Is Biking Good for Abs? Everything You Need to Know 

Have you always dreamed of having rock-hard abs? I think the better question is, who hasn’t? You’ve recently got into cycling, and while you enjoy it, you wonder if you’re on the right road to having visible abs. Will biking give you abs?

Biking is good for your core, which will make you more stable on your bike and help tone your stomach muscles. However, cycling alone is not the key to six-pack abs. You’ll have to split your time between cycling and the gym to see those abs pop.

In today’s article, I’ll go over how biking can benefit your abs. I’ll also discuss whether cycling alone can build a rippling six-pack, so make sure you check it out! 

The Benefits of Biking for Your Abs

If you’ve read my other articles on the blog lately, then you’ll recall how biking mostly works your lower-body muscles, from the gluteus maximus (of which two muscles are in your butt) to your hamstrings and calves.

As for the upper body? Well, holding handlebars isn’t exactly a strenuous arm workout. What about in the middle of your body or your core?

Your core includes all the muscles from your pelvis to your spine, including your stomach muscles. Each time you hop on a bike and go for a ride, you’re doing your core a favor.

How so? 

Well, let me answer that question with a question. Have you ever wondered what keeps you stable on your bike?

No, it’s not all your arms or your perfect riding posture. It’s your core as well. The abdominal muscles allow you to push yourself forward as you pedal while ensuring you stay stabilized no matter the duration of your ride. 

As your ab muscles contract while you ride, you’re building their strength and working your way up to a better, firmer core. 

Even if you weren’t much into exercise before you found cycling, you can begin with a relatively weak core and strengthen it more and more each time you ride. 

When you feel your stomach muscles, they’ll be as hard as a rock. That’s a sign your core is ready to sustain you for many bike rides to come! 

So Then, Does Biking Give You Abs? 

This naturally raises another question. If your core is rock-solid, then where are your abs?

It would truly be wonderful if building a rippling six-pack was as easy as working on your core. But that’s only half the equation.

You see, you’ve created the muscles needed for a six pack through cycling or doing other exercises. However, you can’t visibly see your six-pack because you have too much subcutaneous fat covering your stomach (and the rest of your body).

According to Trifecta Nutrition, a man must have between six and 13 percent body fat and a woman 14 to 20 percent body fat for noticeable abs. 

Exercise can help you reduce body fat, and one of the best exercises in that vein is biking. The aerobics required of cyclists means that you’ll naturally shed body fat, especially if biking is a regular part of your routine.

You should aim to spend 30 minutes a day cycling (at least), but plan to double that time as your regimen continues. Go cycling at least two or three times per week. 

Keep in mind that fat loss won’t occur only in your stomach but elsewhere throughout the body. It can also be slow going at the above pace, so be sure to have patience.

Exercise is not the whole story, of course. You also have to modify your diet if you hope to see visible abs. 

Mostly, you’ll have to cut out refined carbs, as these contain the least nutrients as well as very little fiber. You’ll have to say goodbye to most breakfast cereals, white bread, pasta, processed food, and pastries. 

Instead, you’ll base your diet around whole wheat and whole grains such as oats, barley, buckwheat, and quinoa.

There’s even more to it than that. Here are some dietary tips for losing body fat:

• Increase the amount of fiber in your diet
• Ensure that protein comprises at least 25 percent of your calories ingested per day
• Cut back on sugary drinks such as sugar and even most fruit juices
• Drink a lot more water instead
• Get rid of refined and processed sugars from your diet 
• Increase the amount of polyunsaturated fats in your diet

You also want to create a calorie deficit where you’re burning more calories than you’re ingesting. 

If you commit to this routine and you’re willing to be patient, then you might develop visible abs. Bicycling can be a part of that but alone will not help you have washboard abs. 

Is Indoor or Outdoor Biking Better for Your Abs?

The best thing about bicycling is that you’re not limited to either the indoors or the outdoors when you want to ride. You can switch between both. Which will help you strengthen your core more efficiently?

Let’s take a look in this section. 

Indoor Cycling Benefits on Abs

Indoor bicycling has its plusses and minuses, admittedly. 

The biggest downsides are that you don’t get the environmental benefits of riding a bike, such as enjoying the wind on your skin, the sunny sights around you, and the unique smells.

There’s also a reduced social component. Many people who are into indoor cycling do it alone at home with an iPad or iPhone to guide them through a lesson. 

If not that, then they’re in the gym wearing headphones, socially isolated from the other exercisers around them.

Regardless, indoor cycling does have its benefits. While you can’t pedal up a long hill like you can outside, you can set the resistance of the indoor bike higher.

This will make your entire ride feel like you’re cycling up a really steep hill. You don’t get that kind of benefit when cycling outdoors.

You’ll work your core muscles a lot harder when cycling on a higher resistance level, not to mention your butt and leg muscles as well. 

And yes, you do need to stabilize yourself on an exercise bike even though you’re technically not moving (well, the bike isn’t, anyway) and the bike is a lot stabler on its own. 

