Exercise Bike
Exercise Bike
If you have ever been to a Gym, then must have seen stationary bikes(also known as exercise bike).
It is a great piece of fitness equipment which is becoming very popular among people now-a-days.
Whether you working in gym or doing cardio exercises in home, exercise bike is the best option to go for in many cases.
Benefits of Exercise Bike
Whether you are cycling indoors or outdoors, it’s one of the best cardiovascular workouts you can do. stationary cycling improves your joint mobility and builds leg strength. It’s also easy to do since exercise bike balance themselves.
like running cycling will strengthen your heart, increase your endurance and burn some serious calories. This makes it a great option for those who want to improve overall health, train indoors and lose weight.
But unlike running on a treadmill or sidewalk, cycling on a stationary exercise bike is low impact. Not only will your heart thank you your joints will too. Cycling also improves your knees mobility. This is why many rehabilitation programs use stationary cycles.
the motion of cycling is good for cartilage in your knees, which prevents deterioration, plus the range of motion is functional means you actually use it in everyday life.
Using an exercise bike will also build leg strength. whether you want to improve your athletic performance or simply move around more easily, it begins with the legs, the more intense the resistance the hardier likes will work.
Finally, one of the best parts about stationary bikes is how easy they are to use. You could work out while you watch tv, read or listen to music with a wide variety of features and price points you’re bound to find the exercise bike that works for you.
Some of the key benefits includes -
- It makes the heart strong.
- It increases your Lung capacity
- It helps lower the bad cholesterol
- Helps control Type 2 diabetes
- Helps reduce body fat
- Build your leg muscles and strengthen the lower body.
How To Choose An Exercise Bike ??
When choosing which exercise bike is right for you there are three types to consider.
Upright Bike: This is the traditional bike with a conventional cycling position. it’s compact and delivers a good cardiovascular workout.
Recumbent Bike: This style has you sitting in a reclined position. these may be more comfortable for long periods but your legs will have to work a little harder to peddle. They are ideal for users who have back problems or overweight or those recovering from illness or injury.
Spin Bike: While these may lack in features and comfort, they certainly make up for in the results that they can deliver. perfect for fat burning interval training and high intensity fitness workouts. Spinning bikes are ideal for the keen fitness enthusiast
Things to check for before purchasing an Exercise bike
Budget:
There are various category of exercise bikes available in the market in different price range. Based on your budget you can look for the bike that will be best for you.
Requirement:
This is an important factor while you are planning to purchase an exercise bike. You should knowing what’s your requirement upfront. Whether you are going to use it occasionally or on daily basis. Take the appropriate decision based on your requirement.
Resistance:
To provide a varied and challenging workout a bike needs to have the ability to change the resistance on the pedals. It is required, because it will make your exercise challenging and keeps you motivated as you move along. So always prefer the bike that comes with different resistance level.
Programs:
Aside from spinning type bikes, most models will have built in programs where the resistance will automatically adjust to vary your workouts and keep you motivated. Higher level exercise bikes may also have heart rate control programs. which will adjust resistance according to your heart rate to keep you in the most of effective training zone.
Space:
Remember if in doubt, always measure the space you have available to make sure that your chosen will fit.
Riding position:
Adjustability is an important feature to ensure the correct riding position not just the comfort for injury prevention too. Most bikes should allow you to adjust the seat to the right height and some just back and forth. Handlebar adjustment is also available on certain models.
Durability:
This is major factor, that you need to know before making a purchase decision. The fact is that you won’t be able to know how durable the bike is unless you start using it for couple of months. So my suggestion here would be to go for top brands and existing user’s review.
Warranty:
Most branded exercise bikes provides good warranty. Generally the warranty is divided in to 3 parts like warranty on frame, parts, electronics, wear items. Most of the reputed brands provides 2-5 years warrenty on the frame, 6 month to 1 year on the parts and electronics.
Upright Vs Recumbent Which One is suitable for you
From the design stand point, Upright bike is more like an outdoor bike. The paddles are right below your feet and the handle bars are in front of you. So it’s gonna give you an upright posture while cycling.
Whereas recumbent bike on the other side comes with a different kind of design. Here the paddles are away from you, handle bars kept little far from the body, which kind of makes an reclined angle for your leg. Along with that there would a back support here.Which can be very helpful while riding the bike for long duration or especially if you have any back problems.
So the bottom line here is if you don’t have any knee or back problems and you need to more intense cardio workout, then you should probably go for the Upright Bike. But if are an elderly person, if you are suffering from any back pain or you have a bad knees, then you should probably consider the Recumbent exercise bike.