Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHealth BenefitsOutdoor vs. Indoor CyclingHow Often to CycleGetting Started
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Health Benefits
Outdoor vs. Indoor Cycling
How Often to Cycle
Getting Started
Cycling has many benefits. Whether riding a bike outdoors or using a stationary bike at home, the gym, or in a spin class, cycling has been shown to improve overall health, increase fitness, and provide lifestyle benefits such as reduced emissions when used as transportation.
Is Cycling Good Exercise?Cycling is good exercise. As an aerobic exercise, it increases your heart rate while you cycle and burns calories. Cycling at less than 10 miles per hour on a level surface is rated as a moderate-intensity physical activity, while cycling at 10 miles per hour or more is a vigorous-intensity physical activity.Cycling strengthens muscles and has proven health benefits such as decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Is Cycling Good Exercise?
Cycling is good exercise. As an aerobic exercise, it increases your heart rate while you cycle and burns calories. Cycling at less than 10 miles per hour on a level surface is rated as a moderate-intensity physical activity, while cycling at 10 miles per hour or more is a vigorous-intensity physical activity.Cycling strengthens muscles and has proven health benefits such as decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Cycling is good exercise. As an aerobic exercise, it increases your heart rate while you cycle and burns calories. Cycling at less than 10 miles per hour on a level surface is rated as a moderate-intensity physical activity, while cycling at 10 miles per hour or more is a vigorous-intensity physical activity.
Cycling strengthens muscles and has proven health benefits such as decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Exercise Bike vs. Treadmill: Which Is the Better Cardio Workout for You?
Health Benefits of Cycling
Incorporating physical activity like cycling into daily life has been shown to improve overall health.These benefits improve the heart, the joints, overall body composition, and mood, and can help prevent and control some diseases.
1. Cardiovascular Benefits
Cycling canlower blood pressure, improveresting heart rate, and reduce the risk ofcoronary heart disease. One study found that people who cycle had a lower risk of heart attack.
2. Joint Health
Cycling is a low-impact activity that is easy on the joints. It is often used inphysical therapyto help restore mobility and range of motion without having to bear weight (such as in walking or running) on the joints.
A 2024 study showed that people withosteoarthritis(common wear-and-tear arthritis) who bike as a means of physical activity had less knee pain than people who didn’t cycle.
3. Weight Management
People who bike regularly were found to have healthybody compositionand less incidence of obesity.Body composition is the distribution of fat, muscle, bone, and other tissues in a person’s body.
4. Improved Mood
In general, physical activity like cycling can have positive effects on mental health. People who regularly engage in physical activity havedecreased depressionand anxiety, experience better sleep, and notice improvements in mood and quality of life than those who don’t exercise.Getting out in nature on a bike can help brighten your day.
5. Prevention of Diabetes
By improving overall health and helping people maintain a healthy weight, cycling can help preventtype 2 diabetes. A study showed that people who used cycling as a means of transportation or who biked for fun or exercise had a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to people who didn’t cycle.
6. Lifestyle Benefits
Although cycling has many health and fitness benefits, it isn’t just a form of exercise. Biking can also be forms of recreation and transportation, which come with added benefits.
Cycling can be a great way for families to enjoy time together while meeting recommended daily physical activity guidelines. Parents looking to encourage their children to be more active might find that biking is a fun activity that the whole family can enjoy.
Cycling for transportation has benefits, too. People who commute to work via bike can save on transportation expenses.
7. Fitness Benefits
As a low-impact activity that increases muscle strength and improves cardiovascular fitness, cycling can help people meet the recommended guidelines for weekly physical activity for overall fitness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week for overall health.Moderate-intensity activity means your heart and breathing rates increase, but you can still carry on a conversation.
Biking at a casual pace three times a week for 50 minutes allows you to meet the recommended guidelines for activity. This can be done on a stationary bike at home or at the gym or in ways other than purely for exercise. Using a bike for transportation is an easy way to help you meet fitness guidelines.
Biking also helps increase the strength of thequadriceps muscles(muscles at the front of the thighs) and other leg muscles. Strengthening these muscles can help with balance, daily activities such as walking up and down stairs, and other physical activities.
