How to Make The Most From Your Recumbent Exercise Bike Workout

How to use recumbent bike effectively

So, you have your recumbent bike and starting using it. Good job! You are one step forward to get in better shape by burning calories in a comfortable and safe way.

But, do you really make the most from this marvelous fitness equipment?

I have seen many people using this machine inefficiently. They just sit on it and start pedaling for a long time at the same pace. Of course, after 10 minutes they have a bored face. If that is OK for you, just do it! But, there are many tricks you can do to maximize the outcome of your recumbent exercise bike workout to burn more fat and boost your endurance. Here they are.

Workout Suggestions

1. Warm Up and Stretch Before

This type of training is the same as others, so you should warm up and stretch before working out. This way you can avoid injuries, and your workout will be comfy and efficient from the beginning. It is important to increase the temperature of the muscles and loosen them up.

Since it is mainly a lower body workout, particularity pay attention to warm up and stretch your legs and hips. Hence, do some truck rotations, leg swings, squats, etc.

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2. Adjust the Seat

It seems to be obvious, but a lot of people just jump on the machine and start pedaling in an awkward position. That is not only uncomfortable but also inefficient since you cannot do the full range of motion correctly. How to adjust your seat? Slide it backward or forward until your leg on the far side pedal is slightly bend in the extended position.

3. Don’t Start Pedaling Like Mad

Even if you have warmed up and stretched before, your body is still not ready. If you have ever lifted weights, you know what I’m talking about. You do not start with heaviest weights, do you? So, start slowly. For 5-10 minutes pedal at a steady pace. After that, you can start raising the speed and the resistance.

4. Keep Proper Form

Another important thing for an efficient and comfortable workout, besides adjusting the seat, is to keep the proper form. The biggest mistake people usually do is that they lean forward. Don’t do it! You should keep your back straight and fix it to the back of the seat. If you find it hard to maintain the proper position, you can use the handles on the sides.

5. Pick The Right Resistance

One of the best features of the modern bikes that we can choose from many resistance levels. The problem is that users usually do not choose the right level. Typically, they pick too hard ones.

It is obvious, that the higher the resistance, the more difficult it is to pedal, so you leg muscles work harder making them stronger and larger. But because, you cannot pedal fast, your heart rate will not increase so much so you cannot burn as many calories.

The opposite is when the resistance is too low, so your leg muscles do not work as hard, but you will be able to pedal faster boosting your heart rate.

What is the best option?

From my experience, and also the studies suggest, the most effective training is when you change the resistance many times during your riding workout. So, for a period of time pedal at a light level and then switch to hard. And you do this switch several times during the training.

6. Change the Speed

A recumbent bike is an excellent equipment to do interval training. That means you mix very fast but short track with a longer but slower track. But, to get even better results, you can change the resistance level as well.

This way in shorter time you will be able to burn calories and your metabolism will be high hours after you finish your stationary bike workout plan.

Recumbent Exercise Bike Workout

Below you can find a few sample recumbent bike workout plan.

Recumbent bike weight loss plan | Credit: sparkpeople.com

And here is an intensive routine.

FAQ

What muscles does a recumbent bike work?

Well, it works mainly the muscles of the lower body such as your quads, hamstrings, calves, Tibilais Anterior, glutes and even your abs. But the best is that the gym bike workout develops your cardio and endurance.

Can you spin on a recumbent bike?

For that an upright stationary bike, that is specially designed for spinning, is a better option. However, you can pedal rather fast on a recumbent one as well.

Do exercise bikes work to lose weight?

Of course, but instead of cycling at a steady pace, it is far effective if you do high intensity interval training. That way you can burn fat faster. Also, this type of indoor cycling exercise routine has even better cardiovascular health benefits.

To sum up

Cardio workout the most beneficial for health, so it is recommended to have at least 30 minutes cardio every day. This bike is one of the best exercise equipment to get that amount of time at home no matter how old you are.

Plus, if you follow the tips above and you do interval workouts, and use it correctly, with the help of it, you can lose weight, boost your endurance and get stronger muscles. What about you? Do you use it? Do you have other tips? Comment below and share with us.

Related:

• Recumbent exercise bike vs upright bike
• Stationary bike workout for beginners
• Exercise bike workout for seniors

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Last update on 2023-01-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API