Exercise bike: why buy it and which one to choose

The stationary bike is a bike that doesn’t get you anywhere.

That’s how the nicest people might define this fitness machine, although of course it’s much more than that.

Today we are going to find out what the exercise bike is and what its benefits are, as well as analyzing two of its variants: the spin bike and the air bike.

If you’ve never heard these names, no problem, we’ve got you covered.

Introduction to the exercise bike: what it is and why you should use it

The exercise bike is a fitness machine very similar to the bicycle with the difference that it is stable on the ground and will not take you around the city.

It’s great for working out at home, that’s one of its biggest strengths. How come ?

1. You don’t need a personal trainer to follow you as you need in the case of other activities such as fit boxing. You can then use the exercise bike wherever and whenever you want, even during a lunch break or before dinner.

2. It doesn’t take up much space so you can keep it comfortably at home and if you need it to take up even less, you can always opt for folding exercise bikes or mini exercise bikes.

There are really exercise bikes for all tastes and you can choose the one that best suits you in terms of design, operation, materials and price.

The exercise bike brings many benefits and has no contraindications for healthy subjects, on the contrary, it reduces road accidents and will prevent you from catching colds, coughs or other seasonal flus typical of those who ride a bike.

In short, riding safely, quietly and warmly at home seems like a great idea.

In case you have cardiovascular or respiratory problems, we recommend that you first consult a doctor and make sure that you can use the exercise bike without taking any risks.

Earlier we talked about benefits, but what are they specifically ?

Benefits of the exercise bike

First of all, using the exercise bike will lead you to improve your cardiovascular and respiratory capacity since it is an aerobic effort.

This is only if you do a prolonged and repeated workout over time: it will not be enough for you to ride just once a month, sorry.

The more you increase your effort, the more you will improve your cardiovascular and pulmonary efficiency. Low or medium intensities are great for beginners, but then you have to gradually increase the effort.

The second benefit is the reduction of body weight.

Yes, the exercise bike helps you lose weight but it is not the only variable to take into account.

When it comes to weight loss, you should always keep in mind that you only lose body weight when you consume more than you put into your body during the day.

The exercise bike will lead you to increase the energy used but will only make you lose weight if you follow a healthy and balanced diet.

This fitness machine is also good for the joints of the legs, decreasing the risk of having osteoarthritis or other pathologies.

A fourth benefit is of course training and strengthening the muscles.

Thanks to the movements of the exercise bike, you will put all the muscles of the lower body under strain, such as the gluteus maximus, calves and hamstring.

Soprattutto se si rimane spesso seduti durante la giornata, utilizzare la cyclette ogni giorno può essere la soluzione ideale per muoversi un po’. 

Finally, you will improve your mood and self-esteem.

Physical activity leads us to release endorphins, hormones that “make us feel good”. Moving every day thanks to the stationary bike will decrease your stress and make you feel better about yourself.

The benefits of the exercise bike are numerous and considerable, but remember that they are related to the frequency and load of training: the more you use the exercise bike, the more benefits it will bring you.

Earlier I mentioned spin bikes and air bikes, but what are they exactly ?

What is the spin bike for ?

The spin bike is a specific type of exercise bike suitable for interval training in which different paces and intensities alternate to the rhythm of music: spinning.

So let’s talk about a very different workout than the one done with the stationary bike, but let’s take a closer look at the differences between these two pieces of equipment.

Differences between spin bikes and stationary bikes

First of all, there is a difference in the posture to be held, due to the different structure of the two tools.

The stationary bike is more like a walking bike where you keep your back upright but have less pedaling force.

The spin bike, on the other hand, simulates the racing bike in which you maintain a more functional position with the body lowered towards the knees which leads to increased effort.

This difference in posture inevitably leads to different muscles being stimulated. While on the spin bike you train your back, buttocks, arms and legs, on the exercise bike you focus on your legs and thighs.

With the spin bike you have much more freedom in adjusting your equipment and thus customizing and varying your training.

In fact, you can move the handlebars not only vertically but also horizontally and you can also simulate real climbs and descents with various levels of resistance.

However, the spin bike is not better than the exercise bike or the opposite, it depends on your situation.

If you just want to get some exercise or you have back problems and don’t want to strain it too much, then the stationary bike is for you.

If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a more intense workout, the spin bike might be just what you’re looking for.

Benefits of spin biking

As in the case of the stationary bike, you will also strengthen your cardiovascular and respiratory activity with the spin bike, improve your mood and strengthen the muscles of the lower body.

This activity then leads to increased blood circulation in the legs and thus avoiding feeling swelling and heaviness.

If we talk about muscles, on the other hand, it is an excellent workout to strengthen not only the buttocks but also the abdominals thanks to the alternation of various gaits and intensities.

The spin bike also burns a lot of calories and consequently leads you to lose weight quickly, while still taking into account what has been said above.

Another of the main benefits of spin biking is definitely the chance to meet new people. If you sign up for a spinning class at the gym, you will be able to chat and make new friends, thus warding off boredom and monotony.

Air bike: the exercise bike for a high-intensity workout

The air bike is perfect for you if you want a high-intensity workout that allows you to work on both your lower and upper body.

But how does it work ?

The air bike uses a fan wheel to strengthen your muscles through air resistance.

This particular structure represents the difference between the exercise bike and the air bike. Let’s take a closer look at how the two tools are different.

Differences between exercise bikes and air bikes

As we have just seen, the air bike uses air resistance and this allows you to strive harder and harder and gradually increase the difficulty and intensity of the workout.

How come ?

Thanks to this system, the more force you exert, the greater the air resistance. This will lead you to work harder and harder and have a more and more intense workout.

Thanks to this mechanism, you have no limits.

It’s all up to you.

The exercise bike, on the other hand, has a very different structure and functioning, in which the maximum intensity you can reach depends on the machine, not on you.

Another aspect to consider is the difference in training.

While with the stationary bike you will be able to do long and low-intensity training sessions, using the air bike you will have a much greater effort and the workouts will be shorter and high intensity.

Then, as we anticipated before, with the air bike you exercise both the upper and lower part of the body, while the exercise bike mainly trains the lower part.

In the end, it all depends on what you prefer and what your goals are.

Benefits of air biking

The air bike allows you to do a complete workout in which you will strengthen both your arms and legs and train your whole body in a balanced way.

The second advantage is the freedom on the intensity of your training: you will not have any limits.

Finally, it’s a great piece of equipment to integrate into your crossfit workouts.

In fact, crossfit is characterized by intense exercises and cycling is among the recommended movements.

The air bike could be, therefore, the solution to avoid going on the road and complete your workouts without problems.

We understand that the air bike is a great tool for training. However, if you want to challenge yourself even more, you can also use kettlebells.

If you want to focus on your upper body, you could use the arm air bike and kettlebells to add weight and increase the effort.

And if you don’t have an air bike at home, you can also lean towards a workout where you use two kettlebells and a stationary bike. This way you make the exercise more complete, training your legs through the stationary bike and your arms with kettlebells.

You can really go wild and create a workout that suits your goals and needs.

Conclusion

Today we have seen the benefits of the stationary bike and its differences compared to the spin bike and the air bike.

What we want to tell you is that no tool is better than the other.

La tua scelta deve dipendere dai tuoi bisogni e dalla tipologia di allenamento che desideri eseguire.

We hope this article has helped you figure out which product is best for you, happy training.