Muscle mass is also an important part of healthy aging. As people age,muscle mass decreases. Cycling is one way that older adults can maintain their muscle mass.
Riding a bike improves heart health. People who exercise regularly have been shown to have lower blood pressure and a lower resting heart rate than inactive people.
Both outdoor and indoor cycling have health, fitness, and lifestyle benefits. Depending on preference and goals, one might be more suitable for daily life than the other.
Outdoor cycling can be used for commuting, taking long scenic or endurance rides, or as a social activity. Outdoor cycling races and group rides are also also available.
For people who need to schedule their workouts or who live in areas where outdoor cycling isn’t ideal, indoor cycling in fitness centers or at home could be a better fit. Indoor cycling can also make it easier to increase the intensity of the exercise—allowing people to achieve a more vigorous workout without having to find hills or race through traffic.
While both have costs, using outdoor cycling for transportation may reduce some transportation expenses.
Who Might Avoid Cycling?Since cycling can be done outdoors or indoors on stationary bikes, most people can cycle. However, people prone to falls should avoid outdoor cycling and may need a recumbent bike instead of an upright one.A recumbent bike has a seat low to the ground and the rider in a reclined position, with pedals closer to the front of the bike.
Who Might Avoid Cycling?
Since cycling can be done outdoors or indoors on stationary bikes, most people can cycle. However, people prone to falls should avoid outdoor cycling and may need a recumbent bike instead of an upright one.A recumbent bike has a seat low to the ground and the rider in a reclined position, with pedals closer to the front of the bike.
How Often Should You Cycle?
If cycling is your main form of weekly physical activity, you should aim for at least 150 minutes a week of cycling to meet physical activity guidelines.This can be broken down in various ways.
For example, you might take a 50-minute spin class three times a week or bike to work up to five days a week.
If you are new to cycling, you might find that starting with 10 minutes a day is enough. As with most exercises, starting slow and increasing time and intensity may help you stick with a program. Increase your cycling time incrementally until you are meeting your weekly goal.
For people who already achieve the physical activity guidelines, cycling might simply be an extra activity you do to add variety, increase mood, or lower stress.
Before You Get StartedIf you are new to exercise, have a chronic health condition, or are recovering from an injury or surgery, talk to a healthcare provider about precautions and advice for getting started cycling.
Before You Get Started
If you are new to exercise, have a chronic health condition, or are recovering from an injury or surgery, talk to a healthcare provider about precautions and advice for getting started cycling.
How Can You Get Started Cycling?
To get started cycling all you need is a bike. The type of bike depends on whether you plan on biking indoors or outdoors.
Take a short ride and see how you feel. If you love it, you might decide to invest in a road bike for commuting or longer rides.
For those opting to cycle indoors, you can sign up for a spin class or hop on a stationary bike at the gym. Many stationary bikes have computers that will guide you through a ride, helping you to get the most physical benefits.
Stationary at-home bikes can also be a great place to start. Bikes such as the Peloton come with computer monitors on which you can access live and recorded spin classes.
A Word From VerywellThere are various bike options available, and one may be more suitable for your individual needs and abilities. Your healthcare provider may also recommend specific adjustments to your bike to enhance your overall workout and reduce the risk of injury.—AMY KWAN, DPT, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
There are various bike options available, and one may be more suitable for your individual needs and abilities. Your healthcare provider may also recommend specific adjustments to your bike to enhance your overall workout and reduce the risk of injury.—AMY KWAN, DPT, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
There are various bike options available, and one may be more suitable for your individual needs and abilities. Your healthcare provider may also recommend specific adjustments to your bike to enhance your overall workout and reduce the risk of injury.
—AMY KWAN, DPT, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Summary
Cycling has fitness, health, and lifestyle benefits. These benefits include increased cardiovascular health and muscle strength, reduced risk of diabetes, weight management, improved joint health, better mood, and reduced transportation costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
Indoor and outdoor cycling both have benefits, but depending on your lifestyle, one might be more accessible than the other. People with tight schedules might find that attending a spin class suits them best, while others might choose to commute via bike.
