When we hear BMX bikes, mostly what comes to mind is stunts, tricks, off-road racing, or even motocross. But are BMX bikes good for exercise?
BMX riding by itself is an aerobic workout, which makes it good for exercise. BMXing is good for your muscles, heart, joints, and mental wellbeing. More importantly, regular BMXing is good for weight loss and body posture.
Not that BMX riding makes exercising fun. It’s not painstaking as going to the gym, which makes it an effective workout option. Also, BMX bikes are flexible and single-geared and have a low seat, which makes them good for exercise, as I’ll explain later.
Overall, while riding a bike is healthy and exciting at the same time, the type of bike you choose determines whether you will enjoy exercising or not. With various cycles out there, you want to make sure you have the right one, which brings us to BMX bikes.
Now that it’s clear BMX bikes are good for exercise, let’s see why that is so:
Why Are BMX Bikes Good for Exercise?
BMX bikes have an average wheel size of 16 inches for kids and 20 inches for an adult bike. But what does this mean for us when exercising?
Small wheels mean more revolutions, which require more pedaling. We want to burn up that fat, build that muscle, and work out that glute when working out, and BMXing promises that.
Overall, here are the health benefits of BMX biking.
1. BMX Riding Tones and Strengthens Your Muscles
Cycling helps in toning the legs and strengthening the glute and hips. Therefore, since a BMX bike will require you to pedal for longer, this will result in muscle growth, toning the legs, and firming the glute.
2. BMX Riding is Good for Your Heart Health
Regular BMXing improves blood circulation, and the circulation ensures that your heart receives enough oxygen. In the end, that prevents cardiovascular issues like Heart Disease and heart attack.
3. BMX Bikes Exercise the Joints
BM riding improves joint flexibility and endurance. It generally makes it easy for your joints to pedal harder, and the more you do that, the stronger the joints become.
4. BMX Riding is Good for Your Mental Wellbeing
BMX is a fun distraction. It keeps your mind off stress, and the less you stress over things, the more mental peace you enjoy. To an extent, it helps you fight sleeping difficulties. If you are less stressed, you can rest easy.
5. Regular BMXing is Good for Weight Loss
Regular BMXing is a good weight-shedding approach. You can lose weight BMXing, just as you do riding other bikes. Overall, you can lose up to 300 pounds under moderate BMXing an hour daily or 500 pounds under high-intensity BMX riding.
The keyword here is ‘regular.’ The more you ride your BMX bike, the likelier you are to lose weight.
6. BMX Riding is Good for Your Body Posture
A BMX bike compels you to sit more upright. You get to avoid sloughing, and that improves your body posture. In particular, the riding works out your lower back muscles, giving you a better posture.
What Muscles Does A BMX Bike Work?
Generally, BMX bike workouts work on these types of muscles:
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Abdominal muscles
- Biceps
- Triceps
- Hip flexors
- Quadriceps
- Calves
Other Reasons Why BMX Bikes Are Good for Exercise
BMXing is also suitable for exercising due to these reasons:
· They are flexible
What does bike flexibility mean? As much as you want to push yourself while exercising, often, you will want to take a breather and slow down a bit.
A BMX bike is flexible enough to allow you to slow down when you’ve had too much and accelerate quickly. That ensures that you do not overwork your muscles, and at the same time, you do not necessarily have to stop when you feel worn out.
· They have a single gear
For exercise, a single gear bike is better. That is because it requires more effort on the pedals than a geared bike. When riding a BMX bike, you get to work out your joints and muscles and
· They have low seats
A lower placed saddle gives stability to the cyclist while riding a bike. That means that one can pedal at different positions while still seated comfortably.
Also, since the bike handles are positioned higher than the saddle, you must keep your upper body upright, giving you a straight posture. A BMX bike is your go-to bike for people with back problems who love a full-body workout.
Disadvantages of BMX Bikes for Exercise
As effective as BMX bikes are for exercise, they suffer a few concerns. For instance, they are not suitable for taller adults, have poor brakes, and are not designed for long-distance rides.
People Also Ask
1. Can You Lose Weight Riding a BMX Bike?
Moderate BMXing allows you to lose up to 300 pounds, while high-intensity riding sheds up to 500 pounds by riding 60 minutes daily. So, yes, you can lose weight riding a BMX bike. It’s, however, more important to do it regularly and try sticking to a healthy diet.
2. How Many Calories Burned Riding a BMX Bike?
You burn 300-500 calories per hour while riding a BMX bike. The bike you choose determines whether you’ll achieve your target while exercising.
3. Is BMX a Full Body Workout?
BMX riding targets most muscles of your body. It targets your lower body muscles such as the glutes, hip flexors, hamstrings and calves, biceps, triceps, and lower back muscles. So, yes, BMX riding is a full-body workout.
4. What is a BMX Bike Good for?
BMX bikes are good for performing street stunts, high jumps, fast racing, and fun riding in the neighborhood. These bikes are not for long-distance riding or daily commuting, but you can use them for short commutes around town as long as the terrain is smooth and not hilly.
5. Is a BMX Bike Good for Cardio?
BMX riding improves blood circulation, facilitating oxygen supply across the heart muscles. That boosts your defense against cardiovascular diseases. So, yes, a BMX bike is good for cardio. You only need to ride often to condition your heart well.
6. Are BMX Bikes Good for Long Distance?
BMX bikes lack a suspension and good brakes and are single-geared. For those reasons, they are not best for long-distance. If you want to ride a BMX bike for long-distance, you should make a few modifications. You may need to get a more comfortable seat (preferably with suspension), change the tires, and replace the brakes.
In Conclusion – Are BMX Bikes Good for Exercise?
In this article, we have looked at some of the BMX bike specs that make it good for exercise. Also, we have mentioned the disadvantages of riding one. If you want to have a full-body workout and have fun while doing it, get yourself a BMX bike on Amazon.