With a multi-decade history of development and regular use, stationary exercise bikes will never again qualify as the "next, best exercise machine." But that relatively long history and a number of competing manufacturers have driven development quality up and prices down. If you're willing to use it consistently and properly, a stationary bike can provide a good workout.
Types
Stationary exercise bikes come in two primary styles: upright bikes, which resemble a regular bike but have a much wider, better padded seat; and recumbent bikes, which place you in an even wider seat with back support. On a recumbent bike, you sit behind the pedals instead of directly on top of them, as with an upright bike. A third subset of exercise bikes, group fitness cycles, are designed to mimic real bikes as closely as possible. They are highly adjustable, but since they're designed for use in group fitness classes where your attention is on the instructor they don't offer programming, entertainment and digital resistance options available on standard exercise bikes.
The Right Fit
Most exercise bikes come with just one adjustment: The seat adjusts up and down, on upright models, or forward and back on recumbent models. Because this adjustment is so simple, most exercise bikes can fit a wide variety of body types. Getting the right fit is important because it protects your knees, which should never bend sharper than 90 degrees as you pedal. Using the proper range of motion also ensures that you get the best workout; that's why mini bikes, which provide limited range of motion, provide a less than ideal workout. If the bike fits you, your legs will be fully extended but not locked at the knee, at the furthest-away point of the pedaling motion.
Resistance
If you work out regularly, your legs get stronger quickly and your heart and lungs, which provide oxygen to keep your leg muscles going, work more efficiently. A stationary bike only provides a good workout if it has enough resistance levels to challenge your continually increasing abilities. If the bike has digital resistance, look for a model with 10 or more resistance levels. If the bike has direct-tension manual-adjust resistance, try the various resistance levels and make sure that there's a wide enough range to continue challenging you as you develop.
Dual-Action Bikes
Almost all exercise bikes offer a lower-body-only workout. But a few, called dual-action models, offer moving upper-body handlebars much like those you'd find on an elliptical trainer. From one perspective, these handles do provide a better workout: They activate your chest, back, arm and shoulder muscles, thus burning more calories and placing more stress on your cardiovascular system. But although this type of exercise builds upper-body endurance, don't mistake it for a strength-training workout. You should still weight train to build upper-body strength.
Intensity
Even the best exercise bike can't give you a good workout on its own; you've got to use it. But sitting on the bike and pedaling idly isn't enough. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that to maintain good health and reduce risk of chronic disease, healthy adults should work out regularly at moderate to vigorous intensity. If you're trying to lose weight, a "good workout" usually means the most intense workout you can handle without burning yourself out. The harder you work, the more calories you burn and the more quickly you lose the weight. Your bike can't do anything about the workout intensity beyond providing resistance; how much and how hard you actually use it is up to you.
Member Comments