interval cycling on exercise bike?

hi all, i have a question for you, if u wouldnt mind helping me out with, basically i enjoy getting on exercise bike, i usually do 40 mins at 85+ rpm, i was interested in interval cycling but didnt know too much about it.
i was wondering how fast to cycle for my interval bursts and how fast for recovery period, also how long a session should be each day, if someone could give some insight that would be great.
thanks everyone

For interval training I do 30 secs as fast as I can go, then 60 seconds at a slow steady pace. The idea of the slow paced part is to let your heart rate fall, so just keep it ticking over for that minute. A session lasts around 20 minutes for me.

If you are wanting to do HIIT you wouldn't set a target for the fast pace, you would just go flat out for that period. You will find that the flat out portion becomes a little slower as you tire, but that's OK. If you are giving it everything you can for that 30 seconds then that's fine.

hi, thanks for reply, just the information i was lookin for thanks, so 20 mins is a good session to do? also how many days a week should i be doin this for? also just wondering if this type of exercise blasts the fat with a clean diet?

I had someone doing 1min flat out, 1 min rest for 30mins - that pretty much killed them - worked a treat tho :)
It certainly got them fitter and leaner!

Les Willis
Nutrition Consultant
Healthy Action

I used to think I knew what busy was - now I am too busy to think about it!

20 mins is fine to start with, you can build it up to 30 but don't go over that. Personally I find 20 is the right time for me.

Don't do HIIT every day as it really takes it out of you. Two to three times a week is OK, make sure you have a day in between and if you to do some cardio on these days, go for steady state.

HIIT is a great way to lose fat. Although the shorter session uses less calories than a longer session of steady state, it increases your rate of fat loss for sometime afterwards, so can burn more calories overall.

For a well balanced programme, try and incorporate some weights for three days a week as well, and you will find the fat comes off easily.

I have lost 5 stones doing this :)

thanks for replys guys, ok great so if i do weights mon,weds,fri and do hiit tues,thurs,sat would that be enough to start dropping the fat?
also on my weights days should  i be doing some kind of cardio? maybe 20 mins sscv?
many thanks

Now I am more used to the exercise I am doing the following:

Cardio:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 30 minutes steady state at lunchtime
Tuesday and Thursday 20 minutes HIIT early evening

Saturday 45 minutes steady state

Weights, always done early evening:

Monday - Chest and Triceps
Wednesday - Legs, Shoulders and Abs
Friday - Back and Biceps

Sunday - rest


That works for me but just do what fits in well with your own timetable.

I would suggest trying to do cardio and weights in different sessions of done on the same day, but if you need to do them in the same session, so steady state cardio after weights. I personally wouldn't do HIIT and weights on the same day and most definitely not in the same session.

Remember to eat plenty even when trying to drop fat. With that level of activity you can have a surprising amount of calories as long as you eat pretty cleanly. Also don't just go by the scales, go by how you look and how your clothes fit as well. I have lost a couple of inches off my waist recently while only losing a moderate amount of scale weight.


What is your current weight and height?

so has this worked for you?
at the moment im 15 st, i wanted to get down to bout 12st but at the moment im finding it quite hard to shift any fat, reason prob being is i was 20 st, so i've lost 5 stone in bout a year and a half.
but i really wanted to knuckle down and lose the rest.
sorry mate didnt see bottom sentence, im 6ft and 15 st

As I say, I have lost 5 stone dropping from 19 and a half stone to 14 and a half, and have lost 8 inches off my waist. I still have a way to go but I am so much fitter than before and my GP actually told me not to lose much more, which was a first for me.

I am still losing steadily doing this and am eating around 2000 calories a day.

I think the main thing is to get your head around that it is a lifestyle change and that it is a long term process. I will still look very out of shape compared to some on here, but compared to what I was I am much better, and that's what is important. You are only competing gainst yourself, so don't try and measure your progress against people who have been training for years.

If you want my full workout I am happy to post it, but it's by no means perfect and others will be much better placed to advise better on the weights routine. I am also moving the days around to fit better with my return to work next week.

yeah same here, i start back at work on tues, so i would need to fit my workout around them hours.
one thing i would like to ask mate is if i would lose same ammount if i didnt do weights at all just yet,i mean if i did 3 days hiit and 3 days steady state and left the weights till i slimmed down a bit more, would that be ok? or would you advise me to do weights as well?

It's up to you, but if you are going to do weights eventually then why wait?

The weight training will also burn calories remember, and will also be much more successful at shaping your whole body. An exercise bike will do nothing for your upper body! As you build more muscle mass this will also increase the amount of calories you naturally burn, so is a good idea in my mind.

I'd say do both, but ultimately it's up to you.

