5 Tips For Getting The Best Workout On Your Ebike

It’s likely that you use your e-bike for a variety of reasons. Outdoor adventuring, city-exploring, urban commuting, causal day trips- the list goes on. And while you likely enjoy many benefits from your clean, green light electric machine, you may also have a secondary goal in mind: getting a great workout.

If you bought an e-bike with a fitness goal, you might be wondering about how to get the most out of your workout. After all, electric bikes can be ridden autonomously- meaning entirely powered by their battery. So how exactly do you achieve your best workout?

We have 5 great tips to get you started! 

1. Understand Your Fitness Goals

The goals you have can dramatically shape the way you use your eBike for exercise. It’s a good idea to be clear on what you want for yourself and your activity level, so that you can target your riding around the outcomes you are looking for. 

Someone looking to get the recommended 90 minutes of cardio a week exclusively from their e-bike, may want to consider scheduling separate riding trips, focused around heavy cardio as the goal. This means limited use of their pedal-assist while biking for exercise and choosing longer routes that could include hills and valleys.

However, someone looking for a low-intensity workout that focuses on keeping joints and muscles active and engaged may choose shorter, more frequent trips, focusing on continuous movement along well-travelled paths. 

2. Plan Your Route For The Results You Want

One of the great things about using an eBike for exercise is the incredible freedom you have to bike when you want, wherever you can.

When considering your fitness goals, you can augment your route to meet your needs. For those looking for a more intense workout, consider planning a more challenging route. Another tip would be to set out a route and plan to limit your pedal assist for a specific time period, or during a particular part of the route.

You can plan longer, gentler routes, or shorter, more challenging routes all depending on the amount of time you’d like to spend being active, or your specific fitness plan.

You can set challenges for yourself, such as beating a certain finish time or adjusting the amount of reliance to use on your pedal assist. 

3. Pack An Extra Battery When You Expand Your Goals

When you decide to push yourself for an impressive fitness goal- be sure to come prepared. Looking to up your time on the bike? Or go the extra mile? That last thing you want is to push yourself too far, and realize you still have miles left to go to get home. 

When going that extra mile, or going up that impressive hill- be sure to keep a second battery charged and ready. That way, if you push yourself to your limit, you have a safe means home without risking injury or over-exertion. 

4.  Consider High/Low-Intensity Routine

For long-term goals of generally getting more physical activity is a great first step for fitness goals. Yet, it’s well understood that “generalized” resolutions are difficult to maintain.

Consider a goal that is specific and diverse (so you don’t get bored). One such strategy is high/low-intensity biking.

This strategy is coupling high-intensity rides (hills, limited pedal assist, etc) with gentler trips, such as a short ride to the store, or ride around town. Turning this into a regular routine gets the most out of your ebike, while also getting regular fitness in various ways from the same device. 

5. Ride Your Electric Bike On Your Recovery Days

Your sore muscles may make you reconsider that next-day bike ride, but don’t give in! Gentle biking can stretch sore muscles and keep circulation going to speed recovery. Don’t push yourself on recovery days, but light trips followed by stretching can help you recover faster and reduce risk of injury. 

There is no one secret to successful fitness. It required on-going planning and work. But an e-bike can be a wonderful tool to reach your goals with convenience, safety, affordability and oh yeah- it’s great for the planet too!