Riding a bicycle for weight loss is the best option during winter. It’s not as hard on the body as running, you won’t tire out so quickly, and it’s a lot of fun. Imagine cycling against the wind, gliding through beautiful natural scenery while burning fat—it’s truly a wonderful experience. Below, our editors teach you a one-month winter bike weight loss plan. Check it out now.
1. Simple and Easy
Among aerobic exercises, besides brisk walking and running, the simplest and most accessible is cycling. Since a bike saddle doesn’t fully support your body weight during movement, it actually works your body harder than running. “Cycling can be very effective for rehabilitation training aimed at restoring physical mobility after illness or injury,” says Sakamoto. In addition, for those who aren’t good at sports or have faced setbacks with running, cycling is an easy way to lose weight and get fit.
2. Very Light on the Body
Brisk walking applies an impact force close to 1.2 times your body weight upon landing, while running is nearly three times that. In contrast, because your feet lift off the ground when pedaling, the impact force from cycling is lower than your body weight. It doesn’t put extra strain on joints such as your ankles, knees, and lower back. At the same time, because it’s difficult to accumulate fatigue, it’s easier to stick with it every day. In the long run, increased activity also makes it harder for your body to gain weight.
3. You Can Adjust the Pace to Suit Yourself
One of the advantages of cycling is that you can freely control the intensity of your workout. The key lies in the gear weight and speed, which you can adjust based on your physical condition and energy levels for the day. Beginners can set their gears lighter and pedal slowly. On the other hand, those looking for a more intense workout can increase the gear weight to boost speed and therefore increase workout intensity.
4. Works All Your Muscles
(1) Pedaling a bicycle may seem simple, but it’s actually a full-body workout that engages various muscles.
(2) While pedaling, you work your quadriceps on the front of your thighs and your gluteus maximus in your hips.
(3) The force transferred through the pedals helps exercise your calf triceps.
(4) Beyond just your legs and waist, maintaining a cycling posture strengthens the erector spinae muscles along your spine.
(5) Gripping the handlebars also exercises the latissimus dorsi muscles in your back.
(6) At the same time, your wrists’ triceps and upper body muscles all get a workout.
5. You’ll Stay Motivated and Have Fun
Long periods of continuous physical activity can raise or lower your body temperature, causing sweating. Once sweat evaporates and accumulates, your body temperature rises, leading to fatigue and the urge to stop. That’s where cycling has a unique advantage over running—“the wind dries the sweat, making it harder for your body temperature to rise, so you can keep going for longer,” says Coach Sakamoto.
Start Bike Weight Loss with the Right Posture
Just as wearing ill-fitting shoes can affect your running, a bicycle saddle or handlebars that don’t suit your body can impact your ride. So, set your ideal posture first. Pay attention to pedaling with the correct posture, and you’ll enjoy a pleasant and efficient ride.
A One-Month Intensive Winter Bike Weight Loss Plan
Aerobic exercise is the most effective for weight loss and slimming. But while most people find it hard to stick with aerobic workouts 2–3 times per week, cycling is something you can do every day without any problem. Even if you lack the willpower to “must exercise!” you can still gradually burn fat in daily life. Running 10 kilometers can feel exhausting, but cycling feels like “a breeze.”
Step One: Weeks 1–2 — The Starting Point of a Bike-Based Lifestyle
1. Ride Your Bike for 20 Minutes × 2 = 40 Minutes Daily
The core idea of aerobic exercise is to engage in longer sessions at a slower pace. When you go out cycling, it’d be a waste to head back home after only 5 or 10 minutes.
Beginners can ride one way at their own comfortable pace—around 20 minutes. For example, if you usually take the bus or train to the nearest station for work and it’s about a 20-minute one-way trip, try biking there instead. Then take public transport for the return. Or, when heading to the supermarket or convenience store, choose a route you enjoy and cycle for 20 minutes.
A one-way trip of 20 minutes makes for 40 minutes round-trip. For someone weighing 50 kg, calorie burn is approximately: 140 kcal at 10 km/h, 175 kcal at 13 km/h, 210 kcal at 16 km/h, and so on.
How many calories do you burn?
