Have you recently gotten an exercise bike? Maybe you're considering one? Peloton is the most popular brand, along with Echelon and NordicTrack. If those are too expensive, you can even create a do-it-yourself exercise bike with a few tricks and a little effort.
Regardless, you're about to start using your new exercise bike. How should you get started? Which muscles are you going to work? Richmond health coach Allison Kaminski explains in this short video.
If I'm going to go for a ride, I'm going to set up the seat right at the top of my hip level, and this will give me full extension. If you do it any shorter, you're going to hop off that bike after a 30-minute ride and feel like you did a million squats.
On this kind of bike, you will be working your quads, your hamstrings, your glutes, and your core.
When you hold the handle, you want to be light on the handles. You don't want all your weight on there. Soft elbows, tall core.
As I'm doing my pedal stroke, I want to push down with my whole foot. This will engage the quads, and I want to follow through and pull that pedal all the way back up. This will use your hamstring. And then again, pushing down with the glute and the quad and following through with your hamstrings.
And because you're back and forth, we want to try not to rock. That stable top is going to work your core and you're going to also get some quad action. Depending on what rides you do and for how long, you might be a little sore, but that's totally normal. A lot of people experience soreness just from the seat, but that will go away after two to three rides.
Ride with #PartnerMDWellness
If you have a Peloton, make sure to add #PartnerMDWellness to your account, so you can ride with health coaches like Allison, physicians like Dr. Victoria Solderitch, and others! Here is Dr. Solderitch crushing one of her recent Peloton rides.
We'll also be creating additional exercise bike content in the future to help you get the most out of your bike. If you have any ideas on what you'd like to learn about, let us know in the comments.
