Bike Riding???

Question

Me and my sister, 16 and 12, want to ride our bikes to get in better shape. What kind of exercise does bike riding do??? And any other tips and info about bike riding would be helpful...

Answer 1

You'll mainly be working on Cardio/Aerobic improvement if you maintain a high BPM with low gears and spinning at high RPM. Use higher gears a lot though and you'll really be working on specific muscles in the thighs, the calves, lower back and butt - maintain a good RPM in higher gears and you'll improve on things like your lactate threshold.

Answer 2

Bike riding is generally an aerobic activity.  You can make it anaerobic by riding fast and hard and if you have a multi-speed bike using a higher than normal gear and stomping hard on the pedals.  Since most women don't want large muscular structure I would suggest riding at a moderate, steady pace and just concentrate on keeping your heart rate up.  Probably the best tool you can buy for getting and staying in shape is a heart rate monitor.  It is a better indicator of your progress than just speed or distance your able to ride.  Cheap ones are good enough and you can find them under $20