What are the best recumbent bike workouts for beginners? And how do you plan and execute them to align with the main reasons why you want to get fit in the first place?

This is one of the most popular concerns among beginners who have just bought their first brand of recumbent or currently in the market for one.

Researching and getting the best bike model solves just half of the problem. Once assembled at home, you need to be able to leverage its benefits to strengthen your heart and achieve your fitness goals.

You can have the number one recumbent bike in the world at home. However, if you have no idea how to use it, your body will never experience the changes you require.

Preparation

It is important to prepare thoroughly before getting your first recumbent bike exercise. Without the proper planning, your efforts are going to be counterproductive even before you start.

The first point is to make sure the machine is properly assembled with all the necessary bolts and nuts tightened optimally. This prevents any squeaking sounds that can derail your efforts by serving as a distraction as you pedal with intensity.

The next step is to make sure you wear the right exercise clothes and shoes. These accessories can make exercise sessions convenient while preventing injuries commonly associated with baggy clothes and wearing the wrong shoes.

Know Your Heart Rate

Knowing your maximum heart rate is the key to achieving your most ardent goals as a beginner. A heart rate monitor can make this easier and fortunately, some of the mid-level to elite models comes with built-in heart monitors.

With your maximum heart rate in mind, you can plan workouts within specific heart rate zones to generate challenging exercises that can improve your cardio while boosting fitness.

There are loads of world-class heart rate monitors on the market and conducting detailed research could help uncover it.

Fortunately, there’s an alternative way to get an estimate of your Maximum Heart Rate without a heart rate monitor.

Formula

Your maximum heart rate can be estimated by using the formula: (220- your current age)

Hence if you are 30 years old right now, then your maximum heart rate is estimated at 220-30=190 beats per minute.

Weight Loss Recumbent Bike Workouts for Beginners

Losing weight is at the top of the list of reasons why many beginners opt for recumbent bike exercises. If your aim is to burn lots of fat at maximum rates, a steady state ride can be a great way to achieve that.

• As a beginner, riding at steady space at the least resistance for a moderate amount of time can be a great way to establish your baseline.
• You can start off by riding for 10-15 minutes at moderate space within low-level resistance.
• If you find that your sessions are too easy for you, you can bump up the time to say 20 minutes
• Once you have established yourself at the 20 minute mark, the next step is to bump up your speed and resistance
• If you are lucky to own a recumbent bike that features a fitness monitor, make a conscious effort to monitor your average speed and increase it. If your current speed is 15 miles per hour, take it to 16 miles per hour.
• Keep going at the new speed for at least 20 minutes a couple of times per week
• Over the next few weeks, you should get more comfortable at your current speed to the point where it starts feeling easier on the body. Once you notice that, increase the resistance by a level.
• As your stamina increases and you get fitter, try to strike a balance between speed and resistance so each exercise session can be more challenging on the body
• Maximum fat burn is achieved when you are able to work out within 75 percent of your Maximum Heart Rate so make sure you keep going until you get to that point.
• Once you build up your fitness to 20-30 minutes of riding at 75 percent of your Maximum Heart Rate, You’d notice unbelievable levels of fat burn.
• It is recommended that you workout 4-5 times per week in order to keep up the pace.

Cardio Recumbent Bike Workouts for Beginners

Undertaking the right cardiovascular workouts isn’t rocket science yet many beginners somehow find it impossible to do. It’s important to get it right from the start to prevent permanent discouragement and loss of motivation.

• Start slowly, avoid over-exerting the body in spite of how pumped up your adrenaline levels are
• Begin from the lowest level of resistance even if you think it’s too easy in order to prepare your muscles to make the necessary adjustments to get used to the pedaling recumbent bike motions
• If you are serious about building strength and taking fitness to whole new levels, it’s important to try to increase the length of workouts by 10 minutes every week or two
• Pedal the bike at the highest speed for 2 minutes and slow down for the next 2 minutes to rest and recover
• Increase your resistance over time as you continue to engage in high intensity biking sessions
• Once you have seen some improvements, try to increase your resistance by a level, further increasing it every couple of weeks as your current level becomes easier on the body.
• Once you have built up resistance to some level, you can engage in steady state sessions that work within 60-70 percent of your Maximum Heart Rate. This is known as the Fitness zone so working out 4-5 times within this zone can strengthen the heart and do wonders for your overall stamina.
• Make sure you stretch the body for at least 2 minutes after each session to prevent cramps.

Conclusion

The recumbent bike workout plans for beginners outlined above can transform your body even if you have never broken a sweat in your life. Depending on your goals for getting an exercise machine in the first place, you can switch between both exercise routines on a regular basis to get that body you have always dreamed about.