under desk cycle

queenofpuppies

I'm thinking about buying an under desk cycle. I sit for 8 hours a day and I feel like I would really use one of these things. Do any of you have one? What brand did you buy? Is the $30 version the same as the $100 version?

stephaniej2888

I have a Stamina In-motion under desk elliptical . I got it off Amazon for $89 and it works great. Just make sure you have enough clearance under your desk.
I looked into the cheaper under desk cycle that you can get from Walmart but I wanted something that you could adjust the tension on and would move around under my desk.

NorthCascades

Because you don't use under desk cycles to move your body weight, the only energy you actually put into it is what's required to turn the pedals. Using less energy means burning fewer calories. Also, with outdoor bikes, you can coast for short periods (stop pedaling, stop burning extra calories) but you can't do this very long if you want to get home; with a desk cycle, you don't ever have to pedal it. You're not going to spin the pedals too quickly because you don't want to get sweaty at work or make enough noise to bother your coworkers. All in all, I don't think it's worth it.

dkabambe

Whilst I agree with NorthCascades in terms of any sort of comparison to an actual bike, in comparison to sitting around for 8 hours with no to little exercise it could be worth it if you're in the sort of job you're chained to your desk and you'd actually use it.

However, I personally think you're probably better off spending the money on some running shoes and going for 20 minute jog (or power walk) in your lunch break for some calorie burning. If you're creative you can supplement this with all sorts of exercises whilst at your desk, particularly if you add in a resistance band. An internet search should help you out here...

p.s. I once had a cheap under-desk cycle (about £25 sterling) - for its designed purpose it was pretty useless and quite noisy so wouldn't have been suitable for an office environment. If you go down this route I'd suggest doing your research.

Bocch

In my opinion, unless you are chained to the desk for 8 hours, get up and walk. Make the excuse that you need to go pee. So then the next question would be comparing getting up and walk at the office or the under desk cycle. I do not think the under desk cycle is going to give you any significant changes

sunburntgalaxy

I have a desk job and I (and all my coworkers) have an adjustable desk - so I can work sitting or standing. I like to set it for standing when I have to watch long, boring training videos, because I can walk in place and things like that. If you can you might want to look into one of those - they are really pretty cool (I was shocked my company paid for them for everyone in our office - none of the other locations have them) and the one we got for our office fits on top of a regular cubicle desk. I also thought about one of those mini cycles for under the desk just to get in SOME movement - there are days I don't realize it and a couple hours have gone by while I have been sitting there. Now I try to make excuses to get up (we have a warehouse so I try to go out there) and that is helpful. I just couldn't see the under desk cycle ending up being a very practical option.

ktehi

I have used the DeskCycle under-desk elliptical for a few months now. It has several levels of resistance and is very convenient to use. I use it in addition to working out at the gym. Several people at my work have the same elliptical. Some had issues with the elliptical squeaking and had to send it back and get a replacement. Of all the exercise equipment I have bought, this has been the one I have used the most, and consistently.

girl_inflames

I work in a call center where I am actually chained to my desk for most of the day (yay headsets). I have actually really thought about getting one of these but I am worried about the noise

queenofpuppies

NorthCascades wrote: »

Because you don't use under desk cycles to move your body weight, the only energy you actually put into it is what's required to turn the pedals. Using less energy means burning fewer calories. Also, with outdoor bikes, you can coast for short periods (stop pedaling, stop burning extra calories) but you can't do this very long if you want to get home; with a desk cycle, you don't ever have to pedal it. You're not going to spin the pedals too quickly because you don't want to get sweaty at work or make enough noise to bother your coworkers. All in all, I don't think it's worth it.

good point, but I'm not doing it instead of working out, or even as something I will count as a workout...I just hate siting still all day and want to have a way to keep my blood circulation going and my energy level up. I walk for 45 minutes on my lunch break, do yoga over the course of the day when I have time, and jog a few times a week besides, but I sit for at least 8 hours solid a day and want to be less 'sedentary'. Noise isn't an issue in my office because I'm alone, its just that I get sucked into spread sheets for long stretches of time and my feet and butt fall asleep.