While you automatically work your legs daily just from walking around, your arms and upper body might be slightly ignored. Here's where an arm pedal exerciser comes in. These devices, which sit right on your tabletop, give you an upper body workout that's as easy or intense as you choose.
Basics
The premise is pretty simple. You sit with the arm pedal exerciser in front of you and use your hands to rotate the pedals. Many of them also double as leg pedal exercisers, as long as you move them to the floor. Some are all metal, with two bars as the legs and the pedals propped up in the middle. Others feature a thick plastic center that houses the turning mechanism. All have the pedals sticking out the side.
Additional Features
In addition to its double use as both an arm or leg exerciser, arm pedal exercisers often come with a host of other features. Most have a way to adjust the resistance, for tougher or easier pedaling. Some include digital readouts that gauge your distance and speed. Others have straps on the pedals to keep your hands in place. Prices in December 2010 range from about $30 to $100 or more, depending on the style and features you choose.
Why You'd Want One
Pedaling your arms gives you a cardiovascular workout that increases your heart rate, burns calories and builds up upper body endurance, ACE Fitness notes. You'll also tone your arms and boost your upper body strength. Arm pedaling is especially useful for rehabilitation or people with lower body disabilities or injuries.
The Big Guns
Arm pedal exercisers are moving from your tabletop into the gym, ACE Fitness reports, with a heavy duty arm pedal workout called Kranking. The Krankcycle, which sells for more than $2,000, has all the benefits of the smaller arm pedal exercisers but on a much more intense scale. The machine features its own bench attached to a pedal-like crank for your arms.
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