Lack of movement and physical activity is a problem faced by almost all residents of large cities. And to solve this problem on their own is often very difficult, and sometimes even impossible. Fortunately, today more and more people want to lead a healthy lifestyle – eat right, get rid of bad habits and, of course, go to the gym.

Quite a while ago even the most modern sports complexes offered a very limited choice of workout routines. Well now anyone who decides to get in shape, can choose a suitable type of training: fitness, shaping, aqua-aerobics, tabata, tayfit, zumba, etc.

A few years ago another very effective direction appeared – cycling, or, in other words, cycle training. And it is about it we will tell in more detail in this article.

What is cycling?

Cycling is a high-intensity interval training, which is carried out under the strict supervision of specially trained instructors on special bicycle simulators of the block type.

In order to motivate and encourage riders, inflammatory music is played during the class, and a big monitor displays images of different bike routes or an interesting film (usually with sport themes).

Training on a cycling track is popular with all categories of people – those who want to improve their figure, those who want to lose weight, and people who simply prefer to lead an active lifestyle, thereby maintaining their health.

History

For the first time classes of this kind began back in the 80s of XX century, Philip Mills – known throughout the world as a fitness trainer, who together with his wife Jackie has developed several programs for highly effective fitness training. The essence of the method consisted in the competent combination of work on the exercise bike with a variety of gymnastic and choreographic movements.

Following him, in the 1990s, American cyclist John Goldberg, who was also a fitness enthusiast, designed a stationary bike for himself that was somewhat different from the usual exercise bike, but ideal for active sports at home. In addition, Goldberg also designed a special training program that was not limited to just pedaling, but was almost a complete simulation of a real cycling race, involving all his muscle groups.

Despite the fact that cycling is a relatively young movement in fitness, in a fairly short time it has managed to gain a lot of fans, and now saikele training is offered at sports centers all over the country.

 

Benefits of Cycle Training

Most often physical activity is regarded as a way to quickly lose excess weight and form a beautiful slender figure. Cycling is undoubtedly effective in solving these problems. But on top of everything else, cycling exercises have other benefits:

– Regularly engaged in cycling, you are unlikely to get a rapid decrease in overall body weight. The fact is that cylinder training helps to tone muscle tissue, which, in turn, causes an increase in muscle mass. But do not be afraid that you will look like an over-inflated self-taught bodybuilder – the muscles are simply strengthened and become more dense, but they do not increase in volume. The result: total body mass stands still and fat mass is reduced.

– Due to the high intensity of training, during which the heart rate is literally off the scale or is for a long time at a critical level, there is an active saturation with oxygen of all organs and tissues and acceleration of metabolism. It is thanks to this that a rapid breakdown of fat cells becomes possible.

– Many skeptical critics say that cycling only helps strengthen the leg and gluteal muscles, and the rest of the upper body is left behind. In fact, this is a myth. It’s not just a stationary bike workout, it’s a carefully designed workout that works all the muscles including your arms, back, chest, and abs.

– Cycling provides an excellent cardio load. Thanks to this normalizes the work of the respiratory system and heart, and strengthen blood vessels. The result: reduced risk of heart disease, normalization of blood pressure, increased overall stamina.

– In contrast to other aerobic workouts such as fitness, running, athletics, and strength training, cycling does not put increased stress on the joints and spine.

– There is no age restriction as such for cycling workouts – this kind of fitness can be practiced by both teenagers and the elderly. The main thing is to strictly follow the doctor’s recommendations and strictly follow the trainer’s instructions. It is also not superfluous to pass a full medical examination before signing up for a cylcling session.

– Great news for those who do not have a lot of free time – cycling workouts last from 40 minutes to 1 hour on average. In addition, the experts do not recommend more than two or three workouts a week. By the way, this time is quite enough for you to get your body in shape.

– Intense cycling workouts are held with cheerful incendiary music, so during the class you not only tone muscles, getting rid of excess calories, but also get a surge of positive emotions, which significantly reduces stress, helps to distract from everyday problems and gives you a good mood for a long time.

For those who keep a strict calorie count, we say that you can easily get rid of 700 calories in 45 minutes of intensive cycling training. At the same time, if you increase the training time to 1 hour, you will lose at least 1,000 calories in one session.