Is 20 minutes on an excercise bike good enough for cardio?

Question

After 20 min I am pretty tired. I also weight train too.....I'm just wondering if the 20 min is a waste of time or worth it in the long run?

Answer 1

Hard to tell without knowing your age and heart rate, but you should be doing 75% of max heart rate for at least 30 minutes.

Lower your heart rate a few %, then add a few minutes, then raise heart rate, etc.

No it is not a waste, it is a foundation for going the next step

Answer 2

Are we talking 20 minutes a day? A week? Something more like three times a week?

A lot of it depends on the condition you are in....if *other people* like your doctor say you are overweight, then no, it isn't enough, because you have both cardio improvement *and* calorie-burning for losing the fat to consider.

But....if you're not overweight, not trying to lose weight, then maybe the bare minimum of 20 minutes three days a week is enough. This is especially true if you are using a commercial-grade *gym bike* with the kinds of electronics that allow you to do interval training in that 20 minutes. Remember, it isn't just duration, but intensity too....if you go fairly hard for those 20 minutes it's still a decent workout.

Still, something weight-bearing (standing up, like on a treadmill, elliptical, or stair-master) would work better, because you build more bone mass and burn more calories, all things being equal.

Just saying, and I hope this helps. ;)

Answer 3

30 minutes is ideal. You want 7-10 minutes of warm up and about 20 minutes of a hadrcore cardio workout, whether it be on a treadmill, bike, or rowing machine. 3-4 times a week should be good enough to see a drastic benefit in your overall health.

Answer 4

20 min a day is great for a beginner but you have to do at least 4 days a week every day would be better but with the weight training 20 min 4x is good

Answer 5

If you're tired after only 20 minutes, you're WAY out of shape ! And I don't mean to be mean...These things take time, it's NOT a waste of time.Try 20 minutes for a week or two and see if you can work your way up. No exercise is a waste of time !

Answer 6

If you're tired after 20 minutes of riding, you are SEROUSLY out of shape! You might be OK with weight training, but your cardio is crap. Sorry to break it to you, but I'm being honest.

You need to get on that bike and be able to go for 3+ hours to be considered decent, and doing intervals or spinning classes will help you immensely.

Answer 7

20 min is OK if you're just starting out. Over time, you'll feel stronger and you won't even break a sweat after 20 min. I just finished my 2nd 90 min session on the indoor trainer today and I plan on a 3rd before the day's over.

Answer 8

Anything that is making you tired is doing something. However, for cardio benefits, I think it is supposed be be longer than 20 mins.

Answer 9

20 minutes is the typical minimum amount of time that you need to bring your heart rate to maximum for cardio improvement. You should do this at least 2-3 times per week to stay in good cardio health. http://www.urbanfitness.com/fitfacts/cardio.html

Answer 10

twenty minutes needs to be done in the aerobic 'zone' ( 60-80% of your max predicted heart rate)
Calculate this by taking 220 minusyour age , then take 60-80% of that and this is where you need to be exercising. Anything more means you are working out in anaerobic (lack of oxygen state) leading to lactic acid build up and fatigue.
If you have chest pain, go see your doctor before you start a new program of exercise