You’ve been putting in the work, seeing the progress, and then suddenly—it stops. The weight loss stalls. You’ve hit a weight loss plateau. But this is where the real transformation begins. With these 6 powerful stationary bike workouts, you’ll push past the plateau and keep moving forward.
How common is a weight loss plateau?
Hitting a weight loss plateau is a universal part of the journey for anyone trying to shed pounds. Initially, weight drops quickly, mostly from water loss rather than fat. When your muscles burn through glycogen stores during intense exercise, water is released as a byproduct—about 3 grams of water for every gram of glycogen. Once glycogen is depleted, your body turns to both fat and muscle for energy. This loss of muscle mass slows down your metabolism, meaning you burn fewer calories even with the same level of activity. When your calorie intake matches the calories you burn, a plateau sets in.
It’s not just weight loss that can hit a wall—you might experience a workout plateau as well. Instead of continuing to lose weight, you’ll find that your strength or performance stops improving, whether it’s lifting heavier weights or improving sprint times. A plateau can last anywhere from 8-12 weeks, but this varies for each person.
Weight loss is not linear
Before assuming you’ve hit a weight loss plateau, consider whether it’s just normal weight fluctuation:
Natural weight fluctuations
Your weight fluctuates throughout the day, across the week, and even month-to-month. Factors like sleep, stress, and hormone levels all impact the number on the scale. Weighing yourself only once a month can help smooth out these fluctuations and give a clearer picture of your true progress.
Sodium and water are the 2 main factors that increase your weight
Water retention is a common culprit for temporary weight gain, often caused by sodium intake. Cutting down on sodium can help your body shed excess water weight quickly.
Your body composition is more important than your body weight
If you’re strength training, your lean muscle mass increases, which can affect your overall weight while boosting your metabolism and reducing body fat percentage. It’s more useful to track changes in your clothing size or waist circumference than to obsess over your scale weight.
Studies show that 2/3 of people regain lost weight at some point
Instead of chasing fast results, focus on building sustainable habits—both in diet and training—that you can maintain for the long haul.
The most effective stationary bike workouts to beat a weight loss plateau
1. REHIT
Reduced Exertion HIIT (REHIT) on CAROL Bike is a breakthrough workout that delivers significant metabolic improvements and calorie burn in just 5 minutes.
New research by Western University Colorado shows you’ll burn more calories on a 15-minute CAROL Bike ride, than a 30-minute run. This is because the short, maximum intensity sprints on CAROL Bike generate a significantly higher level of afterburn compared to conventional exercise. Scientists refer to this phenomenon as Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption, or EPOC. The increased metabolic rate following a CAROL workout can last for up to 3 hours and accounts for up to 66% of the total calorie burn. In addition, the hormonal changes after this all-out training reduces appetite, allowing for lower food intake.
What sets REHIT apart is its focus on maximum intensity in minimal time. CAROL’s AI-personalized workouts adapt to your fitness level, pushing you to your limits safely and efficiently. Unlike traditional HIIT, REHIT is accessible for all ages and fitness levels.
A REHIT workout varies from 5 mins – 8 mins 40 secs. Here’s what a sample REHIT workout looks like:
- Warm-up: 20 sec – 2 mins of easy pedaling
- Sprint 1: 20 sec of all-out effort
- Recovery: 1-3 mins of easy pedaling
- Sprint 1: 20 sec of all-out effort
- Cool down: 3 mins of easy pedaling
CAROL burns over twice as many calories, minute-per-minute vs. traditional exercise, largely thanks to afterburn.
2. 90 min endurance training
Zone 2 endurance rides are pivotal for any successful weight loss training plan. Many trainers recommend dedicating most of your training time to this zone. One of the most important adaptations that you get from endurance rides is the ability to burn fat more efficiently.
At lower intensities, your body relies mainly on fat, with some glycogen for fuel. As intensity increases, the body shifts to burning more carbs. Zone 2 sits just below your aerobic threshold, making it the ideal intensity for burning fat. The longer you stay in this zone, the more efficiently your body burns fat.
A proper Zone 2 ride should feel steady and manageable. To truly build endurance, aim for 90-minute sessions. If this feels too easy for you, you can include some Zone 3 intervals in your endurance training to challenge your system.
