat and muscle. If you lower the resistance and ride for a longer amount of time you will burn more fat and less muscle. I would ride for min. of 45 minutes to an hour. The lower resistance level should also help with the sore knees, your heart rate will get to where it needs to be riding for this amount of time.
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riding for a longer period of time at a lower resistance (which = less effort) will not get your heart rate up to where "it needs to be". that's like saying if i walk for a long period of time my heart rate will get "up" as opposed to jogging / running for a shorter period of time. you need to put in effort to get your HR up.

also, the belief that slower pace = more fat burn and faster pace = less fat burn is technically inaccurate. if you want to lose weight, you need to burn calories. more effort = more calories lost = more weight lost.
 
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sexanoe said:
so far i can run about 10 minutes before the shin splits kick into unbearable pain
would running for 10 minutes then cycling the other 35 on the bike be ok?

also whats a ball park % of what resistance i should have the bike on from 0-100%?
thanks
Click to expand...

are you warming up correctly?? even after all my stretching and such, i like to walk / slow jog for at least 5 minutes before i even engage in running. try to increase your warming up period; i think it will help with your pains.
 
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