How to Lose Weight Cycling Indoors – Step By Step
What Supplements and Nutrition to Take to Quickly Lose Weight When Cycling Indoors
Using spin bikes to do your Indoor cycling is a great way to get rid of fat and lose weight, on its own. Not only that it burns a ton of calories (up to 600 per 45 minutes), it is also safe on the joints, as it is low-impact. Additionally, indoor cycling lets you watch your favorite TV shows or sports while exercising, which is excellent for motivation.
Still, the summer is fast approaching, and many people wonder how to speed up the fat loss process. This article will tell you what supplements and nutrition to use for losing weight before, during, and after indoor cycling exercise. Remember – it only starts with training. But, if you get it wrong with your food and supplementation, you won’t lose fat, and your effort will be wasted. To make sure that doesn’t happen, read the whole article.
First Thing First – Getting Your Calories In Check
Let’s get one thing straight – without a caloric deficit, you won’t lose any weight, period. In other words, to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. That won’t happen if you don’t get your nutrition in order, no matter how hard you exercise or how many supplements you take.
We have mentioned in the introduction how cycling can burn more than 600 calories per session, making it one of the most effective forms of cardio, as studies show. That means that it takes 45 minutes of hard effort to sweat out 600 calories.
One 50 gram candy bar contains around 250 calories. One 0.5l bottle of cola has about 220 calories. So, eat a candy bar and drink a bottle of cola after your workout, and you have negated 30 minutes of hard work!
Take A Smart, Gradual Approach
While it is obvious that you will need to eat less and exercise more to start losing weight, don’t take things to the extreme. Drastically cutting calories and starving yourself will get you nowhere long-term.
First, starving will get you demotivated fast. Before you know it, you won’t be able to resist the urge, and you will start binge eating, ruining your efforts. That will result in gaining all the weight back in no time, or, even worse, gaining even more weight than you previously had.
Even worse, cutting calories too drastically will cause muscle decay. The body will start burning muscle tissue if the calories are too scarce. That’s why it is imperative to weight train when trying to lose weight, but also to consume protein, which we will get to later.
Therefore don’t get impatient, and don’t get things too far before you even began. Take a moderate approach to keep the weight off for good. That will also make sure that most of the weight you lose is fat, not precious muscle.
What Supplements And Nutrition To Use For Losing Weight Before Indoor Cycling Exercise?
Light, Healthy Carbs: If you want to have an effective workout, you need to fuel your body before you start cycling. Trying to exercise on an empty stomach has a negative effect on performance for most people. Therefore, it is a good idea to eat a light meal 1-2 hours before your workout. Training hungry will make you quit before completing your session and will reduce your effort level.
The meal you choose should have enough carbs to fill up your glycogen reserves. This will help you push through those heavy uphill sessions on your indoor bike or the fastest songs in your spin class. Rice, bread, even light pasta are good options, and so are yogurt, bananas, porridge – anything light and filled with healthy carbs is good.
Improve Endurance with Supplements: As for the best supplements for cycling indoor to lose weight you want to take before your workouts, something like Legion Pulse Pre Workout drink might do the trick. It contains a mix of effective supplements such as caffeine, L-theanine for boosting energy, and also citrulline malate and beta-alanine to help muscle endurance.
But, if you want something old-school but proven to work in numerous studies and centuries of worldwide use, try caffeine pills. Caffeine is super effective but extremely affordable, as you can get 300 tablets for $10. Just make sure you don’t intake any caffeinated supplement or drink at least 6 hours before bedtime, as it can interfere with sleep.
What Supplements And Nutrition To Use For Losing Weight During Indoor Cycling Exercise?
Eating while cycling is not exactly convenient unless you prepare a smoothie or shake prior to your workout. If you want to do that, again, including some carbs is a good choice if you are going all-in. Bananas are also great, as they are easy to digest, and are sources of potassium, magnesium, and many vitamins, making them an excellent choice health-wise.
If you wonder what supplements to take with indoor cycling to lose weight, picking something caffeinated can boost performance. But, if you already took caffeine before your workout, try to stay off it Intra workout, as you will develop tolerance fast. Sports drinks like Gatorade can help you replenish energy, get back some lost electrolytes, and keep you going. Just make sure not to eat and drink too much during your workouts. You are trying to burn calories, not intake more.
What Supplements And Nutrition To Use For Losing Weight After Indoor Cycling Exercise?
After workouts, it is all about preserving muscle mass and refueling your body a bit. We have talked about how being in a caloric deficit makes muscle building very hard. Even worse, not using muscles and not eating enough protein can lead to muscle breakdown, which you want to avoid. You want to lose fat, not muscle.
Therefore, after your workouts, eat a protein-rich meal. Eggs, chicken breast, a can of tuna are all excellent choices (preferably tuna kept in the water instead of oil). Protein-rich foods like these will also keep you full for longer. And, protein-rich diets are shown to help fat loss efforts, as studies show.
But, if you struggle to eat enough protein through food, supplementing with protein powders such as Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey is a viable option. Quality whey protein powder will give your muscles the necessary amino acids without adding unnecessary calories from fat and carbs. If you are vegan, a plant-based protein blend such as Orgain Organic will do a great job too.
Conclusion
While focusing on finding the best supplements to take for cycling indoor to lose weight and optimizing your nutrition for your goals, make sure not to overdo it.
Remember, the whole goal is to stay in a slight caloric deficit. If you are not in a deficit, you won’t lose weight. But, if the deficit is too large, you will start losing muscle mass.
Therefore, make a sound plan that will take you to your goal gradually, and only then start thinking about what supplements and nutrition for losing weight before, during, and after indoor cycling exercise.
Fuel your body before and during workouts to have enough energy. Eat enough protein to preserve muscle mass. Do all of that while staying in a slight caloric deficit, and use supplements to help. If you manage to do that, you will reach your goals in no time at all, shedding down fat. Thanks for reading!
Sayed Hosseiny
Hi there, I'm Sayed Hamed Hosseiny, the founder and one of the authors at yourexercisebike.com (YEB). I am a former indoor cycling instructor and personal trainer with nearly 20 years of experience. With a passion for indoor cycling, I have spent years designing cycling parts, repairing, and importing exercise bikes. All the articles, tips, guides, reviews, and comparisons on YourExerciseBike.com (YEB) reflect my personal opinion and expertise in the field. I'm excited to share my knowledge with fellow exercise bike enthusiasts and help people find reliable indoor cycling information and the best exercise bike for their needs.