I have joined a gym near work to go and do my cardio during my lunch hour, then I can do my weights after work on the relevant days.

ok cool, i'll do weights too, sorry to take up your time mate, its just im so new to all this, because i start work on tuesday i wont have much money for a month, would it matter if i wasnt gettin proper protein into my body while doing the weights ie: protein shake and decent food? would it be possible if you could post up what your currently doing? reason being you seem to be havin success with it? and also you know for steadystate on exercise bike, what rpm should i be looking to stay around?
thank you so much, really appreciate it

RPM is a bit misleading if you ask me, as it depends entirely on what resistance level you are using. You can go like the clappers on level 1 but this won't do you as much good as a steady pace on level 4 and so on.

You want to be sweating a a little out of breath, but so you could still hold a conversation.

Does your bike have a heart rate monitor? That is a far more reliable way of determining the right intensity for you.

My routine from this week will be as follows:


Tuesday
Back and biceps:

Deadlifts
Bent over rows
Single arm bent over rows

Dumbbell curls
Seated zottman curls
Seated hammer curls

Thursday
Chest and triceps:

Flat bench dumbbell press
Incline bench dumbbell press
Flat bench flys

Skullcrushers
Single arm overhead extensions
Kickbacks

Saturday
Legs, shoulders and abs:

Squats
Lunges
Stiff legged deadlifts
Standing calf raises

Dummbell press
Lateral raises
Shrugs

Side bend with dumbbell
Dumbbell torso twist
Reverse crunches

All weights exercises are 3 sets of 8 reps.

As I say, on weights days I will be doing 30 minutes steady state cardio at lunchtime. On non weights days I am doing 20 minutes HIIT. I rest on a Sunday.

This fits in with the equipment I have and my timetable for work, gym etc. Yours may be different and there is plenty of advice available on routines in the relevant forums.

Just get started and then adjust as necessary.

Good luck!

Oh, and I am relatively new as well, so don't worry! We can all learn together!!

With regards to the food, just try and eat regularly and incorporate lots of fruit and veg and some protein each meal. Worry about supplements later if at all, I have stopped using them as I find it better to get what I need from my diet.

guys, check the bikes your using if they have a "watts" program, if they do, use that for intervals, then you can go at whatever speed you like

ok great, listen thanks for all your help,its really inspired me to knuckle down now.
if you dont mind if i could nab your training program, its seems you've had and still are having success with it, so would like to see if it works for me too.
itching to start tomorrow, i actually done 20 mins hiit on bike today to see what it was like, it was good cos im still feeling it now.
well listen thanks for all your help, it was inspiring and knowledgable talking to you.
good luck with the training, take care

No problem and good luck!

I do a lot of cycling and if done right it is great for fitness, fat loss and it has given me killer legs.

Firstly I would up your RPM to between 90 - 110 rpm.  I would never go above 110rpm as peddling too fast is akin to bad form when weightlifting and can lead to injuries.

For intensity increase resistence and stand up (ie simulate hill climbing), instead of peddling faster.  This burns far more calories than merely peddling faster. 

Bum up off seat, lean forward and pull on alterate arms to help drive your legs.  RPM should be around 60 and resistence should be set high enough so that your legs are burning!

Try 10 minute warmup @ 90 - 110 rpm then 1 minute on the saddle (low resistence), 1 minute stood up (high resistence).

Finally, if you like cycling why not take it up for real.  Or if your an indoor person, try spinning classes, they are great for fat loss.

ian1969uk

As I say, I have lost 5 stone dropping from 19 and a half stone to 14 and a half, and have lost 8 inches off my waist. I still have a way to go but I am so much fitter ...
 
...perfect and others will be much better placed to advise better on the weights routine. I am also moving the days around to fit better with my return to work next week.

 
Sorry to de-rail the thread a little, just wanted to say. That is a very inspirational passage. Thanks for sharing - very similar to my start weight/current weight and the goals i want to achieve.

  Day 21 of not smoking. 3 Weeks!

Good luck mate and keep off the cigs.

Forgot to say this before, but find something that works for YOU.

If you have loads of spare time then 1 hour cadio sessions and 1.5 hour weights sessions five times a week are fine.

If you dont have the time do shorter more intense cadio, and fullbody HIT weight sessions.

Personally I find 3 x 45mins fullbody workouts and 3 x 30mins high intensity cardio fits into my life better.  I do weights mon, wed, fri in the afternoon.  I keep to this pretty rigidly because it allows adequate rest and I am at my strongest in the afternoon.  I fit the cardio in whenever I have a spare 30 mins.

A final tip, look for small ways you can do a bit more cardio.  Walk instead of driving (were sensible), go for a nice weekend walk with the old ball and chain instead of watching TV.  You could even do more housework (although thats a bit extreme).