I think one of my favorite reasons to ride a bike indoors besides the above perks is that you don’t have to let the weather or the changing daylight hours or any environmental factors impact whether you can ride.

This can make it easier to commit to a regular exercise routine that might help you start building visible abs.  

Outdoor Cycling Benefits on Abs

Okay, so that brings us to outdoor cycling. 

Riding a bike outdoors has many, many benefits. 

As for your abs, I’ve made clear in the earlier sections that cycling outside is quite helpful. You’ll build a stable core that, with exercise and diet, could lead to the development of visible abs.

Riding across different types of terrain can pose all sorts of unique challenges, and ascending hills will especially cause you to work your body. 

You get the full societal advantages. You’ll see new people all the time and you might even make a few cycling buddies. You and they can ride together, which will further motivate you to get on your bike more often.

You get the environmental benefits such as the sunlight’s mood-boosting effects (thanks to the vitamin D). 

You’ll get to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of your ride, which can be unique every time depending on where you go. 

You can continually change up your route, which is something you can’t do when cycling on a stationary bike inside. It’s the same thing every single time. Your body might even adjust to the highest resistance setting with time.

Of course, it’s not all great riding outdoors. You can get sunburned if you don’t take the proper precautions, and riding outside can also leave you dehydrated on a sunny, hot day. That’s not to say you can’t get dehydrated when biking indoors, but it’s harder to do.

You’re also at the mercy of the weather. You can try bicycling in the rain, but it’s usually a miserable experience. Riding in light flurries when there’s snow coating the ground is quite dangerous as well. 

Tips That May Help You Strengthen Your Abs When Biking

If you want to work your way to stronger abs while on a bike, the following methods ought to do it.

Sustain Your Contractions

Contracting your core muscles is the key to building abdominal strength, so it’s something you’ll want to learn how to consciously do so you can repeat the contractions throughout your bike rides.

Holding your ab muscles is different than holding your breath. You’re not sucking your stomach all the way in at all.

Instead, the proper way to do an abdominal contraction is to take a deep breath, like a really deep breath. You want your stomach filled with air.

In that state, clench your stomach muscles. You might want to start out by lying down on the floor until you get used to abdominal contractions, as lying down will help. 

The goal is to pull with your ab muscles so your belly is almost aiming up. 

You’ll know it once you do it, as you can feel it in your abs. 

Once you’ve become the master of abdominal contractions, incorporate them into your bike rides. At first, you only have to hold each contraction for a few seconds.

As you do it more and more, the goal is to work your way up to 10 seconds, then 15 seconds.

You only want to do abdominal contractions when you don’t need to pay full attention to your cycling. 

For instance, riding on a residential street with children playing or in a crowded park is not the time for stomach contractions. 

Sit Up Straighter

I’ve talked about this on the blog before. Sitting up straight when cycling may not be the key to being more aerodynamic, but it is the key to better posture.

Sure, having better posture does technically make you a slower cyclist, but it also makes you a safer and smarter cyclist. 

You’re straining your body less, which means you’re reducing your risk of injury each time you’re on the bike.

Now, as for what your posture has to do with your abs, the answer is everything. You can focus more on toning your abdominal muscles when you’re sitting up and can feel those muscles. 

After all, slouching makes it harder to contract and hold your abdominal muscles. 

Stand Up From Time to Time

You can also make your stomach muscles work harder by standing on your bike. Position your body so that your stomach is about parallel to the ground. 

Do this several times throughout your bike ride and you should feel your ab muscles working.

Of course, as I always advocate for on the blog, do not stand up on your bike when you don’t feel safe. If other cyclists are around or you’re riding through traffic, it’s not the best time. 

Also, don’t pedal too fast. Just maintain a nice, even pace and you’ll be fine. 

Ride One-Handed

Instability changes up your routine so your muscles have to react in new and innovative ways. 

By removing one hand from the handlebars when biking, you can create that instability in a controlled environment. 

Try to ride one-handed for as long as you can. The longer you do it, the more your core muscles have to work. 

You might not even have to focus so much on stomach contractions when riding one-handed, as your abdominal muscles will seemingly contract on their own.

As is always the case, only ride one-handed when it’s safe and for as long as you’re comfortable. Taking a tumble that will force you off your bike for months won’t exactly help you strengthen your core! 

Try Bike Crunches 

Crunches are probably a regular part of your exercise routine when you’re off your bike, but you can do crunches on your bike as well.

While you’re cycling, contract the abdominal muscles to start. Next, take one elbow and lift it towards you but never take your hands off the handlebars. Don’t slow your pedaling pace either.

Repeat with the other elbow and keep doing reps. Only do bike crunches when it’s safe to. 

Conclusion 

Biking alone can’t create a definable six pack, as you need a very healthy diet and exercise regimen to achieve that. However, cycling does work your core, which includes the abdominal muscles.

You’ll have stronger ab muscles and more stability when you cycle!