So over this winter I've put on about 10 extra pounds, and I'm looking to shed them. I want to start biking, but there's still snow on the ground, so I'm going to have to do something else until Spring arrives in a few weeks. Recommendations of exercise that can be done indoors for the mean time.
Do you have a local gym that has those stationary bikes? You could start training now to be a better biker come spring/summer. They're really easy to use, plus you get to sit down the whole time. Some gyms even have TVs set up for you to watch.
I have a membership to the University of Michigan Rec Center that comes standard with my tuition. I don't know why I didn't think of that.
crunches, squats, lunges, pushups, jump rope, kicks, punches, or my personal favorite....put on silly music and dance until you collapse.
all good, but if you are really going to get into the bikeing... you should focuse on cardio and leg streingth now. because those are the big things you will need for the bike.
I prefer the Elliptical machines, if you have access to those They're good exercise w/ miminal impact. And racquetball is a great way to sweat off a bunch of calories, if there are courts/leagues available to you.
Yes for weight loss, just not by itself. Bigger, healthier muscles consume more energy, and burn more fat during cardio workouts. Assuming the desired "weight loss" to actually mean "fat loss," of course. Many people say "weight" when they mean "fat," but asking them if they'd rather weigh three tons and look like an aerobics instructor, or weigh 100 pounds but look like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man usually clears that up right quick. Muscle weighs more than fat, but healthy muscles are one of your best weapons against the accumulation of fat.
And weight lifting burns calories too. Also - fuck biking, that's not gonna help. Sure, it's way more comfortable than running but it also burns way less calories. Oh yeah, UA's right - most important thing when you want to burn fat is the "afterburn" meaning the increased calorie usage after working out which, for example, can be done by building up muscle.
Depends on how you do it. If it's heavy weights in short bursts, it's gonna be less than lower weights at higher repetitions for a longer time. Low weight + high reps in combination with grueling cardio is the way to go if you want to lose fat. Depends on how you do it. Some of those stationary bikes can be set with so much resistance it's like a low-weight toning exercise.
Actually, from what I've read the "low weight/more reps" thing appears to be an urban myth. Don't ask me why though. And cardio isn't the be all and end all of burning fat either - it'll help at the beginning to get up your metabolism but after that it's pretty much just the calories you burn. (that is to say: calorie intake = calorie usage WITHOUT your cardio) Personally I think it's more fun to go for a run anyway.
Cycling burns calories fine. You just need to do it for longer. What fun is a short bicycle ride anyway? Build leg strength by lifting legs, but don't forget to get some good spinning going on the stationary, no matter what UA says. If you want to burn more calories while you lift, take my advice: don't stand around like an idiot for 15 minutes between each set. Find a routine and stick to it. Then lift one set, move to the next machine/weights, lift another. You should get just as long as it takes to walk from one to the other, and then you're lifting again. It gets your heart pumping and works your muscles, PLUS you don't have to be there lifting as long. I will wait for the inevitable backlash for my suggestions.
Exactly what I was gonna say in bold. Running works so much better than biking. Weight loss comes down to taking in less calories than you use everyday. So if you want to lose weight, eat healthier and eat less daily. However, eat less food spread out over more meals to help speed up your metabolism.
Amen. Did 40 miles yesterday with 7kg extra weight in the panniers. Legs are a bit achy today, but I feel much better for it! Gotta get used to that sort of distance - I'm planning a 9-day cycling and camping trip around Devon in June, 40 miles a day. Not excessive, but I need to make sure my legs are used to day-in-day-out cycling. At present, they're built for power (always fun watching the faces of the muscle-jocks at the gym when an overweight guy maxes out the leg press!) rather than stamina.
Albert nailed this, but I'll add that wight training with lower weights is a very good cardio exercise.
