8 Riding Exercises of the Exercise Bike

There are many ways to ride indoor exercise bikes. Some people like regular exercises, while some others prefer functional cycling exercises such as burning fat or increasing endurance.

Before doing exercise, it is necessary to understand how to calculate the heart rate.

Simple algorithm of the heart rate:
220-age can get the maximum heart rate. For example, if the age of the rider is 45 years old, the maximum heart rate is 220-45=175 beats per minute. After calculating your maximum heart rate, you can choose the following practice methods according to the situation.

You need to be clear about your exercise goals, and you also need to understand your limits in terms of speed and resistance. If you have an old injury or illness, it is recommended that you consult a doctor before practicing.

The following is the eight practice methods for exercise bike at home：
1. Long-distance and low-intensity exercise
If distance is one of your goals, the setting of riding distance should be one of your practice goals. Exercise intensity should be maintained within 40%-60% of the maximum heart rate. The whole exercise process should make people feel comfortable and continuous and the same state of exertion and the feeling after the exercise should be energetic and able to repeat such exercises regularly.

2. Rhythmic exercise
Rhythmic exercise is suitable for those who want to maintain continuous power output and improve the ability of high resistance exercises. Speeding up the rhythm can help to adapt to higher power output. When riding an indoor exercise bike, it is necessary to bring your own sports instrument or wear a sports bracelet, so that you can monitor your practice at any time.

3. Restoring ride exercise
Restoring ride lasts a relatively short time and a relatively low intensity. There is no need to set goals for such ride. It can help maintain blood flow. When the muscle is restoring, it can also burn some calories and reduce the pressure of your heart and nerve muscle system.

4. Interval exercise
Cyclists can perform two types of interval training on the exercise bike. The first is aerobic interval training, which requires the rider to increase the intensity to a level higher than their normal training level, and then perform a low-intensity ride for about one minute. The riding time can vary according to the goals set by the rider. Some exercises can last 4 minutes, and then the recovery time is 8 minutes.

The second interval training is anaerobic interval training, which happens to be opposite to aerobic interval training. The rider first rides hard for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, and then rests for the same or longer time. This type of training is beneficial for improving both anaerobic and aerobic performance.

5. Tabata combined exercise
This type of exercise is similar to anaerobic interval training, but it has a specific cycle and rest period. For example, you must ride at full speed for 20 seconds and then fully recover or relax. Repeating this interval exercise 8 times can complete the Tabata interval exercise. Studies have shown that they can improve anaerobic and aerobic energy systems.

6. Climbing exercise
If riding training or competition involves altitude changes, this training is very helpful for you. If you know the length of the hill, you can set the resistance and time of the ride to match the length of the hill you are training. It should be noted that the location of riding and climbing is not exactly the same as the location on flat ground or highway.

7. Sprinting exercise
Sprinting exercise can well promote metabolism and make muscle fibers contract rapidly to produce explosive force. Even if you have been riding for a long time, your neuromuscular system can still respond like this. Sprint intermittently, ride at sprint speed for a few seconds, and then recover for a long time so that you can repeat the next sprint at full speed.

8. Targeted heart rate exercise
If you want to know the health benefits of indoor exercise bike workout, it is important to understand the changes in your heart rate while riding. If you want to improve the cardiovascular system, you need to keep the exercise heart rate within 40%~60% of the maximum heart rate, and the exercise time needs to last for more than 30 minutes.

If you want to increase the riding tensity and endurance, it is required to ride in a long distance while maintaining the exercise tensity within 70%~85% of the maximum heart rate.