Exercise bike ??

nisie3

Is the exercise bike a good cardio workout? What about the benefits of the recumbent bike vs the other?

Machka9

I use a real bicycle on a trainer with Zwift.

Yes it can be a good workout. It is what you put into it.

sijomial

Cyclists can be some of the fittest people on this planet but in reality for cardio how you use your equipment is more significant than the equipment itself.

You could sit on an exercise bike and do very little or you can train like a beast and push yourself to your limits.
If you sit there just twirling the pedals without any significant resistance or suitable cadence then it's really not going to do much. But on the other hand I can achieve my hardest effort and highest calorie burn indoors if I push myself.

Personally I'm not a fan of recumbent bikes (you haven't got your weight over the pedals, you aren't keeping your core strong, see far to many people putting in very low effort and not using their exercise time effectively....). Guess it might be more comfortable as an upside?

My preference is to cycle outdoors but in winter I use indoor bikes to maintain my fitness levels and do the more technical training that is more precise and controlled indoors. Downside is that I find indoor training tedious and I rarely force myself to endure more than a hour.

tlpina82

There are several spin classes and HIIT workouts for bikes on youtube + the classic spin class at the gym.
Those are worth it.

I am not a big fan of sitting for a long time on the bike.
Intense short workouts work better for me.

Hope this helps.

NorthCascades

How good a workout a bike is depends how much you put into it.

Advantages of a recumbent:

1 - Body position is less stressful for some people
2 - Aerodynamics, 'bents are fast on flat ground
3 - You're allowed to store granola in your beard for later if you have a recumbent