Training & Nutrition - Stationary bike.....what should I know?

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA
anna1968
12-18-05, 05:01 PM
I just purchased an indoor stationary bike to use during the winter months. Can anyone tell me what I should be shooting for as far as RPM, mph, pace, etc.? I felt like I got a good workout when I rode it the first time for 37 minutes and rode over 11 miles and burned 425 calories at a resistance level of 4 on a scale of 1-10. What else do I need to know? Thanks in advance for your helpful responses!

Az B
12-19-05, 06:03 AM
Riding an indoor trainer is different from riding outdoors, the time and distance aren't really the same.

I prefer to use a heart rate monitor for indoor training. There are several training programs that are based around heart rate zones.

Az
CdCf
12-19-05, 07:36 AM
Keep your RPM up (aim for at least 80+) and use a heart rate monitor to judge effort.
Speed, distance and such have nothing to do with reality on a stationary trainer, so ignore those.
If you have the same HR indoors as outdoors on a typical ride, then you're getting roughly the same benefits. I'd probably get a nice big cooling fan to place in front of me as well.