5 Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Recumbent Exercise Bike

Recumbent bikes suit fitness enthusiast who want to engage in low impact workouts. They are great for beginners and elderly people who are not after intense workouts provided by treadmills or ellipticals. These machines provide comfortable workouts without straining your lower back, hips, and knees.

Unluckily, some users don’t understand how to use a recumbent bike correctly; hence they miss its full potential. I have some 5 basic tips to help you get the most out of your recumbent bike.

1. Do A Warm Up:

Before you start using your recumbent bike, you can do a fast warm-up so that your body is ready for harder movements. This is important to ensure you don't experience muscle soreness and injuries. Your warm-ups can include squats, trunk rotation, leg swings, and lunges, taking around 5 minutes.

When you get on your bike, you can continue with the warm-ups by doing some light pedaling. Ride for about 5 minutes without resistance to boost blood circulation.

2. Seat Adjustment:

You need to fine-tune the seat of your recumbent bike so that it can accommodate your height. Ensure the pedals are a bit far from your legs to prevent bending too much on your torso while riding. However, the pedals should be close to help you get comfortable rides. Seat adjustment takes only a few seconds, and proper adjustment will ensure you get effective workouts.

Read Also: 10 Best Folding Exercise Bikes Reviews & 5 Best Spin Bikes Reviews

3. Proper Position:

You need to maintain a proper workout position regardless of the workout equipment you are using. A bad posture can cause injuries, imbalance, or strain your body. While exercising on a recumbent bike, your back should lie against the backrest to help you maintain a straight posture. The bikes have handlebars on the side, which are optional to use.

4. Select Resistance:

Recumbent bikes allow you to change the resistance level for engaging workouts. You can engage in a simple to more difficult workout when you adjust the resistance. It is crucial to choose a resistance level equivalent to your strength to get the most from your workouts.

Start with lower resistance levels and increase the resistance gradually. If you start with a higher resistance, you will feel tired prematurely hence reduce the time you spend on the bike.

5. Entertain Yourself:

Recumbent bikes allow you to exercise and still entertain yourself. During your training sessions, you can find some distractions, so cycling won't feel monotonous. You can choose to watch TV, read a book, listen to music, or anything that will keep you busy when exercising. However, you should not allow the distraction to take over your workouts.

Recumbent Exercise Bike Benefits

Recumbent bikes are comfortable to use because they have a larger seat with cushion. You can also customize the seat to meet your workout goals. You will also benefit from a recumbent bike in the following ways:

  • They give the best lower back support to help you get a better posture than when riding an upright exercise bike.
  • Recumbent bikes are gentle on your joints hence suitable for elderly, people with injuries, and chronic pain. 
  • The bikes give you a balanced position, so you don't need to steady yourself on the bike.
  • You can work out longer on a recumbent bike because they are comfortable and easier to use.
  • You can work out at any convenient time in your house without minding the weather.
  • Recumbent bikes are ideal for people with more weight capacity compared to upright bikes.
  • These bikes allow you to control the resistance to incline to mimic riding a bike on hills.
  • The seat and the backrest offer comfort, so you will not experience back pain or soreness.
  • Suitable for muscle strengthening and cardio workouts.

Final Words:

Recumbent bikes provide safe and comfortable workouts. These bikes offer great cardiovascular and lower body workouts without putting pressure on your body. On top of that, the bikes are easy to access and ideal for people of all skill levels.

If you have been using your recumbent bike wrongly, I hope the above 5 tips will help you get the most from your bike. Follow the tips, and you will achieve successful workouts and strengthen your body muscles.

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