Yes, biking can be a lot of fun. But is it good exercise?
Yes, biking can be a lot of fun. But is it good exercise?
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Few summer activities are as popular as cycling. Whether you're going for a leisurely ride along a city bike trail, hopping on a mountain bike to practice stunts and explore nature or using your bicycle as a mode of transportation to and from the store or work, you're sure to spot other cyclists nearby.
In fact, cycling is the third most popular recreational activity in the U.S. with more than 56 million Americans doing it in 2024 alone. But beyond being a lot of fun and good for one's mental health by improving social connections and spending time outside, is cycling actually good exercise?
Here's how biking can be good for both your heart and your muscles, plus how to get the most out of a cycling workout.
Is biking good exercise?
Biking – or cycling, as it is more commonly called – "is considered an excellent form of exercise due to its numerous health benefits," says Dr. Michael Fredericson, director of the physical medicine and rehabilitation division of Stanford University. As a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, it boosts cardiovascular health by elevating your heart rate, lowering your blood pressure, strengthening cardiac tissue, improving respiratory fitness and reducing your risk of heart disease. "It's also helpful in stabilizing blood glucose levels, lessening insulin resistance and lowering cholesterol by improving blood lipids," says Daryl Parker, emeritus professor of exercise science at Sacramento State University.
Such benefits are among the reasons research shows "a strong relationship between commuter cycling and decreased all-cause mortality," says Fredericson.
Cycling also builds endurance, releases feel-good hormones and improves flexibility and joint mobility. And the activity burns plenty of calories, with research from Harvard Medical School showing a 155-pound person burning 252 calories in just 30 minutes of moderate intensity cycling and close to 300 calories when doing so vigorously.
The exercise also "enhances metabolic function," says Brad Schoenfeld, a professor of exercise science at Lehman College of the City University of New York, which means it's using more energy that other movements, leading to burning more fat stores for energy.
This is why studies show that cycling can be helpful in preventing obesity and maintaining a healthy weight.
What is aerobic exercise? And what are some examples?
Does cycling build muscle?
Along with such cardiovascular and weight management benefits, regularly riding your bike can also help you build muscle. While cycling involves muscle groups throughout most of the body, most growth occurs in the lower body and hip flexor muscles. "The quadriceps muscle group is particularly heavily engaged during pedaling," says Fredericson, "and the hamstrings are also activated." He points out that hip flexors are involved to aid with balance and stabilization and glute muscles are also strengthened. "And it's fair to say that upper body muscles such as the trapezius, latissimus dorsi and anterior deltoid are also engaged," he adds.
Cycling accomplishes such growth through the force of resistance that propelling one's weight forward, but it also releases "chemicals known as metabolic stimuli in the muscle that can lead to an increase in muscle size," says Parker. What's more, the activity has the advantage of aiding in muscle growth and maintenance while still being a low-impact exercise – meaning it's unlikely to aggravate your bones and joints.
At the same time, you're only likely to keep building muscle to a certain point before most of your time on a bike will be spent maintaining the muscles you already have. Because you're not able to keep adding more and more weight to the exercise, "cycling does not progressively overload your muscles," Schoenfeld says. "For continued increases in muscle size, a person would need to perform resistance training."
Resistance vs. strength training? Learn how to build strength and muscle mass
How often should I bike for exercise?
Capitalizing on the cardiovascular and muscle-building benefits of cycling means participating in the sport regularly. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. Cycling is one of many exercises that qualify, but meeting this recommendation means doing it or other similar activities for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
No matter how often you engage in cycling, it's important to do so safely. "To stay safe while bike riding, wear a helmet, be visible with bright clothing and lights, follow traffic laws, use hand signals and be aware of your surroundings," advises Fredericson. He also recommends inspecting your tires, brakes and other components often to ensure they are in good working order and making sure your bike frame is the correct size for your body.
Parker agrees, noting that local bike shops can be helpful with fitting you to the best size of bicycle. "And don't neglect learning how to handle your bicycle effectively," he adds. "The knowledge of how to stop quickly and dismount and how to make quick turns to avoid obstacles, other riders and automobiles are all important skills in staying safe."
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U.S. health departments run programs to reduce suicides and drug overdoses, improve prenatal health and help people stop smoking. They educate people about health and test for and treat diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis. Some, including Mecklenburg, operate medical and dental clinics too. The work departments do is also cost effective, experts have found. For every dollar spent on childhood immunizations, the country is estimated to save $11; on tobacco cessation, $2-$3; on asthma control, $70. Chaos in Washington puts 'lives at risk' State and local health departments depend on federal money and support. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sends about 80 percent of its budget to states and local communities and helps those departments with its expertise and other resources. When the Trump administration pulled $11 billion from state and local health departments without warning in March, then laid off thousands of people at CDC a week later, public health leaders said the cuts delivered a serious blow to communities across the country. All eight employees dedicated to the mobile vaccine program in Mecklenburg were laid off. Nine disease intervention specialists in Columbus, Ohio, were let go as the department prepared to address a measles outbreak. Nashville had to end a program offering free flu and COVID tests. Meanwhile, tobacco hotlines, early intervention programs for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and programs to prevent drowning are all being affected in states and communities because CDC teams were laid off. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said HHS is reorganizing what he said were 'broken systems' and rejected "the implication that HHS has turned its back on urgent health threats.' 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