Stationary Bike Exercise Benefits – Fat Burn, Cardio, and Muscle Tone

A stationary bike can be effective for making and maintaining a healthier body. These bikes are ideal for improving cardio, burning fat, and for toning muscle. Because of this, we are going to discuss stationary bike exercise benefits.
This piece of equipment is inexpensive, compact, safe, and easy to use. We are going to talk about the ways that this bike can be beneficial to your fitness program along with the different types available depending on your physical goals.
Stationary Bike Exercise Benefits
The benefits of an exercise bike come with high rewards. When used properly and consistently, they are extremely effective in improving full body health as well as improving physical performance in other activities.
⊕ Increases cardio fitness
⊕ Lose weight by burning more fat
⊕ Easy on the joints
⊕ Tones and strengthens muscles
⊕ Great way to incorporate “interval training“
⊕ Convenience
⊕ Best Equipment for a home gym
⊕ Safety
Increases Cardio Fitness
Ideally, this is what we all want since cardio health comes with such incredible benefits.
Besides living longer, improved cardio from biking will bring you stronger lungs, heart, and even brainpower.
Other benefits include improving your blood flow include lower blood pressure, better sleep, stronger immune system, better mood, lower stress, and bring up energy levels in general.
Unfortunately, cardio activities can be difficult and not always fun, but they can be life-changing.
Lose Weight by Burning More Fat
I don’t know anyone that’s not interested in becoming more toned. There are many ineffective, expensive ways advertised for losing weight.
However, this one is a 100% proven method for weight loss that keeps it off long term.
It is important to eat a healthy diet, but including 30 minutes of cardio a day on an exercise bike will burn fat like nothing else.
You could burn 200-300 calories in a half-hour of biking. An intense hour could bring you up to a 1000 calorie burn!
A stationary bike is the best exercise to burn calories. Yet another excellent benefit for weight loss and bicycling is that your body will continue to burn calories for hours after you finish.
Easy on Joints
Compared to other cardiovascular exercises, cycling is one of the easiest ones on your joints. A low impact exercise like this will actually improve joint and bone strength rather than hinder it.
This is extremely important since the majority of people will have some sort of knee problem during the course of their life. Anything that you can do to reduce these chances is highly recommended.
Recovery from Injury
Speaking of low impact and easy on the joints, a stationary bike is one of the best pieces of equipment to help the body recover from various physical issues.
This type of bike can slowly build muscle depending and can be adjusted during recovery using the proper resistance. If you experience back problems, it’s the best way too get a leg workout without aggravating the spine.
Body Tone and Muscle Strength
You may have noticed that cyclists have amazing legs. Cycling on a stationary bike will grow your glutes, quads, and calves.
The secondary muscle groups that are worked include the back, hamstrings, and leg abductors.
Having stronger back, legs, and calves will have strong functional benefits when performing other daily activities.
If using an air bike with the handles, you will be using the upper body, therefore, getting a full body workout.
Interval Training
Trainers encourage interval training because it’s a great way to get into peak shape. This is done by combining short bursts of energy as well as longer intervals. Mixing this up will burn more calories and build up cardio fitness faster.
It’s easy to do this while on a road bike because of the terrain. You can also achieve this with a stationary bike as well because they come with options to control various resistance levels. This makes an exercise bike ideal for an interval training workout.
Other than taking a Hitt (high intensity interval training) class or a spinning class, a stationary bike is the most effective way to get this type of training.
Convenience
With a stationary bike, you can use it at any time of the day. This is very important since the best time of day to workout is when you have higher energy levels. Being able to take advantage of this timing will encourage more efficient use.
There is no need to get prepared for a workout, even if you are in your underwear. Being able to watch your favorite program or even learn something on Youtube makes a stationary exercise bike much more fun.
We could come up with a long list of benefits for the convenience factor time permitting.
Safety
The chance of being run over, falling, or biking farther than you meant to, is no longer an issue. An exercise bike workout is safe on the entire body including joints and feet.
⇒ If you have any questions or comments about the benefits of a exercise bike, please leave a message at the bottom.
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What To Look For In a Stationary Bike
A stationary bike an be a big investment for some, especially if you are serious about getting into shape. Be sure to check customer ratings and reviews to see what others think about a particular bike.
Comfort
If you are planning on going at it hard, comfort shouldn’t be the key selling point. In fact, you may be standing up pedaling a lot of the time.
However, if you are not in great shape, a little older, or just want to take it a bit easier be sure to look for comfort. The “recumbent” bikes are the best choice for this. They are leaned back and offer the body much more support.
Whichever type of bike you choose for comfort, it’s recommended to look for an adjustable, comfy seat and handlebar adjustments to accommodate your size.
