A high-quality bicycle is quite expensive, and besides, in bad weather, in rain or snow, you won’t be able to ride it much. And this is where a simulator comes to the rescue, which will completely replace it, providing the same advantages: it will help you lose excess weight, develop endurance and relieve nervous tension. The efficiency and benefits are comparable to a treadmill, but an exercise bike takes up much less space in the apartment and does not put as much strain on the joints, so people of different ages and levels of athletic training can exercise on it.
Exercise bike training helps:
strengthen various muscle groups, but primarily the lumbar back and legs,
improve blood circulation throughout the body,
increase stress resistance,
provide the necessary physical activity during prolonged sedentary work,
save time on sports, as training takes place at home,
have a positive effect on the state of the cardiovascular system and respiratory organs,
exercises on a stationary bike do not load the vestibular system as much as cycling,
You can exercise both before and after strength training.
Basic steps in choosing an exercise bike
Deciding on goals
Depending on what you want to achieve by exercising on an exercise bike, you need to choose the model that will provide the maximum effect. Of course, you can achieve excellent results in everything with an expensive sports equipment, but if you intend to buy a model that is not overloaded with a large number of functions, we will look in detail at the characteristics of exercise bikes in order to immediately eliminate unsuitable options. So, which exercise bike is better to choose for your home or apartment?
Here are some examples:
The goal is to prevent diseases, improve the condition of the heart and blood vessels, restore motor activity after injury or stroke, combat varicose veins, and strengthen the respiratory system. In this case, you need to choose an exercise bike with an accurate cardio sensor, a convenient load adjustment system and a function for saving the current parameters of sports exercises.
The goal is to increase overall tone, relieve psychological and physical stress after a hard day at work. In such a situation, you need to choose sports equipment with a smooth pedal stroke. Additional functions of the exercise bike, such as the ability to select a preset program or develop your own, watch videos or play your favorite music, will make your workouts more emotionally enjoyable.
The goal is to lose excess weight and intensively load the leg muscles. To do this, choose an exercise bike with an accurate heart rate monitor, a large range of adjustment of the load level and a large flywheel weight, providing effective and long-term anaerobic training, rather than short and intense ones.
Let's look at the main characteristics
The user sits in a chair, grabs the steering wheel and turns the pedals. The force with which you need to press the pedals, and therefore the effectiveness of sports activities, depends on the weight of the flywheel and its braking system.
What are the different loading systems for exercise bikes?
Belt system. The flywheel is slowed down by a belt that wraps around it. Using a special handle, you can adjust the tension of the belt, increasing or decreasing the resistance. The advantages of such sports equipment include easy operation, low price and independence from the power source. Among the minuses, it is worth noting a rather high noise level during exercise, uneven pedal travel, rapid wear of the brake system, and a poorly informative display. This type of belt exercise bike is chosen for general strengthening exercises.
- Shoe (inertial system). In this case, the flywheel is braked due to friction against special pads - the stronger the friction, the higher the load. The amount of force is controlled manually. The advantage of this method is that the sensations are closer to real driving; you can choose from a wide range of loads that are suitable for trained people. Disadvantages: high noise level during sports exercises, more complex repairs and maintenance of the exercise bike.
- Magnetic system. The design of the system is similar to that of a block, but the flywheel of an exercise bike is slowed down not by blocks, but by permanent magnets that move closer or further away from it after turning a special handle. Due to the absence of rubbing parts, noise during exercise is significantly reduced, and the service life is extended by 2-4 times. In addition, the advantages of magnetic exercise bikes include affordable cost, smooth pedaling and a wide range of load level selection (in most cases up to 6-8 levels), an informative on-board computer and independence from a network connection. The only downside is that it is more difficult to repair.
- Aerodynamic system. A mechanical type of load regulation, operating due to resistance to air flow. Among the advantages it is worth mentioning the affordable cost, the ability to choose the load within a wide range. The downside is a fairly high noise level during operation.
What are the types of exercise bikes?
Upright exercise bikes. In terms of key components and connections, they are almost completely identical to a regular bicycle and will replace it 100%: the athlete sits on the seat, and the pedals are located under him. Thanks to this, upright exercise bikes are compact and ideal for sports activities at home. The position of the saddle is selected by adjusting the height (up and down) or horizontally (forward and backward). The advantages of vertical exercise machines include the familiarity of training, simulating cycling, and the effectiveness of exercises that use almost all the muscles of the lower half of the body. This exercise bike is chosen for intense workouts when you need to quickly lose weight and work out your gluteal muscles and thighs. The downside is increased stress on the joints and back.
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Recumbent exercise bikes. Initially, such sports equipment was used for medicinal purposes for rehabilitation exercises, but they soon gained popularity among athletes as an alternative to the leg press. During classes, the user sits reclining in a chair, and the pedals of the horizontal exercise bike are moved forward under the handlebars. The saddle is adjusted horizontally (closer or further from the saddle), and in models of the middle and high price segment it is possible to select the position of the backrest. Such models are recommended for overweight people with back, joint or cardiovascular problems. Elderly people and pregnant women can also practice. The disadvantages are large dimensions, weight and cost.
