Exercise Bike

With the hectic schedules people have these days, it can be hard to find time to make it to a gym for a workout. One solution is to move the gym to your house - or at least parts of it. Keeping in mind the key areas of a workout you want to work on - cardio and strength, you should have weights or resistance of some kind for strength, and equipment to improve cardio fitness. For over all ease of use and a great cardio benefit, you would be hard pressed to come up with any better pieces of equipment than an exercise bike. Also called stationary bikes, an exercise bike is similar to its cousins, road bikes or just plain old bicycles, except for one major difference, they don't go anywhere. This article aims to explore different aspects of an exercise bike and how you can benefit from it.

The Workout Benefits Of Exercise Bike Equipment

The workout benefits obtained from exercise bike equipment is tremendous. Compared to a treadmill for example, exercise bikes are very low impact. Great news for anyone that suffers from knee problems. The disadvantage of not working your upper body has been answered with bars or handles you hold on to that move as you pedal, giving your arms and upper body a workout at the same time. Exercise bikes are unmatched for burning calories, raising your heart rate, and giving you a great aerobic workout. There are 2 basic styles of exercise bikes. Each has its good and bad points, and there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing which route to go.

Upright Or Recumbent?

The two types of exercise bikes are the upright and recumbent exercise bike. The upright exercise bike is the most similar to the type of bike you probably have sitting in your garage. The seat is above the pedals, and you pedal the same as you would on a normal bike. The resistance on the wheel can be increased or decreased according to what level of fitness you are at. The higher end stationary bikes have all sorts of fancy do-dads to keep track of miles traveled, calories burned, and so forth. If you have limited space, this is probably the type of exercise bike you want, as they have a much smaller footprint than a recumbent exercise bike. A recumbent bike has you sit in a seat with your legs out in front in a reclined position. This arrangement makes for a seemingly easier workout, but don't be fooled! The workout is no less intense, and recumbents subject you to less impact than the uprights. Many higher end recumbents have monitors that actually show a simulated race or ride to really allow you to "get into it".

Shopping For Exercise Bikes

When shopping for an exercise bike or exercise bike equipment there are a few points to consider. Try to steer away from lower end bikes. The money you save will soon be forgotten when things start going wrong with it. And as discussed previously, have an idea where you plan to store your exercise bike. A recumbent exercise bike takes up much more room than its upright counterpart.

Exercise Bike | Exer-cycle-links |