No pain = no gain? How do I know I'm actually getting a workout?

December 26, 2020 3:16 PM

Recently I got a cheap stationary bike for my home, and I ride 15-20 miles every day. I check my heart rate (elevated to 140-150 bpm), get sweaty, and then...feel nothing afterward. No fatigue, no muscle soreness, nothing like when I was training for competitive running and would come in from some workouts feeling absolutely flattened. So how do I know if riding this bike at home will help me reach my goals?

The current goals are weight loss and gaining strength so that I can start to run again soon. So far I haven't seen any changes in those areas. What should I watch for? And how could I make a cheap stationary bike from Amazon into something that will give me a more substantial workout? I can't "climb" on it or do Peloton workouts, and it feels like the only muscles being worked are my quads. Is this...okay?

posted by knotty knots to Health & Fitness (15 answers total)

Why do you say you can’t do Peloton workouts? Can you tell us what bike you have and why you think you can’t? Because I have a cheap bike and do Peloton classes on it and feel flattened afterward and have seen big changes in my body and in my ability.
posted by HotToddy at 3:57 PM on December 26, 2020

Maybe you aren’t experiencing sufficient resistance. Can you adjust a magnetic field or a damper to generate more watts? If not, maybe you need a better bike.
posted by oceanjesse at 4:10 PM on December 26, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I say the Peloton workouts are out of reach because the structure of the bike seems different? This is the one I currently have, and it doesn't seem like I can safely stand up on the pedals the way you could on a Peloton. But I am interested if some of the classes might be possible for this setup.
posted by knotty knots at 4:29 PM on December 26, 2020

I only do power zone training, but I ignore 100% of the asks to come out of the saddle during my Peloton workouts. It is less efficient and the only real benefit is a short break for your sitz bones.
posted by sideshow at 4:46 PM on December 26, 2020

Oh I see. Yeah, your bike is not optimal for that type of workout but, you know, standing up is always optional. If the bike is okay ergonomically and you can get enough resistance on it, there's no reason you can't do Peloton classes on it. There's a free 30-day trial so you've got nothing to lose. Can you afford to buy a cadence sensor (about $40)? That would make it a lot easier to do that type of class.
posted by HotToddy at 4:47 PM on December 26, 2020

It is less efficient and the only real benefit is a short break for your sitz bones.

I'm not a sports physio, but my understanding is that that's not true, standing pedaling uses some different muscles, or the same muscles in different proportions. Point being: it makes a difference, musclewise.

I was training for competitive running and would come in from some workouts feeling absolutely flattened

This can be a symptom of overtraining. There's nothing wrong with not being exhausted after exercising, nor in lacking soreness the next day.
posted by rhizome at 5:09 PM on December 26, 2020 [6 favorites]

Steady state cardio, which is what it sounds like you are doing is likely doing you some good. Once your body gets used to that though, you probably won't feel flattened by it.

If you want to see changes in your body, I think you need to mix it up and keep throwing new things at it so that it's forced to adapt. Try some longer rides at a lower heart rate, some rides with lower cadence/higher resistance, some HIIT rides. Some walks (which are probably better if running is going to be your long term goal anyway).
posted by willnot at 5:17 PM on December 26, 2020 [2 favorites]

I wonder how you'd feel with 15-20 actual miles on an actual bike. Try that when you can, and then you'll see what it means when that bike says you've nominally traveled 18 miles.

There's lots of good points above but I just wanted to mention that you can simply ride more, and see how that feels. It's entirely possible that your setup calls it 15 miles when it's more like what you'd feel after 5 in the real word. Or even 2.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:25 PM on December 26, 2020 [1 favorite]

Running is really hard on my body, while riding my bike for the same amount of time in a flat area doesn’t make me feel pain in any kind of way. Are you playing with the resistance at all? Increasing and decreasing?

I will also add that I added the most miles in running when I was riding my bike a lot. It can help.

I definitely have strong legs from riding my bike, but an exercise bike seems a lot closer to pure cardio without much impact. I don’t see how you’d gain a lot of strength if you’re not varying resistance and intensity.