There are also portable exercise bikes, consisting only of a pedal unit without a steering wheel and a seat, as well as hybrid models that can be transformed from vertical to horizontal mode by adjusting the position of the seat.
Choosing a home exercise bike by parameters
Weight and maximum load of the exercise bike
The greater the weight of the athlete, the more massive and durable the design of the exercise bike should be. It is recommended to add 15-20% to the user’s weight so that the simulator does not wear out. For example, if a person weighs 80 kg, it is necessary to choose sports equipment designed for a load of about 95 kg. If the device is used by several users, then the calculation of the load when choosing an exercise bike should be done based on the heaviest athlete. For intense workouts, you should buy a more massive model, because lightweight exercise bikes are unstable and will sway during exercise, which will reduce the quality and effectiveness of the exercise.
Room dimensions
When choosing an exercise bike, it is imperative to evaluate the free space in the room where the classes will take place. If the room is not too spacious, then it is better to choose a portable or vertical model. The size of exercise bikes of this type is much more compact than horizontal ones.
Exercise bike flywheel weight
The number of different degrees of load and the smoothness of the pedals directly depend on this parameter, so the heavier the flywheel, the more functional the exercise bike. For home training, it is not recommended to choose sports equipment with a flywheel weight of less than 5 kg. Conventionally, three categories of exercise bikes can be distinguished: a flywheel weighing 7-9 kg is optimal for a beginner, 9-14 kg for an amateur, and a professional will need a model weighing more than 15 kg. There is a category of especially durable exercise bikes that are chosen for the most intense exercise - spin bikes (cycles). They are equipped with super-heavy flywheels weighing 20-25 kg, thanks to which they perfectly simulate riding a regular bicycle.
Built-in programs
Almost all exercise bikes have preset programs designed for various types of training and obtaining a specific result: quick weight loss, pumping muscles, cardio exercises and others. Most mid- and premium-class models provide the ability to create your own program, which is stored in the computer’s memory, and in some exercise bikes you can record up to four different workout options for each family member.
Popular programs:
for quick calorie consumption – aimed at actively burning calories through long-term exercise with constant low load,
to a given distance – determines the distance traveled and after completion the system gives a sound signal or reports this with an inscription on the screen,
for a specific time – allows you to set the selected training time on the exercise bike,
with maintaining a constant heart rate - the load automatically changes to maintain the heart rate at the selected level,
with maintaining constant effort - regardless of the speed of rotation of the exercise bike pedals, the load level remains at the same level,
fitness assessment – based on the time the heart rate returns to normal, it allows you to assess the speed of recovery of the body after exercise on an exercise bike,
Body-Fat – estimates the percentage of fat tissue in the athlete’s body,
cardio training – the exercise bike program is aimed at improving the condition of the cardiovascular system and respiratory organs by actively saturating the body with oxygen.
Information display
A portable computer located on the handlebars of the exercise bike displays data on the distance traveled, current load level, speed and time of exercise, calories burned, heart rate and other information. Using the control buttons, exercise modes are selected.
Cardiac sensors
To track body parameters while playing sports, you should choose exercise bikes with heart rate sensors. Sensors are most often built into handles, but can sometimes give incorrect readings, for example, if your hands are sweaty. More accurate measurements are made by cardiac sensors, which are connected to the exercise bike computer by wires (optionally, a clip attached to the earlobe), or wirelessly - in the form of a fingertip or suction cup, transmitting heart rate data via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Those who regularly play sports, as well as professional athletes, often choose chest-mounted heart rate monitors that synchronize with a fitness bracelet, watch or smartphone.
Exercise bike power type
Belt, magnetic and inertial exercise bikes do not require power and can be used for exercise of any intensity. Connection to the network is necessary only for sports equipment with an electromagnetic load system, but they also have wider functionality. The display of exercise bikes is usually powered by batteries (for mechanical models) or from the mains (for electromagnetic ones).
Popular brands of exercise bikes
There are, of course, differences in the functionality of exercise bikes from different manufacturers, but the general principle of operation is the same for all models. The most popular brands are: Body Sculpture, HouseFit, SportElit, Sundays, Carbon Fitness, Bronze Gym, Armed, Atlas Sport.
It cannot be said unequivocally that the exercise bikes of these companies are better than lesser-known manufacturers, but the brand is some guarantee of quality. In addition, it is worth reading online for tips on choosing an exercise bike and reviews of certain models. The world's leading manufacturers present various lines of sports equipment, so it is possible to easily choose the desired option in terms of functionality, design and cost. When deciding how to choose an exercise bike for your home, it is better to focus not so much on the name of the manufacturer, but on the specific characteristics of the model and the goals that you want to achieve as a result of sports exercises.
