If you like to bicycle but also want a good upper body workout, you may be interested in finding the best rowing machine bike. This new type of home exercise equipment has some excellent benefits, such as adding variety to your exercise program and simultaneously working both upper and lower body muscles.
Benefits
A stationary bicycle usually only gives your lower body a good workout. Your lower body -- glutes, quads and calves -- receive ample exercise when you pedal, but your upper body -- arms, shoulders and back -- receive little muscle development on a bicycle. However, with a rowing machine bike, you can work all of these muscles. You have the capabilities of a full recumbent bicycle plus those of a complete rowing machine.
Burn Double the Calories
A rowing machine bike is the best of both worlds. You don't need the space for two separate exercise machines, yet your body can get the benefits of both types of workouts. It is also low impact, so you won't over-stress your muscles and ligaments. Plus, you can burn twice the calories by working both the upper and lower body at the same time. A rowing machine bike can burn excess body fat and tone muscles.
Shop for a Quality Rower Bike
When you go shopping for the best rowing machine bike, look for quality steel parts that will hold up under daily use. The foot pads should be large and stable, and the seat should offer lower lumbar support. Quality machines feature various monitoring sensors that allow you to track the biological effects of your exercise session. The best type of wheel provides magnetic resistance when you row or bike. This means you can exercise at variable speeds and the machine itself will be very quiet. On less expensive machines, the faster you go, the louder the noise you make.
Indoor Bike Rowers
All rowing machine bikes used indoors or outdoors are recumbents. This means they have a comfortable, chair-like seat and your legs are stretched out horizontally to the foot pedals, not vertically as in the traditional stationary bicycle. Most indoor rowing machine bikes change from a bike to a rower and vice-versa simply by inserting or removing a single pin. You can row one day and bike the next or do both in the same workout. The best rowing machine bikes use magnetic resistance and have several different levels of intensity. Most also have a display monitor which gives you the stats of your workout, such as speed, time, distance and how many calories are burned.
Outdoor Rowing Machine Bikes
Should you want to take to the road with your rowing machine bike, you can find outdoor models to meet your needs. Outdoor rowing machine bikes are similar to outside recumbent bicycles, but the pedals move back and forth rather than turning. You move the wheels by pulling back and forth on what would be called the handle bars on a conventional bicycle. While pushing the pedals forward, you pull the handlebar towards your body -- like rowing a boat on top of bike wheels. You can get slick racing tires or ones with more tread for dirt road cycling. Outdoor rowing machine bikes can give you the thrill of uphill climbs and downhill speed. If you get good enough at it, you can enter row bike events, which are held around the world.
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