Having an exercise bike for exercising is great. And it will be much greater if you know how to use it properly, which makes sure that you are making most uses of the bike. In contrast, if you are using the bike improperly, you’ll diminish the whole workout’s effectiveness and might even cause injury to your knees. If you’re older, you can suffer from further aches and pains due to the fact that the bike isn’t properly setup. So let’s eliminate these bad things by following this guide.

Make proper adjustments

Making proper adjustments will help to claim that you can pedal fast, hard and do not have to worry about wrong posture or making too much pressure on the joints.

• The seat: The seat’s height is very important for an effective workout with an exercise bike. Inappropriate height can generate strain on your hips and knees while you are pedaling. So adjust the height so that your legs are faintly bent when you are pedaling. Do not let your legs be completely bent or completely straight.
• The handlebars: Some bikes have adjustable handlebars. With those bikes, choose a position which allows your arms to be entirely extended when you are grasping the bars.

These two adjustments will claim that you will be in proper posture during the work out.

Make perfect posture

Exercising with wrong posture may put strain on your muscles and prevent you from performing to your maximum level. So, how should you sit? This depends on the following things:

• The feet: Put your feet in proper position. Don’t do the pedaling with your toes. For the best posture, pedal with your flat foot for equivalent distribution of pressure on the pedals.
• The back posture: Keep your back straight. Do not hunch over to clutch the handlebars or pedal, otherwise, you will cause more pressure on your back and neck, which will cause later pains.

Adjust your foot straps so that they are snug and that your foot won’t be slipping when you are riding the bike. Providing that you are riding in proper form, you’ll be not only enhancing your muscles but also eliminating unnecessary aches and pains.

Workout Notes

After you have made proper adjustments and adjusted your posture, it’s time to start your workout. These process maybe different among different exercise bikes, however, there are two important common things that you should be clear about.

• Resistance: Choosing a suitable resistance level during your process will enable you to build muscle and burn fat as well. Adjusting parts are usually designed below the on-board display, but some items have the levels changed on the display itself.
• On-board Display:  This part is clearly seen on almost every bike. This display will show you some essential data, including: time, distance, speed, burned calories, resistance (if any), pulse (if any)

These data are very important to know and understand when it comes to exercising with an exercise bike. The data about resistance and pulse sometimes are not shown.

As you get to know about your display and resistance, you should  follow some practices that you will be able to reach your exercise goals faster and easier. Here are some of practices which are recommended:

• Ride your bike at least 3 times a week to improve your stamina.
• Ride your bike about 4 or 5 times per week to lose your weight.
• Set each session between 30 to 60 minutes, shorter or longer practice is not recommended.
• Change the weight training and cycling days between days for the best results.

And now, it’s time for you to choose your own workout for your expected result. Ideally, a workout should include:

• Muscle Building: You can boost your leg strength by adjusting levels of resistance on your bike.
• Stamina: You can enhance your stamina through a long and stable workout.
• Fat Loss: The combination of sprint speeds and resistance adjustments will allow for the most effective fat loss.

Final words

Yeah, here are all I would like to share with you when it comes to using an exercise bike. It is as long as dozen steps, but it is effective enough for you to user your exercise bike properly and enjoy the best result with your exercising.