How Long Should You Ride A Stationary Bike To Lose Belly Fat In 2025? – Here’s The Answer!

Christine VanDoren, Nutritionist
Dr. David Miles, PharmD
Are you curious how long should you ride a stationary bike to lose belly fat? Discover what weekly rides give you the best results in 2025.
how long should you ride a stationary bike to lose belly fat
Riding a stationary bike can help burn fat. Photo: Ba Le Ho

Riding a stationary bike can be an effective way to exercise, especially as the weather gets colder and wetter and exercising outdoors becomes less appealing. But how long should you ride a stationary bike to lose belly fat? The answer is more complicated than it sounds.

The amount of time you should ride a stationary bike for belly fat loss depends on several factors, including your body weight, the intensity of your workout, and your diet. Some articles suggest a very simple method of calculation, but unfortunately, it doesn’t actually work.

This article will help you walk through the various factors and understand how to lose weight with a stationary bike. You’ll also learn how long to ride and how to decide the best workout for your own goals. Let’s get started.

How Long Should People Ride A Stationary Bike To Reduce Belly Fat?

While it does vary person to person, a good starting point is 20 minutes at least three times per week. 

For best results, it is recommended to pair riding a stationary bike with other forms of exercise and a calorie deficit in order to effectively lose abdominal fat.

With the right rides, consistency, and dedication, you can make unwanted belly fat a thing of the past.

How Long Should You Ride A Stationary Bike For Belly Fat Loss?

how long should you ride a stationary bike to lose belly fat
Riding a stationary bike can help you lose weight. Photo: KM-Photography/Shutterstock

Losing belly fat is a common fitness goal, and riding a stationary bike can be an effective way to achieve it. How long to ride your stationary bike can depend on a lot of factors, like your goals and your strength, as well as what other activities you’re doing to lose weight. Adjustments to your diet and lifestyle may affect your weight just as much as changes to your exercise routine.

When it comes to losing weight, it is important to note that one pound of fat equals roughly 3,500 calories. Therefore, a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day should lose a pound in a week.

While this is a good general guideline, it’s unfortunately not as clear-cut as that. This is why places selling a simple diet or detox for quick results won’t always work. However, there are some natural detox options available that you could try to support your body.

The body is smart and knows how to adapt, so as people cut more calories and increase exercise, their metabolism can also slow down.[1] This means that you may burn fewer calories than calculations would expect depending on your body and where you are on your weight loss journey.

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How To Find What Will Work For You

The experience of losing weight varies by the individual and also gets harder the more you lose because your body needs fewer calories to just maintain its baseline. Thus, there is no calculation for a one-size-fits-all solution. So, how much should you ride a stationary bike to burn fat? Ultimately, it comes down to you.

When first beginning to exercise regularly, be sure to push yourself, but don’t overdo it, as this can lead to overtraining and increased risk of injury. For example, you could start with 20 minutes of riding and analyze how you feel.

Then, try riding the stationary bike that long a few times a week for a month, and see how your weight changes. If you don’t feel satisfied with your progress, increase the amount of time you spend on the bike or the intensity. 

There are no clear answers for internet articles to give; they can only provide guidelines. Only you can decide how much time is necessary for burning belly fat. 

Does A Stationary Bike Burn Belly Fat?

Can you lose weight on a stationary bike? A stationary bike can help you burn calories and lose weight. The number of calories burned during a stationary bike workout depends on the intensity of your exercise and your body weight, but it’s often about 200 to 250 calories in a half hour of moderate-intensity cycling.

However, it’s worth noting that most workouts won’t reduce belly fat only. Several studies have found that exercises targeting certain areas result in overall fat loss,[2] not just fat loss in the trained area. 

On the other hand, fat is usually burned first in the areas where it’s most concentrated. For example, people whose biggest concern is their lower belly fat are more likely to disproportionately shed their lower belly fat at first. The stomach is the first place fat often builds up, so it’s also the first place you’ll burn fat when you start working out harder in most cases.

How To Ride A Stationary Bike Effectively

Adjust the seat height to ensure that your legs are slightly bent when the pedals are at the lowest position. The correct seat height can make a big difference to how comfortable and effective your workout is. Similarly, maintain proper posture, with your back straight, and make sure to engage your core muscles. 

Warm up before each workout and cool down after. Start with a few minutes of gentle pedaling to warm up your muscles, and end your workout with a gradual decrease in intensity. You should also try to stretch either before, after, or both.

Set realistic goals for yourself and your progress. If you feel like you have to lose one pound a week or ride the equivalent of 30 miles, you’ll end up exhausted and burnt out. Listen to your body and find out what you can actually do, and then gradually increase the duration and intensity of your workouts over time.

Include variety in your workouts, not just stationary bike riding. Try walking or running outside some days to get fresh air and be outside, or lift weights to strengthen the upper parts of your body. There are lots of workouts you can do at home with less investment than a stationary bike, so they’re easy to add to your routine.

Reasons You Should Consider Indoor Cycling

how long should you ride a stationary bike to lose belly fat
Riding a stationary bike can improve your overall health. Photo: Maridav/Shutterstock

If you are able to stay consistent and stick to a routine when it comes to riding a stationary bike, you will likely experience the following benefits.