Incorporating 90-minute endurance rides into your routine keeps your workouts varied, preventing your body from adapting and burning fewer calories. To break through a weight loss plateau, combine REHIT, intervals, and Zone 2 training, mixing in new challenges to keep your body progressing.
3. Tabata interval training
Tabata intervals rank among the top fat-burning HIIT workouts, originally designed for Olympic athletes. This method follows a 2:1 work-to-rest ratio, with each Tabata round lasting 4 minutes. You’ll perform 8 sets of 20-second high-intensity cycling, followed by a 10-second rest. A full Tabata workout typically includes 5 rounds, totaling 20 minutes.
Like REHIT, Tabata elevates your EPOC, ensuring a sustained calorie burn long after your workout ends. Tabata is highly effective for enhancing performance, making it a powerful tool for breaking through weight loss plateaus.
Sample Tabata workout:
- Warm-up: 5 mins of easy pedaling
- 20-sec all-out sprint
- 10-sec rest
- Repeat x8
- 10-min rest in between rounds
- Repeat up to 5 rounds
- Cool down: 5 mins of easy pedaling
4. Wingate sprints (30/30)
The Wingate protocol is a classic sprint workout, renowned for its effectiveness in helping active individuals lose weight, build lean muscle, and improve body composition. In a study of 34 adults over 4 weeks, Wingate sprint interval training significantly boosted fat oxidation, leading to reductions in waist circumference and fat mass. Due to its intensity, this workout is best suited for those with a solid fitness foundation.
Wingate sprint training consists of 4 all-out 30-second sprints, with 4-minute rest intervals. As your cardio fitness improves, you can gradually increase the sprints to 6 for even greater results.
Sample Wingate workout:
- Warm-up: 10 mins of easy pedaling
- 30-sec all-out sprint
- 4-min rest
- Repeat x4-6
- Cool down: 10 mins of easy pedaling
5. Hill training
Hill training is an essential workout for boosting calorie burn and building lean muscle. By riding against resistance, you elevate fat loss while enhancing muscle strength. What makes hill training so effective is its versatility—you can easily adjust the intensity of your workout by changing the gradient, length of climbs, and the number of sets. You can combine both sprint interval training and HIIT in your hill workout for a dynamic challenge. For a full-body workout, incorporate out-of-the-saddle riding to test your balance and engage different muscle groups.
Sample hill training workout:
- Warm-up: 15 mins of easy pedaling
- 30-sec out-of-saddle climb
- 30-sec recovery
- 1-min in-the-saddle climb
- 1-min recovery
- Repeat x2
- 10-min recovery
- Repeat round 2
- Cool down: 10 mins of easy pedaling
6. Fasted training
Exercising in a fasted state is a powerful way to accelerate your weight loss and reduce overall calorie intake. With depleted glycogen stores, your body turns to fat as its primary fuel source during exercise. A 2016 study compared 2 groups—1 running before breakfast, the other after. Those who ran fasted not only burned more fat but also reduced their overall energy intake.
Combining your exercise routine with intermittent fasting creates a synergistic effect that can amplify fat loss, improve insulin sensitivity, boost growth hormone levels, and promote cellular health. However, it’s crucial to consult your doctor before starting intermittent fasting.
Timing is key. The safest approach is to do fasted, low-intensity sessions, like Zone 2 training, in the morning before breakfast. Fasted morning workouts can also help curb your appetite, reducing overall calorie consumption. If you’re doing HIIT or more intense sessions, schedule them later in the day, right after your eating window, to ensure your energy levels are replenished without overstressing your body.
Prioritize recovery time
Overtraining not only increases your risk of injury and burnout but also diminishes the calories you burn in each session.
Every workout creates micro-tears in your muscles that need time to repair. Without sufficient recovery your energy and power levels drop, preventing you from performing at your best and making your workouts less effective—even if you’re training more often.
For most beginners, training 3x a week strikes the right balance. Proper recovery also depends on getting enough sleep and maintaining a protein-rich diet to fuel muscle repair and growth.
Conclusion
Hitting a weight loss plateau is a common part of the journey for most people who are losing weight. Stay committed, and by incorporating more intense and varied workouts, you’ll push through it. Remember, plateaus are your body’s way of adapting to its new weight. The slower and more steady your progress, the more likely your results will be long-lasting and sustainable. Keep going—lasting change is built over time.
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