I've never been one to sit inside and lift weights, always opting for Mt. Biking, climbing, skiing, etc...(having wrestled in highschool and college, I'm pretty sick of being indoors).

That said, when my wife and I found out we were to be parents I put my health on the backshelf and spent my day worrying over financial matters instead. I put on about 30 lbs and was, for the first time in my life, what I would call overweight.

I started commuting again and it all came right off. I do about 35 miles per day, and always do crunches and pushups, too. I try to get 200 pushups a day in, and 200 crunches, but I'm almost always below that mark.

If I were doing your commute I would make sure to either do long weekend rides or a couple long rides during the week before or after work and call it good.

I don't like lifting weights, don't think it's necessary, and neither did Hershel Walker!

I was bike commuting for a while, then switched to gym-time (free at work) for about a year to support a co-worker. Having done both, I've dropped far more weight commuting by bicycle (average maybe 5-6 hours a week) than I did spending 5 hours a week in the gym. I (5'10") went from 185 to almost 140 (probably underweight), then I got married and I've rebounded to about 160. But my wife also noted the other day that I have more muscle then I did when we got married.

And riding outside is 97 times more fun than sweating profusely in a warm gym in front of CNN (or your electronic addiction of choice).

Going to the gym might make you healthy, but riding to work can change your life.

I dropped about 35 lbs riding (not because of commuting) last year and also because of dieting... I am in the same boat as you... I am thinking about dropping the gym membership because I am tired of weight training (I did that off and on for about 20 years...) and I don't like stationary machines (boooorrrrring).
I think that once I am in the groove commuting that I will drop the gym and continue to do it during the winter...

Be careful... my riding has rendered some of my jeans unwearable. I can't get into them because of my massive hams. I can motor on the flats at 20 MPH with loaded panniers, but sometimes if I get jeans to fit my waist... they often won't go up over my quads. I have to use care to get jeans that fit both my waist and my thighs.

But it's a good problem to have. Some people can't wear jeans because their belly pushes them down!

I started out at 5'9", 235 pounds. I have a desk job and I'm a couch potato by nature. I used to use the upperstairs bathroom to get extra exercise. After I started biking last May I got down to 195 and have kept it off through the winter.

Weight loos is all about calorie imbalance. If you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. Some people's bodies seem to burn calories better than others. One thing you can do about that is add muscle. Muscle burns more calories when you're sitting around watching TV than fat does -- really.

So I've been going to the gym regularly. I mostly do upper body and core work. I do leg curls because it helps with biking, but biking won't build those muscles. Same thing with core (abs, back, etc.).

I've also been trying to work in more flexibility/stretching stuff because it helps prevent injuries when you crash on the bike.

My favorite thing about getting around by bicycle, besides just getting to ride a bicycle everywhere, is that I can eat whatever I want, pretty much, and never need to worry about gaining weight. Dinner at a pub with two or three beers is really not an issue.

If you stop commuting during the winter you'll want to supplement your riding with something else, but if you live somewhere that doesn't have much snow or ice you can pretty much ride all year round.

It also helps if you push yourself when commuting (when it's safe, of course) so that you're right at your aerobic limit most of the ride to and from work. That way you don't just get some exercise everyday, you get some really good, intense exercise.

lol

My muscles shrink and tone. I have yet to have that issue.

I can motor on the flats with a heavy mtb with knobbies carrying a loaded messenger bag in the low 20s. Now that is a workout!

That is exactly right!! Can I use that saying?

Going to the gym was a dull chore for me, and I forgot about each workout as soon as I walked out the door. But increasing my cycling through commuting has ramifications that reverberate throughout other areas of my life. I am happier, more fit, and more disciplined than I have ever been.

I'm a freak. It doesn't matter how much I ride, my weight stays about the same. I rode 7,000 miles last year and didn't lose a pound. In fact, I've ridden over 50,000 miles the past 8 years and I weigh about the same as when I started to ride again. ... So, obviously, I am not the right person to answer this question.

