Stationary Bike Workout for Beginners

If you're new to exercise, working out on a stationary bike is a great way to tone muscles, shed a few pounds, and shape up your cardiovascular system. Doing a stationary bike workout for beginners is a low-impact exercise with smooth movements that are kind to the joints, muscles, and bones. As cycling is a seated exercise, it's ideal for those suffering from chronic back pain. Your static bike workout can also reduce tiredness, boost your mood, and energy levels.

What are the Benefits of a Stationary Bike Workout?

A stationary bike is one of the most popular pieces of home gym equipment as it is safe, convenient, and easy to use. You can cycle safely in all weathers without having to worry about dodging the traffic while enjoying almost immediate benefits for your health and fitness. Create and stick to a stationary bike workout plan, and you'll soon start to burn off calories and see your lower body muscles become stronger and more defined. More importantly, your cholesterol and triglyceride levels should fall while your lungs and heart will begin to work more efficiently.

What you Need to get Started

Whether you want a stationary bike workout for cardio, to lose weight, or to improve your outdoor cycling stamina, and efficiency, the good news is - you don't need a lot of equipment to get started. Of course, you need a stationary bike that meets your needs. An upright model such as our Bike Forma mimics road cycling and is great for toning your legs and strengthening your gluteal muscles. The Technogym Recline Forma with its adjustable seat provides a cycling solution for those with limited mobility or back pain. It's also a fun and comfortable way of enjoying some moderate cardio activity.

Our bikes have entertainment support, letting you listen to music or enjoy your favorite shows through your mobile device as you cycle. You can also download Technogym workouts, and virtual rides using the intuitive display. With the Mywellness app, you can track your workouts, goals, and progress. While lightweight trainers are perfectly fine, many static bike users prefer to wear spin shoes. These clip-in shoes help you cycle with greater speed and efficiency while working out all the large calorie-busting muscles in your legs. Slip into some comfortable shorts and tees, check your bike is adjusted correctly, and start your beginner exercise bike routines.

How to Adjust your Exercise Bike

We've explored the benefits of doing a regular beginner exercise bike routine, but to get the max out of your bike, it's important to adjust it to your body. To do so, follow these simple adjustment tips:

• When standing next to your upright bike, the seat should be level with the top of your hip bone. This is important for cycling comfort and the leverage you apply to the pedals.
• Adjust the seat backward or forwards depending on your height. When the seat is in the correct position, your kneecaps should be directly over your feet when they are resting on pedals at 3 and 9 o'clock.
• Handlebars should be adjusted so your shoulders sit above your elbows and hips. This prevents undue strain on the neck and back. As you become more experienced, try lowering the handlebars to boost your workout efficiency and strengthen your core muscles.

A Stationary Bike Workout Plan for Beginners

As a beginner, you might be asking, "How long is a good workout on a stationary bike?" The answer would be anything between 10 and 30 minutes a day. To start with, the focus should be on building your stamina for longer rides, rather than worrying about the intensity needed for burning calories.

As you progress, one thing you will need to get to grips with is your RPE or 'Rate of Perceived Exertion'. The RPE scale (which runs from 1 - 10) is a simple measure of the effort you are putting in. For example, RPE 2 is easy-paced riding for fun, while RPE 4 equates to a pace you can sustain for an extended period while holding an uninterrupted conversation. At RPE 5 you are cycling faster and once you reach RPE 6 you should be cycling so hard and fast you can only talk in short sentences. Your speed at RPE 8 can be sustained for short bursts only while giving one-word answers to questions and, at RPE 10, you're sprinting for gold at the Olympics. For your first beginner workouts, don't worry too much about your RPE - just do the best you can while trying to improve over a period of weeks.

A 20-minute static bike workout for beginners

TIME	INTENSITY	REPS
5 minutes	Easy (Warm-Up)
30 seconds	Hard	x2
30 seconds	Moderate	x2
1 minute	Easy
1 minute	Hard	x2
30 seconds	Moderate	x2
1 minute	Easy
45 seconds	All out	x2
15 seconds	Easy	x2
2 minutes	Easy
4 minutes	Easy (Cool-Down)

When you have been comfortably doing your exercise bike workout for beginners for a while, start adjusting the bike's resistance to bring in some uphill work. This makes your leg, bottom, and heart muscles work harder. Once you've built up some stamina and know how to adjust the resistance on your bike, you're ready to progress to a HIIT stationary bike workout for beginners.

HIIT Stationary Bike workout for beginners

HIIT (or high-intensity interval training) is all about alternating between high and low-intensity periods of exercise during your static cycling routine. During the low-intensity period, you get time to rest and recover ready to give your cycling all when working at an intensity high enough to burn calories and challenge your heart and lungs. HIIT is also a great boredom buster. Are you ready to move on to a greater challenge? If so, have a go at this HIIT stationary bike workout plan for beginners.

A 30-minute HIIT stationary bike workout plan

TIME	INTENSITY	REPS	REPS
5 minutes	Warm-up RPE 4-5
20 seconds	RPE 8-10	x8	x4
10 seconds	RPE 0	x8	x4
1 minute	Recover RPE 3-5		x4
5 minutes	Cool-Down RPE 4-5		x4