Cardiovascular Health

Exercise is absolutely essential to cardiovascular health.[3] It can help reduce your risk of various cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease and stroke by strengthening your heart and lungs, as well as by reducing excess weight, which is a risk factor for many diseases.[4]

Riding a stationary bike is an excellent way to improve your cardiovascular health. It’s a simple exercise you can do at home and easily adjust to your skill level. For ideal results, you should also alternate it with other activities. Stationary biking balances well with running, which is a more high-impact activity that strengthens bones, or lifting weights, which also provides this benefit. 

Calorie Burning

Biking, be it stationary or otherwise, burns calories. This contributes to weight loss, which in turn can reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other diseases.

If you want to optimize your exercise, a study has shown you can use more energy and burn more calories just by pedaling harder. You can lose fat faster, getting more done in the same amount of time. On the other hand, on a real outdoor bike ride, you can conserve energy and increase your range by biking less intensely.

Low Impact

Stationary cycling is a low-impact exercise that is gentle on the joints, making it suitable for individuals with joint pain or injuries. Other low-impact exercises for people with injuries include swimming and even lifting weights.

High-impact exercise isn’t always negative. For example, a 2018 study debunks claims[5] that running, a high-impact activity, leads to arthritis. However, if you already have arthritis or another injury, cycling can be more gentle and protect your joints.

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Convenience

With a stationary bike at home or access to indoor cycling classes, you can exercise at any time without worrying about weather conditions. Whether it is sunny outside in the summer or snowing during the winter, a stationary bike is always an option. 

Not everyone has access to a stationary bike, of course. Everything in this article also applies to a regular bicycle, except the convenience of not going outside. In fact, it might be best to have a stationary and a regular bike so you can bike outside on days with nice weather and keep exercising on days when you’re stuck inside.

Conclusion

Riding a stationary bike benefits the stomach, both by reducing fat[6] and by building strength, especially when combined with a balanced diet and overall healthy lifestyle. The optimal duration for riding a stationary bike to lose belly fat varies depending on the individual, but you can experiment to find what’s right for you.

There are a lot of benefits to riding a stationary bike—physical wellness, weight loss, and convenience among them. If you follow some of these guidelines, along with your own experimentation and healthy diet and lifestyle, you can definitely lose some of that stubborn belly fat.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to lose belly fat by stationary bike?

The time required to lose belly fat varies depending on individual factors. You can lose weight faster if you follow a healthy diet as well as exercise and if you try a variety of workouts instead of just biking.

How fast should you cycle to lose belly fat?

The ideal cycling speed depends on individual factors such as fitness level and exercise intensity. Cycling faster will usually burn more fat, but that won’t help much if you tire out faster and can’t cycle as long.

What are the results of the 1 month exercise bike?

After exercise biking for a month, you should have lost some weight and feel more energized and productive. However, the results won’t be the same for everyone. It depends on how long and hard you biked, among other factors.

How much cycling to lose 1kg in a week?

That depends on a lot of factors. You need to balance with a healthy diet and a calorie deficit, and then it still depends on your exact diet, as well as your starting weight.

Is cycling or walking better for belly fat?

Both cycling and walking can contribute to overall fat loss, including stubborn subcutaneous fat. The choice between the two depends on individual preferences and physical capabilities. You could also try a combination of both, depending on the weather.

How many miles should I bike a day to lose belly fat?

A good ride for absolute beginners is about five to ten miles; you should be able to do 15 to 20 miles within a few months. Once you get comfortable, choose a route that suits your abilities and fitness goals.

How many minutes a day should I ride my stationary bike to lose weight?

Most beginners can do about half an hour and increase to an hour as they feel comfortable. If you don’t have an hour a day, consider shorter rides most days and long rides on weekends or a similar system.

Resources

  1. Martins, C., Gower, B.A. and Hunter, G.R. (2022). Metabolic adaptation after combined resistance and aerobic exercise training in older women. Obesity, [online] 30(7), pp.1453–1461. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23450.
  2. Ramírez‐Campillo, R., Andrade, D.C., Campos, C.T., Henríquez‐Olguín, C., Cristian Álvarez and Izquierdo, M. (2013). Regional Fat Changes Induced by Localized Muscle Endurance Resistance Training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, [online] 27(8), pp.2219–2224. doi:https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e31827e8681.
  3. Nystoriak, M.A. and Bhatnagar, A. (2018). Cardiovascular Effects and Benefits of Exercise. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, [online] 5. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2018.00135.
  4. Fruh, S. (2017). Obesity. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, [online] 29(S1), pp.S3–S14. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/2327-6924.12510.
  5. Lo, G.H., Driban, J.B., Kriska, A.M., McAlindon, T.E., Souza, R.B., Petersen, N.J., Storti, K.L., Eaton, C.B., Hochberg, M.C., Jackson, R.D., C. Kent Kwoh, Nevitt, M.C. and Suárez-Almazor, M.E. (2017). Is There an Association Between a History of Running and Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis? A Cross-Sectional Study From the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Arthritis Care and Research, [online] 69(2), pp.183–191. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.22939.
  6. Chavarrias, M., Carlos‐Vivas, J., Collado-Mateo, D. and Pérez‐Gómez, J. (2019). Health Benefits of Indoor Cycling: A Systematic Review. Medicina-lithuania, [online] 55(8), pp.452–452. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina55080452.

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