Regardless of whether you choose indoor or outdoor biking, aim for at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week. These minutes can be achieved in many ways.
To get started cycling, all you need is a bike. Whether it’s a beach cruiser, a road bike, or a stationary bike, all will do—what matters most is that you start pedaling.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Logan G, Somers C, Baker G, et al.Benefits, risks, barriers, and facilitators to cycling: a narrative review.Front Sports Act Living. 2023;5:1168357. doi:10.3389/fspor.2023.1168357Department of Health and Human Services.Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. 2018.Green S, Sakuls P, Levitt S.Cycling for health: Improving health and mitigating the climate crisis.Can Fam Physician. 2021;67(10):739-742. doi:10.46747/cfp.6710739Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Physical activity and your weight and health. December 27, 2023.Yum H, Kim H, Lee T, Park MS, Lee SY.Cycling kinematics in healthy adults for musculoskeletal rehabilitation guidance.BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2021;22(1):1044. doi:10.1186/s12891-021-04905-2Lo GH, Richard MJ, Kriska AM, et al.Bicycling over a lifetime is associated with less symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024 Apr 11. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003449Mahindru A, Patil P, Agrawal V.Role of physical activity on mental health and well-being: a review.Cureus. 2023;15(1):e33475. doi:10.7759/cureus.33475Rasmussen MG, Grøntved A, Blond K, et al.Associations between recreational and commuter cycling, changes in cycling, and type 2 diabetes risk: a cohort study of Danish men and women.PLoS Med. 2016;13(7):e1002076. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002076Naruse M, Vincenty CS, Konopka AR, Trappe SW, Harber MP, Trappe TA.Cycle exercise training and muscle mass: a preliminary investigation of 17 lower limb muscles in older men.Physiol Rep. 2023;11(16):e15781. doi:10.14814/phy2.15781Chavarrias M, Carlos-Vivas J, Collado-Mateo D, Pérez-Gómez J.Health benefits of indoor cycling: a systematic review.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(8):452. doi:10.3390/medicina55080452Ikpeze TC, Glaun G, McCalla D, Elfar JC.Geriatric cyclists: assessing risks, safety, and benefits.Geriatr Orthop Surg Rehabil. 2018;9:2151458517748742. doi:10.1177/2151458517748742
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Logan G, Somers C, Baker G, et al.Benefits, risks, barriers, and facilitators to cycling: a narrative review.Front Sports Act Living. 2023;5:1168357. doi:10.3389/fspor.2023.1168357Department of Health and Human Services.Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. 2018.Green S, Sakuls P, Levitt S.Cycling for health: Improving health and mitigating the climate crisis.Can Fam Physician. 2021;67(10):739-742. doi:10.46747/cfp.6710739Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Physical activity and your weight and health. December 27, 2023.Yum H, Kim H, Lee T, Park MS, Lee SY.Cycling kinematics in healthy adults for musculoskeletal rehabilitation guidance.BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2021;22(1):1044. doi:10.1186/s12891-021-04905-2Lo GH, Richard MJ, Kriska AM, et al.Bicycling over a lifetime is associated with less symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024 Apr 11. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003449Mahindru A, Patil P, Agrawal V.Role of physical activity on mental health and well-being: a review.Cureus. 2023;15(1):e33475. doi:10.7759/cureus.33475Rasmussen MG, Grøntved A, Blond K, et al.Associations between recreational and commuter cycling, changes in cycling, and type 2 diabetes risk: a cohort study of Danish men and women.PLoS Med. 2016;13(7):e1002076. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002076Naruse M, Vincenty CS, Konopka AR, Trappe SW, Harber MP, Trappe TA.Cycle exercise training and muscle mass: a preliminary investigation of 17 lower limb muscles in older men.Physiol Rep. 2023;11(16):e15781. doi:10.14814/phy2.15781Chavarrias M, Carlos-Vivas J, Collado-Mateo D, Pérez-Gómez J.Health benefits of indoor cycling: a systematic review.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(8):452. doi:10.3390/medicina55080452Ikpeze TC, Glaun G, McCalla D, Elfar JC.Geriatric cyclists: assessing risks, safety, and benefits.Geriatr Orthop Surg Rehabil. 2018;9:2151458517748742. doi:10.1177/2151458517748742
