Treadmill or Stationary Bike?

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  • daj150
    daj150 Posts: 815 Member
    It's weird: I find the stationary bike hard to do. Oftentimes, even the minimum resistance is challenging. I think it's something about the position; my thigh muscles aren't that weak. I think the treadmill is better for fat burning, but it's even more boring than the bike.

    Sometimes I do 15 minutes on each.

    Another oddity: I can't use recumbent bikes. Recumbent bikes are recommended for people with back problems, but they make mine worse.

    Most recumbent bikes at gyms are poorly maintained and most people don't position the seat correctly. For the maintenance, this usually means your seat will shimmy back and forth, causing a constant pounding on your lower back. For the seat, if you have to over-extend your legs, you are going to be pulling muscles in your lower back, and if the seat is too close and you raise the resistance, then you will be using your lower back muscles instead of your legs to move.
  • liloldDee
    liloldDee Posts: 92 Member
    I always used the exercise bike as a way to help control my weight, I found this more effective than walking. I stopped using it when I developed back problems. Recently I have started doing a lot of walking again and I love it, I used the treadmill if the weather was very bad. However I pulled a calve muscle quiet badly and was unable to walk. I dug out the exercise bike and I am so glad I did. I make sure I sit straight and don't hunch over so as I don't trigger my back pain again. I love the bike, today I was able to do a 5km walk which I enjoyed and this evening I will do the bike for 25 min.
    I prefer the bike to the treadmill, for some reason it doesn't seem as boring but the treadmill comes into its own when the weather is bad.

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