Last Updated on October 29, 2021 by Jeff
One of the most sought-after answers is to the question “What is the best and fastest way to lose weight?”
With so many forms of exercise out there, it can be daunting and overwhelming to choose the correct one for you.
Since this is the case, you must be wondering “Well, why should I use a recumbent bike for weight loss?
Like basically all forms of exercise, there are advantages and disadvantages of using a recumbent bike to help you with weight loss.
We will be going through the various pros and cons of choosing a recumbent bike as your weapon of choice for weight loss, and hopefully, it’ll help you decide if it’ll be the most beneficial for you.
- 25 levels of resistance for a wide range or workout intensity
- DualTrack™ two blue backlit LCD window system
- Warranty: 10 years for frame, 2 years for mechanical, 1 year for electrical and 90 days for labor
Losing Weight With A Recumbent Bike
Unfortunately, when it comes to weight loss, the process is not linear or simple.
Hundreds of diets and fads that exist that claim you’ll see the weight fall off in weeks if you follow them.
The hard truth is, you can try any diet you or fancy exercise that you want, but losing weight simply comes down to calories in vs calories out.
This means that the calories you expend in a day need to be larger than the amount that you take in.
Unfortunately, the calories burnt on a recumbent bike are minimal.
However, this isn’t to say that you can’t burn calories or lose weight with a recumbent bike. If you choose this bike as your tool to aid your weight loss journey, as long as you make sure you are burning more calories than you’re taking in, then it will do the trick.
Another important element of weight loss is consistency.
Find a type of exercise you enjoy, and stick to it. That is how you will experience the greatest amount of weight loss.
If a recumbent bike is this type of exercise for you, then you’re already heading off with a great start.
Use A Recumbent Bike to Control The Extent Of Your Weight Loss
Although it may not be extremely calorie efficient, depending on how you use it, a recumbent bike can still be good exercise.
As with any type of exercise, the benefits you reap depend on what you put in.
The nice thing about a recumbent bike is that you can control the resistance and how fast you pedal.
Turning up the resistance fairly high, and pedaling at a decent speed, or even doing high-intensity intervals, can lead to a good workout and up the number of calories you burn, leading to a higher chance of weight loss.
The amount of time you spend on the bike will also affect how many calories you burn.
Obviously, the longer you spend on the bike, and the more effort that you put in during the time on it, the better your results will be.
Will A Recumbent Bike Tone My Legs?
As with all cycling activities, the muscles worked on a recumbent bike is that of the lower body.
Unlike a normal upright bike, the recumbent bike doesn’t make use of the upper body due to the backrest and seat position. Although this might make for an easier ride, this, unfortunately, burns fewer calories than a full-body workout.
There is a positive though – a recumbent bike can tone legs extremely well, and can sculpt beautiful, muscular lower body muscles.
A recumbent bike is also able to work the glutes to a much larger extent than a normal upright bike. Due to the seat and pedal angle, you push through the heels more, which leads to larger glute recruitment and more strengthening and toning of the glutes.
Another positive of this is that a recumbent bike is good for people with sciatica. Strong glutes help protect your back and provide stability to your torso. This helps in the process to alleviate sciatic pain.
Use The Recumbent Bike To Get Your Core Firing
The tummy is often a place people struggle to lose weight the most, so I know a burning question you probably have is “Will a recumbent bike help me to get abs?”.
The answer is – possibly.
The recumbent bike definitely does work the core – especially if you are aware of it and keep your core engaged throughout the exercise.
Another way that can enhance the extent to which you use your core is if you adjust your seat.
If the seat is moved closer to the pedals, the legs use less force for pedaling, forcing your core to get involved to help with the motion.
However, if it’s a six-pack that you’re aiming for, unfortunately, you won’t get that from a recumbent bike alone.
Sure, it can help you to lose weight and body fat, but it is recommended that you incorporate isolated ab exercises, as well as resistance training, into your exercise regime if you really want to see that core pop.
Add In Some Arms For Greater Weight Loss Results
As mentioned, the recumbent bike is basically only a lower-body activity.
However, by using dumbbells, elastic bands, and medicine balls, you can incorporate some upper body exercises while simultaneously cycling and working your lower body.
Not only will this increase the number of calories you burn, which could lead to greater weight loss, but it will also help you to tone your arms and further engage your core.
Beneficial For People Who Are Obese
If you are someone who suffers from obesity or is largely overweight, there are many benefits to using a recumbent bike for weight loss.
Firstly, it places very little stress on your joints, something that running, high-intensity interval training, or even walking does.
It is a great way to get into exercising if you are finding the thought of it daunting. A recumbent bike is very simple to use, you don’t need to have to know fancy exercises or follow a gym program to use it. Simply hop on and start pedaling!
For these reasons, a recumbent bike can definitely be recommended if you’re largely overweight and struggling to start exercising.
It will definitely burn far more calories than being too nervous to do anything at all and is likely a much safer option too.
Weight Loss All Comes Down To You
Although a recumbent bike is known to burn fewer calories than other cardio machines, it can do the job if you push it to.
Essentially, weight loss comes down to you and how hard you work.
If you are willing to put the work in, then a recumbent bike can be a great tool to aid you on your weight loss journey.
It is up to you to weigh up the pros and cons and assess whether or not this piece of equipment is going to be the best type of exercise to reach your weight loss goals.