How to Start Cycling When Overweight? 9 Tried-And-True Tips
How to start cycling when overweight is a problem for some chubbies, yet just a tiny issue with my tips! Check out my sharing post for a better beginning.
Cycling to get thinner, slimmer, or healthier is desperate for most oversized people. But starting a cycling journey when overweight seems to be an itchy hassle that scares you away from your bike and delays your goal from time to time.
It’s just fine to be that way and be reluctant because there’s a lot for you to keep in mind when starting biking.
And remember, it’s not compulsory to cycle to just get lighter but a part of being healthier day by day. I assure you that you won’t be alone in this tough journey of fighting against your weight. So I am willing to guide you with tips in this article.
How to Start Cycling When Overweight
Set A Realistic Goal
When starting to do something to make a change, cycling, for instance, aims to burn fat and lose weight. It will require long-term achievement and high commitment, so a goal is an essential part. It keeps you motivated and persistent.
A practical goal for riding minimizes the chance of giving up in the middle of the journey, failing your objectives. A realistic objective will make it easier to come true and reduce the chance of disappointment if it doesn’t work.
You also have to be prepared for your first time, make sure your physical health is well and fit. It can be hard and demanding on your body as it is not used to burning a lot of energy on the first try, especially for overweight people.
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How to Scale and Make a Specific Plan
To scale fat and set your own goal, you can use Body Mass Index (BMI) to check and target your weight and fat regularly.
We call it obesity when your BMI exceeds 30.0. For example, your BMI is 33.5 now. Within a month, you aim to lose 0.5 BMI to 33, and accordingly, you can set your goal for each month and raise it higher.
Otherwise, you can take advantage of some online tools, such as the NHS BMI checker. This app can help evaluate and recommend a healthy fat level for you.
Another alternative option is a weighing scale that can also measure fat. You can target your goal by losing 3 pounds per month, for instance.
Start with Flat Terrain
For beginners, look for a flat surface to give it a try. This way, your body can adapt to casual physical cycling first, and you can then ride on some hilly terrains.
For uphill route climbing, it requires a lot of extra energy that your body is not ready for the first ride. Especially, a plus-size cyclist can not be strong and stable enough to deal with it.
Go Short and Long Routes Combined
At first, you don’t need to do everything to determine your motivation. Instead, take a slow and short ride every day. Even 30 minutes of riding can make a difference.
For a 30-minute cycling session, you can lose up to 200-225 calories for going slow and easy. And if you go hard, you can burn more than 350 calories.
Yet, a long ride once or twice a week can be a great plan. For a six-hour ride, you can burn a large amount of fat (1000 calories or higher) and benefit your blood flow. This way, you don’t have to stretch yourself too hard to do a lot of cycling every day.
Do Some Stretching Before Cycling
Like other sports, let’s warm up your body before jumping into any biking. Stretch your legs, hands, arms, heads, backs, and everything you normally do for exercise.
Stretching can contribute to boosting more energy and maintaining a longer ride. It can help to reduce the risk of overdoing and injuries during your session. In order to release the strain on your back, I highly recommend extending your body once again after your ride.
How Much Distance to Cover for Weight Loss?
Generally, it is calculated that you must cycle for nearly 20-30 km to burn 2 pounds of fat. However, it can be easier for you to figure out by counting how many hours you should do cycling to lose 2 pounds of fat.
Assume that 2 pounds of the body is made of 7,800 calories, and for an hour, you will burn an average of 720 calories. Let’s do some math, and you will figure out that it takes 10.83 hours. Hence, to burn 2 pounds of fat in a week, you should ride around 1 hour 30 minutes every day.
What Speed Should Be Maintained?
It is recommended that you should vary your speed per minute when riding. Specifically, you can cycle faster for one minute and continuously ride at a slower pace for one minute later.
Make sure you maintain this speed during your cycling. Also, this way will make it more convenient even if you do cycling on traffic roads.
You can also measure your heartbeat to keep track of your speed throughout the session. The good figure is nearly 110 beats/minute for a slow pace and around 130 beats/minute for a faster ride. Checking your heartbeat regularly will be pretty hard and require more focus, but it can help to train your heart for cardio exercise.
Two or Three High-Intensity Sessions A Week
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions will help improve your cardio fitness and make most of your cycling sessions for burning calories. HIIT includes short rides of intense hits combined with intervals of less intense exercise.
To do that, you’ll need to paddle at 70 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate for 20-30 minutes. Then, you can ride at a moderate pace, and you repeat the session over and over again. This workout will reap the most extreme results of weight loss and higher efficiency.
The great effects still go on as HIIT helps your body continuously burn calories at a higher level even when you are finished cycling. It means that your metabolism still works when your body does nothing physically hard.
Try Cross-training
Cross-training allows you to do alternating workouts between your cycling sessions. So you don’t have to be tightened up with it only and get bored.
While pedaling makes your leg muscle strain, you can do some upper body sketching activities to balance heavy-muscle strain for your body.
