Advantages of Recumbent Exercise Bikes
- Recumbent bikes generally come with a comfortable bucket seat that includes a seat back to support your lower back. It allows you to sit with good posture, keeping your head and neck in a comfortable position while you exercise. Because the seat is larger, it is more comfortable for larger-frame athletes or overweight people just starting an exercise program. The tilted-back seat also is particularly kind to men who want to ride for long periods.
- Most recumbent bikes allow you to adjust the seat to fit your leg length. This allows you a full range of motion and takes some stress off your knees as you can extend your legs nearly fully.
- Because you pedal in a reclining position, there's no pounding to be absorbed by your feet, ankles, hips and lower back, another advantage that's especially meaningful for overweight beginners. In addition, the exercise position puts your feet more on the level of the rest of your body, which tends to extend the workout beyond the leg muscles and into the gluteal muscles in the buttocks for a more complete lower-body workout.
- For most people, exercise goals are fairly simple: burn calories and increase your fitness level. Setting the recumbent exercise bike to increasing levels of resistance allows you to gradually increase your fitness, and you'll burn more calories, too. Many recumbent exercise bikes are equipped with calorie counters, but as a general rule, you'll burn 275 to 300 calories during a 30-minute exercise bike workout.
- Choose a recumbent bike that offers a variety of programs. Beginning exercisers often cite boredom as a reason to let their exercise program lag. A variety of workouts presents different challenges, and you can build in easier days when you're tired.
- If you want an upper-body workout, keep some dumbbells handy. Because the riding position is so balanced, you can easily work in biceps curls, overhead presses and arm extensions as you ride.
- Of course, you can listen to music while using a recumbent bike. But the exercise position is comfortable enough that it's easy to watch TV or even read a book or a magazine while you pedal. The more entertained you are, the less you'll be focused on getting tired and you can work out longer.
