How to Use the Stationary Bike

I have a stationary bike (upright) that I love to use. It is called a Fit Desk. I ordered it from Amazon and it has an attached foam(styro??) desk that can be removed. It has a mileage calculator with all the hoopla. It also has a intensity dial. I got it about a year ago and use it all the time. It cost about $100-150 including shipping. The company is very responsive also.
Just saying.... - 4/16/2013 9:15:44 PM

I love my recumbent bike - I can ride like the wind - 10/16/2012 11:15:14 AM

sone helpful information. thanks - 2/18/2011 6:41:28 AM

Feel like I'm missing something really basic here - how can you NOT lean forward on a stationary bike? You wouldn't be able to hold the handle bars without leaning forward. Anyway, at the moment (I weigh 185 and should be more like 150!) my stationary bike is the only form of exercise that DOESN'T hurt my back. I've never had lower back pain before - but now when I walk for even ten minutes I have lower back pain. It's very frustrating because I used to love walking. Even walking up stairs with a few bags of groceries will hurt my back. So, this information that leaning forward on the bike could be causing my back pain is both interesting and confusing. Suggestions and comments welcomed! - 3/27/2010 11:15:12 AM

Thanks so much for the bike information. Because of a disability I can no longer ride a regular bike. - 9/28/2009 2:12:05 PM

Thanks so much for the bike information. Because of a disability I can no longer ride a regular bike. - 9/28/2009 2:11:59 PM

I'd add a few points to this article.

For beginners a recumbent exercise bike is the better choice because it is easier to pump blood to your legs when they are closer to the level of your heart. Trained cyclists have the ability to supply more blood to their legs than most people can supply to their entire body but beginners often have trouble reaching high heart rates on upright bikes. Another advantage of recumbent exercise bikes is that you can exercise your upper body while pedaling. Using a pair of light dumbells to exercise your upper body while pedaling can allow you to train at higher cardio output.

Upright bikes do not have seats, they have saddles. On Bike saddles you sit on your ischial tuberosities or "sit bones." Women have wider hips than men since a baby has to be able to pass through the birth canal so for most women men's saddles are uncomfortable because the end up sitting on the soft tissues between the bones. Women's saddles are slightly wider than men's to fit the female anatomy better. Even the best fitting and designed saddles will be uncomfortable at first; it takes a few rides to toughen up your posterior until it can comfortably support your weight. Excessively wide saddles feel comfortable at first but their width causes extra friction that will make long sessions more painful. - 1/27/2009 4:14:38 PM

anyone have a recumbent bike workout routine? i don't have uphill on my bike. I have to adjust myself manually. - 11/11/2008 10:49:56 PM

Because of lower back issues, I use a recumbent at the gym, and am looking into to get one for home use..I do interval training on it, just as one would on a reg stationary bike; I just don't have to worry about throwing my back out, yet still get the cardiac benefit..The one I use at the gym has workout programs just the same; hills, difficulty levels, etc.. - 8/8/2008 9:18:29 PM

I don't like those skinny seats either! A wide derriere and skinny bike seat just don't match! Luckily, my fitness center has different size seats on different bikes. - 7/31/2008 8:53:11 PM

I love my recumbent bike! I was sporadically using it from January thru the summer last year. But in August I got serious. My middle son had moved into his first apartment, and had just finished school to be a personal trainer, so he was on me about exercise for therapy. So, I brought the bike up form the basement, and made his empty bedroom into my home gym. I started with 1-2 miles a day for a few weeks, then every 2 weeks I added 1 mile- with my goal to be at 10 miles a day by Christmas Day. I set my schedule for the same time every day, when a favorite tv show was on, and determined not to let ANYTHING interrupt that time-including the phone. I reached my goal on Christmas Day! I've been continuing every day, and I can finally feel the muscles, even as I'm walking through the house and doing every day chores. It's so encouraging to feel my body responding. For anyone who does not yet have a bike, I've used both kinds, and the upright with the smaller seat was somewhat harder, and would sometimes cause tingling in the hip joints. With the recumbent bike, it has a seat more like an office chair, so it's more comfortable, and you're more likely to stick with it then. I highly recommend going to the store and really try out a few models for 5-10 minutes each model. We went to an actual fitness equipment store, and the staff knew how to fit you for each piece of equipment. I had had a hip replacement, and had nerve damage, so my range of motion was very limited, and found only one bike that I could actually get on and off without injuring myself. I did spend about $800 on it ,but it was an investment in my recovery, and lifelong health. It does have a computer screen which shows rpm, miles biked, pulse , heart rate, calories burned, and time it took from start to finish. It also figures your BMI. Even if this is out of your price range, buy the best you can afford, use what is available, but set your schedule, and love yourself enough to stick with it.! - 3/27/2008 2:15:22 PM

Thanks for the Stationary Biking Intervals program. I use it everyday and the time just flies by. Perfect for beginner to expert.
- 3/24/2008 5:30:31 PM

Great article. I still don't like that skinny little racing seat, so I'll stay with the bike that has the big, wide one! - 2/13/2008 9:27:06 PM

I'm considering getting my first stationary bike. This article provides some rather helpful insight. - 1/29/2008 12:31:49 PM