For instance, you can try to lift weights in the gyms one day, and the next day, you can hit the road with your bike, in turn.
Other great options for your cross-training are yoga, pilates, swimming, which improve your flexibility. These will help to boost your muscle along with cycling, resulting in weight loss in less time.
Cycling Tips – Things Chubby Cyclists Should Know
To reap the ultimate benefit of biking and make it as a fun, healthy activity as possible, keep on reading my given tips:
Track Your Progress
Maybe weight loss and keeping fit is your main target so remember to record the journey’s progress.
It’s best if you measure your weight or body fat percentage once and at the same time every day. Once you get out of bed is the ideal time for you to keep track of your weight.
It is depressing and desperate when the results don’t work out as planned or scheduled. It’s just ups and downs as we all have bad and good days. So keep your biking journey diary to see how far you go and stay determined with your eventual goal.
Take Time to Recharge
Recovery can be a key to your long-term riding challenge. Keep yourself hydrated throughout the journey.
After riding, refuel yourself with carbohydrates and protein and keep everything, especially the food you eat, in moderation and control. Otherwise, you will be disappointed with your unchanged weight.
Recharge itself helps you heal and reserves energy for your next journey.
Wear Suitable Clothes
If clothes don’t make you feel comfortable and safe or even style, cycling can burden you. Let’s find yourself cozy and flexible for riding.
For example, you can put on some leggings, shorts with crop tops, and sports bras in the summer. You can wear a sweater and thick pants in winter. Or consider a pair of leg warmers for your riding in the winter season. Biking can be perfect if only you feel chill and confident.
Cycling With Companions
Cycling with a team pushes you to go further and keeps you stick with your schedule and commitment. You are less likely to quit when you have to ride with others and keep up with their speed. It will help you go through some bad days and get out to cycle together.
If you find it hard to find people to cycle with, you can use Facebook to connect people and become your cyclist friends. It can be more fun to enjoy the ride together!
FAQs
Can You Be Too Fat To Ride a Bike?
The answer depends on your weight. Most bikes can load people under 220 pounds. You may probably be too fat to ride a bike if you weigh higher than that. Yet the right bike and type designed for overweight cyclists can benefit you.
For example, e-bikes can hold up to more than 220 pounds. It can especially provide you with a larger space for your seat and a stable upright position when riding, bringing comfort to your body. This way, you may be quite overweight, but you still have a nice cycling time.
So don’t let the question: Can you be too fat to ride a bike? bothers you.
How Heavy Is Too Heavy For A Bicycle?
How heavy is too heavy for a bicycle? There should be no limit.
When it comes to significantly obsessed cyclists, the idea of getting a designed bike for heavier riders is obvious and straightforward.
Particularly, a person at 300 pounds can definitely ride a bike if they choose bikes from Firmstrong Bruiser Man Beach, which can have a maximum capacity of up to 350 pounds.
Likewise, you can choose the right bike in correspondence with your weight. So a plus-size rider can also hit the road and have fun with their journey. Hence, choosing a bike must be a careful decision for heavy cyclists.
What Is a Good Bicycle For An Overweight Person?
You can consider those features to buy a bike:
Wheel: Insult the manufacturer to advise what kind of wheels can support your weight. Wheel strength can help hold up your weight and make you ride more comfortably. Carefully check whether the two wheels are equal and even for going long and stable for a longer time.
Tire width: The wider the tire, the more flexible it will run. It’s also convenient for plus-size riders that can support with higher pressures. Buy yourself a pump at home to check your tires before hopping out on the bike every day.
You can take e-bikes into consideration if you are significantly overweight. It will have more maximum weight capacity, be more athletes and build up fitness workouts for your challenge.
Now you’ve got the answer to the question: What is a good bicycle for an overweight person?
Will I Lose Weight If I Start Cycling?
It’s a big Yes.
Cycling is assumed as a low cardio workout that can burn calories at a range of 400 to 750 calories an hour, resulting in weight loss and fat burn. Not to mention that it can improve your heart and lung health, prevent cardiovascular disease, and amazingly reduce your stress.
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Conclusion
It can be a struggle to answer how to start cycling when overweight. Yet, after reading my tips above, hopefully, it can enhance your motivation and give you some nice advice. And for that, you can give it a shot and get ready!
Will I lose weight if I start cycling? If you are planning on losing weight and keeping fit by riding, it is definitely an effective and practical goal.
Instantly keep disciplined and increase the intensity and duration of your cycling to achieve the best results. Finally, let off steam and immerse yourself into the journey!
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Jame K. Thomas
Hey guys, I am an avid cyclist who have raced competitively in the amateur ranks until my mid 30s. I love cycling because it offers both physical and mental challenges, as well as the sense of freedom that comes with riding outdoors. I have devoted myself to the communities and shared all that I know about this supper-duper lovely cycling. Hope that my experience in this blog could give you help.