This is a good thread. I have been commuting at least 6 months per year since the late 80s. I usually lose about 5 pounds when I first start riding to work every spring but I quickly gain it back. I asked my doctor why I wasn't losing weight this way and he said - simple - you're eating more when you ride. I protested this wasn't true but by carefully recording everything i gavoon during the day (fit day makes this easy) sure enough I became a voracious piggie when I upped my activity level.

My big problem (besides being a glutton) is that my route is basically urban stop and go. If it wasn't for the one bridge I cross twice a day I'd never break a sweat. I still prefer the bike to the subway (And it's unquestionably healthier, providing I don't breathe in too much carbon monoxide exhaust or get flattened by a truck), but if I want to lose weight I need to either do long rides on the weekends (as in 3 hours or more) or add in other aerobics (jogging, treadmill, etc.)


To the OP - you may want to invest in a HR monitor and see how many calories you are burning; most decent models tell you what % of that is fat, etc. (We use the Cat Eye HR-10; Very reasonably priced, easy to use and helpful training aid) My commute is 6 miles each way; unless you are really spinning away uninterrupted for the majority of your 10 miles/day, I doubt you'll lose a lot of weight. Bicycles are just too darn efficient!

I'd say: Keep the Gym membership; ride to work when you can/want to, use the gym for light weights and strength training and for cardio when you're not on the bike. I'll bet you will quickly get into the best shape of your life!

Have fun!

12 miles a day is a pretty healthy distance, I would keep the gym membership for now though. You will know after about 2-3 months if its worth tossing. You will need to combine riding with good nutrition though if you are like me. The more sedentary your life WAS before commuting, the harder you are going to have to work, and may need a gym membership still.

Good luck!

I've dropped from 215 to 165 in the last year and half doing weights and elliptical.

However I've been stalled at 165 and I've decided to start commuting to work. It's a 10 mile ride one way so I think that will burn off any extra fat I have. Plus I'll save gas.

i dropped 20lbs from 200 to 180 without trying. I seem pretty stable at that weight as long as i keep cycling. I'm thinking about dropping another 10 or so but that will require passing up on the donuts... hmmm tough call.

I have found riding by itself will only get you to a point. I suggest the gym and bike. I ride to the gym so the cardio is out of the way and I am warmed up when I get there. Its funny how many weird looks you get when you ride to the gym. I don't understand why either.

I try to bike to work (been difficult this past week with distant mid-day obligations) and it's only about 3.5 miles each way. Over lunch I lift weights at the gym nearby and usually go for a ride/run with my dog after work. Since I started for this season about a month ago, I have lost zero weight at all. My opinion is that none of this really matters. As long as you feel healthy and your ass can fit comfortably in an airplane, I don't think you have anything to worry about. If you can drop the membership, do it. I like lifting a lot, but if I didn't, you couldn't find me anywhere near a gym. As some people have said, you don't need weights to get a good, well rounded workout. There some great programs around that require little to no equipment to do. Additionally there are a lot of more fun ways to work out. Unless you actually enjoy the gym (like me) then do something that makes you happy like basketball, climbing, ultimate frisbee or anything at all. Life is way too short to worry about tight jeans.

I suppose it's signature-worthy. Sure! Maybe a little melodramatic, but this thread caused me to do a little thinking. In 2000, when I started riding to work (3 miles by bike and 4 more by light rail one-way), it was to save wear-and tear on my beat-up '89 Civic and for my health (being a sysadmin is bad on the waist). Since then, I've bought a new car and then sold it because I didn't use it anymore. Cycling has caused me to question a lot of things, and probably made me into a shameless environmentalist. I don't even have a TV anymore! All that because of a $400 mountain bike I bought in 2000.

But the gym... bleh. Warm room, hot people, nasty equipment, and no breeze!

Hi Nikirtehsuxlol. It depends on your goal but really if you want to lose weight you need to change your diet and keep the gym membership. I know me personally I work out a lot harder when people are around. Just as an example I was working back the other day at the gym. My back muscles (lats) are still sore partly because I really was cranking it with people around me and partly because a trainer there jumped in and spotted me at the end of a couple of sets.

