Can You Lose Weight in Your Thighs on a Stationary Bike?

Frequently riding a stationary bike can help you lose weight, but no exercise has the capability of targeting where the weight will come off. As you do lower your fat, however, you will see noticeable changes throughout your entire body, including at your thighs. But don’t set the resistance too high on the stationary bike, because you can build muscles in your legs and cause your thighs to get thicker.

Aiming at the Thighs

Spot reducing, which means that you can specify where you’ll lose fat from, is a common myth perpetrated by exercise equipment advertisements. It’s not possible to lose fat on your stomach by doing crunches or to decrease excess fat on your thighs by riding a stationary bike. As your body loses weight, it decides where it will take the excess fat from. The American Council on Exercise adds that the body will often lose fat in problem areas last. However, as you lose overall fat, the entire body will decrease in size, including your thighs.

Burning Calories

Riding a stationary bike can be an efficient way to burn a high number of calories. According to HealthStatus.com, a person weighing 160 pounds will burn about 509 calories during a 60-minute moderate-intensity workout on a stationary bike and about 826 calories during a 60-minute stationary bike workout of vigorous intensity. A 200-pound person will burn about 636 calories during a 60-minute moderate-intensity stationary bike workout, and about 1,032 calories during a 60-minute vigorous-intensity workout.

Biking Away Fat

To lose a pound of fat, you’ve got to burn 3,500 more calories than you consume over a certain period of time. Therefore, as long as you simultaneously make responsible and healthy eating and drinking decisions, regularly riding a stationary bike can make a significant impact on your fat loss success. For example, the 160-pound person who burns about 509 calories during a 60-minute moderate-intensity workout can lose a pound of fat about every seven workouts. The 200-pound person who burns about 1,032 calories during a 60-minute vigorous-intensity stationary bike workout can lose a pound of fat about every four workouts.

Keep Resistance Low

If you’re worried about the size of your thighs, you may want to limit the resistance on the bike. According to certified strength and conditioning specialist William Sukala, riding a stationary bike at high workloads and at short durations stimulates an increase in leg muscle size. He recommends instead riding the bike at a moderate intensity for a longer time period.

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