Recumbent Exercise Bikes, commonly known as recumbent bikes, offer something impressive that majority of fitness equipment cannot even imagine of offering. And, it’s the perfect blend of convenience and utmost efficiency. There are a bunch of adjectives that you can always see people using when they start to talk about recumbent exercise bikes. In comparison with actual biking, they are pretty convenient, safe and you can do it all from at the comfort of your bedroom or a gym, for that matter. You might have various targets in your mind, such as weight-loss or getting in shape. We also know a lot of people who use recumbent biking as a regular form of workout.
Regardless of the specific purpose, though, there are a few recommended ways to use a recumbent bike. If you don’t follow those steps, there will be serious health and inefficiency problems too. It’s a different story if you are looking forward to get the best results from a recumbent exercise bike. There are a few tips as well as habits that can help you extensively. In this article, we have created a complete checklist you can follow. In this short guide, we’ve talked about the efficient practices, tricks and more. Shall we start, then?
First we will have a look at some useful habits to follow while riding a recumbent bike, okay?
#1 Create the Optimal Workout Environment
It’s already clear that recumbent bikes are relatively more comfortable to use than other machines. But, it’s your job to make sure that you use the comfort-oriented features offered in the equipment. First of all, you can start with the seats. The recumbent bike seats should be set and adjusted to offer you the best angle of workout. Before you start riding the bike, make sure that your leg is in a comfortable position at all the angles of the cycle rotation. Otherwise, a workout can cause you more harm than good. It should also be made sure that your back receives enough support from the cushions and padding. These things are essential if you are planning to achieve great fitness goals.
#2 Dynamic Stretches Are Must Before You Start Riding the Bike
Once you start working out on a recumbent bike, there aren’t many movements that you actually make. It’s not really a good thing if we take a long-term view of things. More importantly, when you are riding the bike, multiple muscles are engaged in the process. Suppose the muscles aren’t loose enough. Then, there’s a great chance that you can end up having some serious injuries with muscles, especially those of legs. It’s the reason why dynamic stretches are recommended before recumbent bike workouts. Your body should move in quite a thorough manner and the muscles should become loose. It actually has a positive on the total output of a workout session.
#3 Select and Optimize Resistance According to Your Needs
Resistance of the machine is what determines the effectiveness of your recumbent bike workout. If you don’t know the working process of a recumbent bike, understand this: the selected resistance can make the biking experience tougher or easier. That is, if the machine has a higher resistance, you need to apply more force to make a cycle rotation. Depending upon your fitness goals and capabilities, you can gradually increase the level of resistance. If you are entirely new into the world of recumbent bike workout, it’s recommended to start from somewhere easy. You should, however, never forget to reset your maximum levels in the way. At the end of the day, if you need changes in your body, your heart should feel the work-out.
#4 Multi-Tasking While Cycling is a Good Thing
As you would have guessed, recumbent bike riding can be a not-so-conscious task. You don’t have to be that concentrated while you’re using the equipment. There are a few different options you may have, depending on the recumbent bike you have purchased. You can either engage in something like reading a magazine or using your phone. Or, if the machine has some in-built entertainment system, it’s a good thing to use that. It makes sense because you can reduce the strain that you put on your body. We mean, you already are in a comfortable position, thanks to the design that supports your back. Moreover, if you are planning a lengthy workout, this would help there too.
#5 Set Up Exercise Goals and Durations
Just like any other fitness machine, recumbent bikes also want you to have certain goals when you start the journey. As a matter of fact, you should give more importance to dedicating a certain amount for work-out, rather than trying out versatile goals. Here, you can be a bit more specific with the help of your physician or fitness instructor. Generally speaking, it’s recommended to spend at least 30 minutes a day riding the bike. While it’s ultimately great if you can do it all days a week, at least 5 days should be on your schedule. If you want to maintain health on a regular basis, even the low-end workouts should be enough. Instead, if you like to lose weight, it’s recommended to make the start from a somewhat higher point.
#6 Ensuring the Comfortable Form and Taking Timely Intervals
In the first point, we talked about how you can create a healthy environment for the workout, by placing the body parts in the right angles. It also should be noted that you must maintain the same form during entire workout. Otherwise, you may end up having some injuries, which aren’t a good thing. Also, no matter what you are working for or how hard your fitness goals are, there should be regular intervals. Your body is not made to work like hell for an unlimited amount of time. So, when you think you’re giving it too much pressure or stress, that’s when you understand the value of a break. These two are basically some health tips you can follow for your own good.
We don’t really know how many of these tips you will follow, but all of them would help you in a way or another. Do you have any other noteworthy tips for using recumbent bikes in an effective manner and to get the best output? We are eager to hear from you. Check out recumbent bike reviews!