Cycling Benefits & Disadvantages: Every Cyclist Should Know
Cycling is an extremely healthy form of exercise that can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of age and gender. Also, biking can be fun, especially if you are exploring new trails every other time.
Furthermore, if you want to go biking or just enjoy two-wheeled leisure time, know that this is not an expensive activity at all. You will just need a bike as well as additional protective equipment if you decide on a more demanding cycling routine as compared to the beginners.
If you are serious about cycling, you can get some health benefits and have a good time. It’s a great way to get outdoors and enjoy low-impact exercise while breathing in the fresh air.
Cycling benefits us in numerous ways, let’s talk about this in detail.
What are the benefits of cycling?
1) Major Focus on Weight Management:
Cycling is indeed an effective way to focus on weight management. It burns calories without building a great deal of muscle. You will probably lose inches off your glutes, thighs, and waist.
You might burn 780-680 calories in a 30 minutes session of cycling.
It does, however, depend on what your starting weight is and how much exertion you put into it as to exactly how many calories you’ll burn.
Also Read: How to Keep Yourself Hydrated while Cycling
2) Reduced Stress Levels:
Riding down the road is enjoyable because you are not only exercising but you are also breathing fresh air and seeing the beautiful sights pass by.
Well! You can’t get this type of vibe in a gym. Some mental health conditions cycling diminishes are:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Stress
Thus, riding can reduce stress significantly due to the release of healthy endorphins from the body resulting in a complete mood booster.
3) Lower-body Strengthening:
It’s no shocker that cycling is great for your lower half of the body. Your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves are all activated when you pedal a cycle.
By dialing up the resistance on your bike, you can increase the strength challenge on these muscles.
According to a report, cycling can build muscle and strength, though it’s likely not as effective at doing so as resistance training, and may require a longer training period to achieve that goal.
Read More: Build Your Strength Without Lifting Weights
4) Effective in Building Core Strength:
Do you know that your legs aren’t the only powerhouses in cycling? The unsung hero of cycling is the back and core strength.
Proper cycling involves engaging the muscles in your torso, so you don’t hunch over the handlebars. Cycle often enough and you’ll likely feel these muscles are getting stronger.
5) Improved Posture:
Cycling benefits you with the correct posture. If you practice good form which means sitting tall with a neutral spine (not arched or rounded) and pulling your shoulders down and back (not hunching them up by your ears).
By practicing solid posture when cycling, you can help counteract the poor posture many of us fall into with our sedentary work routines and irregular sleeping patterns.
While it’s true that the number of benefits is going to crush any cons of cycling, it’s important to take a balanced approach to this. So, let’s look at some of the disadvantages as well.
What are the disadvantages of cycling- Are there really any?
Although cycling benefits us in a zillion different ways like pumping your heart and acts as the best form of exercise, there are some disadvantages too attached with it.
Do you know that there’s a lot to think about between traffic hazards, increased pollution, and injury risk if you’re considering hitting the road on your bike.
1) Increased Risk for Serious Road Accidents:
Cycles are very susceptible to sudden road accidents. Since their build is not so sturdy as compared to cars and they have thin tires, inattentive and abrupt changes can be dangerous on the road surface, causing even the cautious and seasoned rider to slip or lose control and step onto the path of a vehicle.
Road dangers that can cause cycling injuries include potholes, sewer grates, and rail and trolley tracks.
2) Cycling Can be Exhausting:
Cycling benefits us in improving our fitness levels but cycling can also be quite exhausting.
Many people might lose the motivation to go by bike sooner or later since it is much more convenient to just sit down in a car and go without having to move too much.
Therefore, consistent cycling practice also requires a significant level of motivation and many people might not have this kind of perseverance.
3) High Exposure to Pollution:
Cyclists are often exposed to the high amount of air pollutants associated with traffic. Also, traffic-related exposure and traffic to air pollution are major factors influencing the choice of cycling.
4) Sudden Pain:
You can experience ankle, back, knee, finger, thigh and neck pain while cycling, usually from poor posture, improper bike settings or using the wrong gear.
Ankle pain can occur from poor pedaling technique, called ankling. This occurs when you point your toe upward when pedaling up and downward when pedaling down.
Poor posture causes back pain. Sitting upright, for example, can cause your back to hurt.
A helmet that is too low in front causes riders to raise their neck too much. This leads to neck pain.
5) Saddle Sadness:
According to various studies, long bicycles over the past few years, including the possibility of excessive pressure from some bicycle saddles to the urogenital region of cyclists, restricting genital blood flow and adverse effects on their sexual function.
Conclusion:
Riding a bicycle can be your favorite sport activity too! Just plan an early morning ride with your favorite group of people and you are good to go to take maximum advantage of cycling.
Well! There are always cons to any pros and the same goes for cycling. Increased risk to road accidents or nerve injuries are few of them.
However, these disadvantages are outweighed by the numerous health benefits of cycling, so YOU CAN DO IT!
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