Calories burned (kcal) = Speed (km/h) × Weight (kg) × 1.05 × Time (h).
2. Challenge Yourself with a 90-Minute Long Ride on the Weekend
Choose one day over the weekend to try a slightly longer trip of about an hour by car, which can also help refresh your mood. Opt for dedicated cycling paths along parks or riversides—before you know it, you’ll have pedaled for nearly 90 minutes (including the return trip).
Remember to hydrate when you sweat. Drink a glass of water before setting off, and it’s best to carry a water bottle to take a sip every 15 to 20 minutes during the ride. For regular roads, convenience stores can also be used for hydration. It’s recommended to choose Saturday for this, as you’ll likely want to rest and recover at home on the last day of the weekend.
By law, bicycles should ride between the sidewalk and the road, so choose lanes with as little traffic as possible. Even on pedestrian paths where cycling is allowed, try not to obstruct walkers and ride slowly.
Step Two: Weeks 3–4 – Increase Exercise Volume
1. Goal: 1 hour on weekdays, 2 hours on weekends
Once you’re used to cycling, you can gradually increase your speed and exercise duration based on your own condition. Aim for at least one hour of cycling each day on weekdays. When you have extra time and energy, you can go for a two-hour long ride on the weekend. Choose a park or riverside with a one-way trip of about 30 minutes; riding for one hour each way will total two hours.
To avoid getting fatigued midway, make sure to hydrate regularly during your ride. You can also use sugar-containing sports drinks.
Pay attention to your pulse
During aerobic exercise, there is a “fat-burning zone” where fat can be burned efficiently. This is usually indicated by heart rate (the number of heartbeats per minute, similar to your pulse). The “fat-burning zone” is around 50–60% of your maximum heart rate (the upper limit of heart rate, which can be calculated based on age). Staying within this range allows for effective fat burning. For women aged 20–30, the “fat-burning zone” is about 120–140 beats per minute. You can measure your pulse during a bike ride by stopping to check. If you count 12–14 beats in 6 seconds, multiply by 10 to get 120–140 beats per minute. It’s best to keep your ride within this range.
The correct formula for calculating the “fat-burning zone”
Target heart rate = [(220 – age) – resting heart rate] × 0.5–0.6 + resting heart rate
Your resting heart rate is the pulse you measure while lying in bed right after waking up. For example, if a 30-year-old has a resting heart rate of 70 beats per minute, calculating 50% (0.5) of the maximum heart rate would be: [220 – 30 – 70] × 0.5 + 70 = 130 beats per minute.
1 gram of fat is about 7.2 kcal, so 2 kg of fat is about 14,400 kcal. Can this be lost within a month (30 days)?
Let’s do the math now.
Following Step One, if your average speed on weekdays is 13 km/h and 16 km/h on weekends over two weeks, you can expect to burn about 2,695 kcal in 14 days.
Following Step Two, if you maintain the same speeds over the remaining 16 days—13 km/h on weekdays and 16 km/h on weekends—you can expect to burn about 4,410 kcal.
In total, that’s about 7,105 kcal burned in a month, equivalent to reducing about 1 kg of body fat. The remaining 1 kg will need to be reduced through diet, requiring a daily reduction of 243 kcal. That’s about 80 kcal less per meal. Here’s a sample reference menu:
200 mL of beer, one glass of red wine, 200 mL of fresh juice, 1/5 of a mini cake, 1/2 of a cream puff, 8–9 cherry tomatoes, 10 g of butter, one spoon of mayonnaise, 3/4 cup of dressing, 1/2 of an onigiri (rice ball), three slices of whole grain bread.
Friendly reminder: Don’t forget to do some stretching exercises after cycling to relax your body.
Cycling is generally a low-impact activity for the body, but prolonged continuous movement can still accumulate fatigue, especially in areas like the lower back and legs. Therefore, it’s recommended to do some stretching exercises at home before taking a shower to loosen up your muscles and joints. Only when your muscles and joints are properly stretched can you continue exercising energetically the next day. The key to the most comfortable stretching is to hold each stretch for 15–20 seconds. Also, remember to breathe naturally and stretch your limbs slowly.