Sometimes I will work out at home (with my weight set) or go to the apartment gym (small stripped down version of a real gym). Other days I bike the 5 miles each way to the church gym, workout, and bike home. Those are the days I usually feel the best because [A] I biked AND worked out in the gym and [B] I worked out hard because it wasn't just me in my house

In my case my ultimate goal is to do a minimum of one physical activity a day, and having options keeps it fun. I have been meaning to add going to the university pool to my regimen (its like a buck a day to get in) but just haven't gotten around to it yet.

If you want to do some physical activities at home but don't have any weights etc I would like to recommend researching video sites on the net. For example try this ab workout this lady does its killer (in a good way) the first time you do it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq2-Krn0K6c

Its all about balance between nutrition and training. I wouldn't get rid of the gym membership because resistance training is needed if you want to tone/lose weight/bulk. Depends on your goals and how strong you are, if your looking at light weights with higher reps then maybe you could buy your own and do it at home. Otherwise go to the gym.

I've got a 16 mile RT = 80 mile/week and yes, I lost weight. In fact, I'm losing again since I got my new bike and am riding harder now. I dropped my gym membership a year ago b/c it wasn't necessary. But, I do pushups of several sorts to keep arms toned, core strength exercises and go to yoga a minimum of 2x per week. But I'm not skinny, just muscular and fit and feel great.

People driving to the gym is one of the stragest symptoms of modern civilization's insanity -- doubly strange when they're going there to use the stationary bikes.

Riding 10 miles twice a day will burn about 1000 calories a day, depending on how hard you push yourself. If you don't change your eating habits (and keep doing whatever other exercise you've been doing), you'd lose about 2.5 pounds per week. But if you don't change your eating habits, you'll be hungry a lot and will probably feel weak when you ride. At least, that's been my experience.

I don't ever do any cardio in the gym. Riding takes care of all that, and if for some reason I'm not riding, I go swimming (I have a great swimming pool right across the road).

I do go to the gym though. It's mostly for strength workouts, and, for the last few months for rehab exercises. I find that I'm more focussed on the exercises at the gym; they can be done anywhere, but I tend to get distracted if I do them at home. As for going to the gym and lifting weights... I DO need that, unless I find some sport that helps one build upper body strength and endurance. Cycling does nothing to upper body, and before I started strength workouts at the gym I couldn't do one single lousy push-up. Not that I ever need to do push-ups... I just wanted to be stronger. If you don't, you can definitely ditch the gym and get your cardio workout through cycling.

I have come to the same conclusion. My legs are nice and toned. Even after the accident. However, my upper body is....... bleh.
Core workouts help one while riding. Plus, with the way I am built, I will never have to worry about excess upper body muscle. Just having biceps and a toned upper body balances the whole thing out.
Looking better in a jersey is also nice.

Our office's new building has a gym of some sort. Being free I sure hope it has some decent weight training equipment but I doubt it. It may be time to join the local gym.

Squash, tennis? They work pretty good. I play tennis in the summer, squash in the winter. At the moment though i've got no one to play tennis with and i dont feel like paying $70 for membership at a club, although there is one 5 minutes from me. But i will be moving to a different place so maybe that's why im waiting. I tried the gym and lasted one day, never went back.

I've been commuting (about 50 miles per week) for about 3 years. I thought I'd lose weight (I'm packing about 30 extra lbs), but I never did. I finally faced up to the fact that I just eat too damn much food. So, two weeks ago I signed up for Weight Watchers Online (I was familiar with the program from several years ago). I've lost about 5 lbs so far.

So to answer your question (in a way), Weight Watchers allows me 26 "points" per day (food is assigned points based on calories, fat, and fiber). My daily commute (18 miles RT, ~90 minutes) earns me an extra 6 points in food allowance. 6 points is approximately 1 medium slice of pizza, or a turkey sandwich.

In other words, commuting will help you lose weight, as long as you go easy on the cake.