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Logan G, Somers C, Baker G, et al.Benefits, risks, barriers, and facilitators to cycling: a narrative review.Front Sports Act Living. 2023;5:1168357. doi:10.3389/fspor.2023.1168357Department of Health and Human Services.Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. 2018.Green S, Sakuls P, Levitt S.Cycling for health: Improving health and mitigating the climate crisis.Can Fam Physician. 2021;67(10):739-742. doi:10.46747/cfp.6710739Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Physical activity and your weight and health. December 27, 2023.Yum H, Kim H, Lee T, Park MS, Lee SY.Cycling kinematics in healthy adults for musculoskeletal rehabilitation guidance.BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2021;22(1):1044. doi:10.1186/s12891-021-04905-2Lo GH, Richard MJ, Kriska AM, et al.Bicycling over a lifetime is associated with less symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024 Apr 11. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003449Mahindru A, Patil P, Agrawal V.Role of physical activity on mental health and well-being: a review.Cureus. 2023;15(1):e33475. doi:10.7759/cureus.33475Rasmussen MG, Grøntved A, Blond K, et al.Associations between recreational and commuter cycling, changes in cycling, and type 2 diabetes risk: a cohort study of Danish men and women.PLoS Med. 2016;13(7):e1002076. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002076Naruse M, Vincenty CS, Konopka AR, Trappe SW, Harber MP, Trappe TA.Cycle exercise training and muscle mass: a preliminary investigation of 17 lower limb muscles in older men.Physiol Rep. 2023;11(16):e15781. doi:10.14814/phy2.15781Chavarrias M, Carlos-Vivas J, Collado-Mateo D, Pérez-Gómez J.Health benefits of indoor cycling: a systematic review.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(8):452. doi:10.3390/medicina55080452Ikpeze TC, Glaun G, McCalla D, Elfar JC.Geriatric cyclists: assessing risks, safety, and benefits.Geriatr Orthop Surg Rehabil. 2018;9:2151458517748742. doi:10.1177/2151458517748742
Logan G, Somers C, Baker G, et al.Benefits, risks, barriers, and facilitators to cycling: a narrative review.Front Sports Act Living. 2023;5:1168357. doi:10.3389/fspor.2023.1168357
Department of Health and Human Services.Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. 2018.
Green S, Sakuls P, Levitt S.Cycling for health: Improving health and mitigating the climate crisis.Can Fam Physician. 2021;67(10):739-742. doi:10.46747/cfp.6710739
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Physical activity and your weight and health. December 27, 2023.
Yum H, Kim H, Lee T, Park MS, Lee SY.Cycling kinematics in healthy adults for musculoskeletal rehabilitation guidance.BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2021;22(1):1044. doi:10.1186/s12891-021-04905-2
Lo GH, Richard MJ, Kriska AM, et al.Bicycling over a lifetime is associated with less symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024 Apr 11. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003449
Mahindru A, Patil P, Agrawal V.Role of physical activity on mental health and well-being: a review.Cureus. 2023;15(1):e33475. doi:10.7759/cureus.33475
Rasmussen MG, Grøntved A, Blond K, et al.Associations between recreational and commuter cycling, changes in cycling, and type 2 diabetes risk: a cohort study of Danish men and women.PLoS Med. 2016;13(7):e1002076. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002076
Naruse M, Vincenty CS, Konopka AR, Trappe SW, Harber MP, Trappe TA.Cycle exercise training and muscle mass: a preliminary investigation of 17 lower limb muscles in older men.Physiol Rep. 2023;11(16):e15781. doi:10.14814/phy2.15781
Chavarrias M, Carlos-Vivas J, Collado-Mateo D, Pérez-Gómez J.Health benefits of indoor cycling: a systematic review.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(8):452. doi:10.3390/medicina55080452
Ikpeze TC, Glaun G, McCalla D, Elfar JC.Geriatric cyclists: assessing risks, safety, and benefits.Geriatr Orthop Surg Rehabil. 2018;9:2151458517748742. doi:10.1177/2151458517748742
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