Vigorous indoor cycling is one of the most common aerobic exercise routines. The joint-safe exercise cycle also enjoys incredible overall health results, including increased lung capacity, endurance and heart health. Over time, you will be surprised to find that an indoor exercise bike is equally convincing in burning a lot of calories, enhancing core strength and developing a highly toned body. From simple dumbbells to more complex home workout equipment, no matter which fitness exercise equipment is, if you want to make the most of your daily exercise and get the most benefits, you need to develop a plan that covers all the basics. For cycling exercise bike, the first step should be to determine the right exercise cycle investment, such as recumbent or upright exercise bike. This article aims to provide you with some basic points to quickly distinguish between upright and recumbent exercise bikes. You can follow these tips to choose the one you like, and ensure that you are accompanied by a fruitful and fun indoor cycling exercise course on the way to your ideal goal of health and fitness.
Difference between upright and recumbent bike
1 - Support Back
The upright exercise bike is similar to a standard outdoor road bike. The seat position and size of this fitness spin bike are small and there is no back support, which means you have to sit upright and hold the handlebars during cycling workout, which is why this exercise equipment got the name. In addition, its pedals are below the center of gravity, so you often have to keep your body slightly forward in order to reach it. In contrast, a recumbent stationary exercise bike has a chair-like comfortable backrest that provides excellent support for your back and helps you form a more natural sitting posture. Moreover, the front pedal can be easily reached, making your body feel more stable when tilting on the fitness gym machine without feeling any pressure at all.
2 - Exercised Muscles
Generally speaking, indoor bicycle fitness as a whole-body exercise, whether it is a recumbent or upright exercise bike, can exercise a large number of body muscles, such as hamstrings, tibialis anterior muscles, calf muscles and gluteal muscles. But upright bicycles will pay more attention to quadriceps, while recumbent bicycles use both quadriceps and hamstrings, and may also involve more gluteus maximus as well. However, because recumbent exercise bikes do not need to hold the handlebars and provide a stable riding environment, the core and lower back muscles involved are less exercised, and they are more inclined to strictly participate in the lower body. The seat of an upright exercise bike requires more balance than a recumbent bike. This requires you to always maintain your own posture to maintain your body stability when riding, not just a seated pedaling posture. This also naturally allows them to use more muscles and use different muscles.
3 - Calories Burned
Both of these smart exercise bikes have great potential in terms of calorie output. But combined with the previous point of in-depth research, you can find that because the upright gym bike can exercise more muscles to output more energy, the upright fitness bike will thus have a more obvious effect on the fat burning ability than the indoor recumbent bike. However, the truth is that calorie loss largely depends on the intensity and duration of the exercise. Choose a pro fitness exercise bike that you will continue to work hard for a long time. Then a recumbent bike for home can be as amazing as a recumbent bike.
Tips to Get the Choice
* Target setting
Due to the different characteristics of these two home cycling machines, the training parts are also not the same, so if you can determine your ultimate goal, it will speed you up to make the right choice. If for you, having fun and challenging yourself is all you need, then you don't need to worry too much at all, these two small indoor exercise bikes can definitely meet your needs. If you are looking for more high energy consumption, after riding an upright bike for a period of time, you will be able to notice your toned core and lower body in front of the mirror. If low-impact exercise to maintain a healthy life is enough, let the comfortable recumbent stationary bike take you to discover new possibilities.
* Injury Awareness
The risks faced by different people also need to be considered in the selection phase. You don't want to get injured before you start riding. I would recommend a home stationary bike for those who like to ride a bicycle for full-body exercise and those who don't have back problems. As I just told you, the upright cycling equipment can more accurately imitate the outdoor riding experience to get as much investment as possible, and then achieve more muscle training. It is a perfect indoor workout choice. However, if you prefer comfort to aerobic exercise or if you are a beginner, just recovering from an injury, and have back or joint pain, then consider recumbent bikes more. As I said, they will help you burn the same amount of calories as an upright bicycle without worrying about injuries caused by cycling.
Regardless of age and fitness level, cycling is an activity for everyone. So, try to make good use of the time you spend lying on the sofa at home and playing with your mobile phone. Separate a little of this time to add to the best indoor exercise bike exercise plan. Although the recumbent stationary exercise bike and the upright cycling are slightly different in some parts, it is undeniable that they are both good low-impact home fitness equipment for cardiovascular exercise, and the same in shaping your body as well as maintaining health in the right way. In the final analysis, as long as you are determined to move and stick to a realistic and trackable fitness plan that includes the application of suitable home workout equipment that suits your lifestyle, you will surely achieve your fitness goals in the near future.