Bike Computer
Most quality stationary bikes will come with a simple “bike computer” with an LCD screen with a few buttons. At the minimum, it needs to show your speed and distance. Other options include heart rate, calories burned, and lap time.
Some come with more options than you will ever use. A Bluetooth option to connect to the phone is nice to have. The manufacture may also provide a “phone app” that goes with Bluetooth to help you get the most out of your exercise program.
Think about what your fitness goals are when looking for bike speedometer/odometer options. Look at the reviews to make sure that the screen is easy to navigate since some can be difficult to learn how to use.
For Seniors
A stationary bike for seniors should be easy to get on and off of and have a more comfortable seat. As far as comfort, the “recumbent stationary bike” category is the most comfortable. A lighter bike that can be moved around easier maybe something to think about.
Since old folks may not be using their bike for intense exercise, they may not need the most expensive model in its category.
Tension Adjustments
This can be an important option depending on your goals. If the goal is to push your self as hard as possible, more tension will be required. You will also want one that adjusts the tension quickly and easily.
Some bikes use a magnetic resistance system or a belt system. Fan bikes use air as natural resistance and can become more difficult with speed.
Compactable
The best exercise bike for the home would be foldable or collapsible if you have limited space. You can still get one that is compact, but also good quality. At the very least, be sure to get one with wheels to easily move out of the way.
Price
The best exercise bike for the money depends on your personal exercise goals. If you are going hard, you will need a dual action fan bike or a bike for spinning. This will put you in a more expensive category.
If it is a starter bike or you don’t know how motivated you are going to be yet, look for a bargain. Keep in mind that with these exercise bikes you get what you pay for. The least expensive will not be as stable or durable.
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Types of Stationary Bikes
There are three main types of bikes, recumbent, upright, and dual action. Which one you choose depends on your workout goals.
Upright bike
This is the most popular type since it shaped like a standard bicycle and is a familiar design to most people.
It sits upright with adjustable tension and seat position but the handlebars are stationary.
This is what is used by gyms for spinning class so you can ride it while sitting down or standing up when you are pushing yourself harder.
You can get both a great cardio workout and strengthening the leg muscles with this design. At the same time, the upright bike is not made for comfort and usually has a less padded seat.
Recumbent bike
This type is similar to the upright bike but is designed for sitting in a more comfortable reclined position.
The seat is generally more padded as well. It isn’t made for an intense or full body workout.
However, it puts less stress on the lower back, upper body, and joints. This is because the body is in a more supported position.
To get more movement, there is also a recumbent exercise bike with arm workout.
A recumbent bike will enable one to exercise for longer periods of time and more comfortably. A recumbent bike is recommended for those that are less athletic, for seniors, or for those that have joint or back pain.
Find the Best Stationary Exercise Bikes For Seniors
Dual Action Bike
This one is my personal favorite, but it is by far the most exhausting. At the same time the pedals move, there are extensions for the arms that go back and forth for full arm movements.
This type of bike can bring faster, better results to get in shape since it is a taxing, full body workout.
It’s surprising how much more you will have to push your body and heart while using this. It will have your heart pumping, but its worth it.
The dual action bike design is usually an “air bike” where the fan in front moves to keep you cooler.
⇒ If you have any comments or questions on the different types of stationary exercise bikes, please leave a message at the bottom and I will respond.
See my Review on the Best Air Bike
Stationary Bike Vs Road Bike
Of course, there are pros and cons to both types of bikes. The Convenience factor is probably the biggest benefit to a stationary exercise bike over a road bike.
A personal negative with a road bike is time constraints and getting ready. Besides the weather needing to be ideal, there is a lot of preparation to go for a ride.
Tires always need to be topped off with air, it’s a must to have the proper amount of water, and headphones/phone needs to be charged. With an exercise bike, just turn on the TV and go, no matter what the time of day or the weather.
I love road bikes for the fresh air and nature (if you live in the country). However, there are many hazards besides the obvious one of getting in a wreck. Nowadays the most dangerous thing is every SUV driver on their phone. It only takes one time for you to be seriously injured.
Stationary Bike Exercise Benefits Conclusion
A stationary bike is an extremely effective and efficient method of exercise to get in and stay in shape.
The benefits of a exercise bike include stronger cardio health, burning more fat for weight loss, more muscle tone, stronger joints, and an overall healthier body.
Choose the type of bike that aligns with your physical goals. Some are made for an intense workout, others for comfort, and those that will work the full body.
The best exercise bikes will be sturdy, comfortable, adjustable, and come with a user friendly workout display.
If you have any questions or comments on stationary bike exercise benefits, please leave a message at the bottom and I will respond.
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