You may have seen recumbent bikes at your gym, but steered clear of them because they look a little funny. Unlike a regular bike, a recumbent bike sits closer to the floor and utilizes a seat with a back rest and pedals that require you to extend your legs in front of your body. This unusual design actually provides an effective workout for individuals with back or joint pain, or those who want to isolate the muscles of the legs more effectively. Recumbent bikes generate significant muscle action in the legs, providing a challenging workout.
Quadriceps
During recumbent cycling, one of the major muscle groups that you'll employ are the quadriceps, the group of four muscles that run down the front of your legs between your hips and knee. Just like riding on an upright bike, when you push your leg through the motion pedaling motion, you engage your quads. The quadriceps engage more on a recumbent bicycle than on an upright bicycle because the upper body and torso can assist during the upright bike's leg motion, but can't on a recumbent bike.
Hamstrings
The muscles that run along the back of your thigh, known as the hamstrings, also receive significant activation during recumbent bicycle workouts. As you pedal your feet in circles, the pushing, forward movement activates the quads, but the pulling, backward movement activates the hamstrings. This muscle isolation is also more prominent in recumbent cycling than in upright cycling due to the lack of assistance in the motion from the upper body.
Glutes and Hips
According to the website Calorie-Counter.net, recumbent bicycles also utilize the muscles of the buttocks and hips. It makes sense: as you sit, pushing and pulling your legs forward and backward against the resistance of the bicycle, your buttocks, or glutes, must tighten and release power throughout the movement, and your hips must engage to push and pull as well. So truly, the recumbent bicycle effectively works all of the muscles of your legs, particularly those throughout your thighs.
Member Comments