Also, I’m not sure everyday is the best approach. What if you alternated those rides with body weight training?
posted by bluedaisy at 6:14 PM on December 26, 2020

If you are riding on the top resistance setting, and you are not getting the strength response you are expecting, it may be more suitable to look for an air bike such as a BikeErg or an Assault Bike type design. That style of indoor bike will get you to the higher intensity levels, for sure.
posted by oceanjesse at 10:24 PM on December 26, 2020

How long does the 15/20 miles take you? It depends on a whole host of other factors, but 140-150bpm, whilst significant, isn't a huge load, particularly if your session only take 20-30 minutes.

The easiest answer is just go longer until you do feel the effects. The BPM numbers you have are more towards the endurance training end of the scale, so try going for longer sessions 4 times a week rather than shorter sessions every day. Keep increasing the time until you feel it by the end of the session.

Alternatively, if you can't face an hour plus on the bike, go harder and raise your heart rate to the point where you can only talk in very short bursts. I do think though that if your goal is to get back into running, the longer, endurance sessions on the bike will pay greater dividends that the high impact ones.

Whichever you choose to do, just remember to rest properly. You need to include whole days of rest, as that's when your body builds the muscle in response to the exercise you've done
posted by Faff at 12:08 AM on December 27, 2020 [3 favorites]

I'm not a doctor, nor your coach, so run the following through someone who can confirm it's suited to you. Plus, if your bike can't provide a challenge, you might be due an upgrade. I've had great stationary bike classes that leave me drained, but it took a long while to find the level that's strenuous but you can complete, say, an hour. Cycling is much less effort on legs and cardiovascular system than running (in my and other friends' anecdotal experience) -- maybe because the bicycle is our most-efficient form of powered transportation.

For a taxing session, find the heart rate where you're unable to carry a conversation because you need to breathe deeply. Turn the the resistance up so you spend some minutes in that zone and, once done, either wait for your recovery to bring your heart rate down to conversation territory or set a timer for recovery. There's a second zone above this where your body turns off energy conversion so eventually you run out of sugar fuels on your blood, known as a 'bonk' and most like where the running post-exercise exhaustion is for me, and a final level above that where your lungs can't bring in enough oxygen or expel enough waste gas for your heart to pump it to the working muscles. You'll need to add more resistance to your bike and feel how your body goes to give these zones.
posted by k3ninho at 2:51 AM on December 27, 2020

The thing that'll make you feel drained and sore is resistance so increase that. You can either do a small increase and try to keep your current pace or really ramp it up and see how you do.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:19 AM on December 27, 2020

I also agree with the suggestions to vary the intensity and duration of your rides; otherwise, your body will adapt to handle your routine ride and nothing further, because bodies are efficient that way.

Speaking as a lapsed cyclist and even more lapsed runner, that style of bike won't do much for your hamstrings, butt, and hips, all of which are needed for running. I'd alternate some time on the bike with high-intensity sets of lunges, squats, and (when your knees feel up to it) jump squats, which will get your heart rate up and work your lower body more evenly. To get the same effect on a bike you'd need to be able to pull as well as push, which is easier in a forward position with clipless pedals and high resistance; climbing hills, basically. I suggest bodyweight exercises instead because these are free, quick, and effective (gravity won't let you take it easy).

You can have a great workout without being sore or exhausted afterwards; some thoughts on this and how "soreness sells" in the fitness-industrial complex here, here, and here. In short, soreness/stiffness after doing new moves or adding time is expected and will diminish with consistent workouts, and your fitness can improve without soreness.
posted by esoterrica at 11:43 AM on December 27, 2020 [3 favorites]

You need to be adding stress in the form of either intensity increases or distance increases if you want adaptation (i.e. "improving" fitness, rather than maintaining a baseline). It doesn't sound like you've hit any kind of limit (not at 15-20 miles/140-150 bpm), so find some exercise plans where you increase the amount and intensity of your rides steadily until you do hit a limit.
posted by lalochezia at 1:40 PM on December 27, 2020