Practical guide to lose weight and burn fat riding a bicycle

Do you wonder how to lose weight by bicycle? You are not alone. Many cyclists want to know how long they must pedal to burn body fat and lose those extra kilos. And it is not surprising: cycling is not only fun, but it is also an excellent way of losing weight. No matter the modality you practice, either road cycling, mountain cycling, Or even, if you carry a electric bicycle. When riding, the body needs energy, and that energy comes from the calories we burn. How many calories? It will depend on your physical level and the intensity with which you pedal.

How many calories are burned by riding a bicycle?

It is estimated that a cyclist burns between 300 and 1,000 calories per hour, depending on its rhythm and effort. At a soft rate you can burn about 300 calories, but if you go up the intensity and pedaling with desire, you could burn between 600 and 700. In more intense competitions or training, you can easily overcome the 1,000 calories per hour. It is important to remember that these values are approximate and depend on several factors, such as the size of the cyclist, age and level of physical form.

If what you are looking for is to lose weight, keep in mind that burning 1 kg of fat requires approximately 7,700 calories. This means that you would need to pedal for about 11 hours throughout the week to lose 1 kg of fat, as long as you maintain a balanced diet.

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The importance of the power-pepper relationship in cycling

One of the key factors to improve your cycling performance is Power-Peso ratio (w/kg). This metric is calculated by dividing the watts that you can generate in a sustained way between your body weight. For example, if a 70 kg cyclist is capable of maintaining 300 watts for 20 minutes, its power-peso ratio would be 4.28 w/kg. Now, if that same cyclist loses weight, its performance will improve without increasing watts.

Reducing body weight is an effective way to improve this relationship and rise faster on mountainous grounds. Of course, you must be careful not to lose muscle mass in the process, since this could negatively affect your power.

How to balance weight loss and performance

Losing weight does not mean stop eating. It is crucial that you combine your cycling training with a healthy diet that allows you to lose fat without sacrificing performance. Be sure to include enough lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats in your diet to keep your energy during the routes.

⭐ Discover further about as improve you relationship power-weight in our article about The Importance of the base for cyclists.

What is the best diet to lose weight while you train by bicycle?

If you really want to lose weight, you must accompany your training with a balanced diet. Eating intelligently means avoiding very heavy meals before or after training and dividing meals throughout the day. Here are some key tips:

Make three complete meals per day, composed of fruits and vegetables (50%of the dish), complex carbohydrates (25%) and lean proteins (25%).
Includes healthy fats in your diet, such as nuts, avocado and olive oil.
While rich by bicycle, opt for light and energy rich such as energy bars, bananas or nuts.

Avoid skipping meals, as this could take you to eat in excess after training. It is best to eat something light before and after your route to maintain energy balance.

Train at high intensity to burn fat

Did you know that high intensity training (HIIT) are more effective to burn fat than low intensity sessions? When alternating maximum effort intervals with recovery periods, your body continues to burn calories even after finishing the session. For example, performing 30 seconds at high speed can help you eliminate more body fat than a moderate output of 60 minutes.

Enter this type of training a couple of times a week to maximize fat burning. You will increase your heart rate and improve your resistance while reducing your body weight.

Diversify your workouts to avoid staging

It is common for cyclists to stagnate in their weight loss progress when they always perform the same type of training. Diversify the routes and alternate the intensity will help you avoid this. Plan varied routes, with different types of land and profiles. This will force your body to work more and burn more calories.

You can also combine your bicycle outings with strength training in the gym. Raising weights two or three times a week will not only help you gain muscle, but will also accelerate your metabolism, which will increase the amount of calories you burn throughout the day.

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Fast training sessions that will help you lose weight

If you do not have much time to train, try these three rapid sessions that will help you burn fat efficiently:

Session 1: Double 8

Heating: 4 minutes at 80% intensity.
Series: 8 repetitions of 10 seconds at 90% intensity + 50 seconds at 50%.
Recovery: 3 minutes at 50%.
Second series: 8 repetitions of 10 seconds at 90% + 50 seconds at 50%.
Back to calm: 5 minutes at 50%.

Session 2: High intensity intervals (HIIT)

Heating: 10 minutes at 55%.
1: 5 minutes at 85%.
Recovery: 3 minutes at 40%.
2: 5 minutes at 90%.
Back to calm: 6 minutes at 30-40%.

Session 3: Tabata intervals

8 repetitions of 20 seconds at 100% + 10 seconds to 40%.

These sessions are perfect if you have little time and want to maximize fat burning in your training.

Losing weight with the bicycle is not just a matter of pedaling, it also implies wearing a balanced and varied diet. By combining high intensity training, diversity on your routes and good meal planning, you can achieve your weight loss objectives effectively. Remember, the key is to enjoy the process and maintain constancy.

🗨️ If you want to know more ways to improve your performance and lose weight on the bicycle, do not miss our related articles, such as How to train the cyclist digestive system