Treadmill or Stationary Bike?

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  • Texasopa
    Texasopa Posts: 9 Member
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    I use Bike only, my knees and hips enjoy it more... Years of being overweight and football when younger has taken it's tolls.
    My butt gets sore, but soreness is gone when I get up.
  • RepsnSets
    RepsnSets Posts: 805 Member
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    I use both. Sometimes I might go week on week off and alternate. To pass boredom cause lets face it it can get like that sometimes I do HIIT training on both, keeps me challenged and I find the time goes quicker
  • Kimber100683
    Kimber100683 Posts: 21 Member
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    OK, I am going to sound stupid... but what is HIIT?
  • Kimber100683
    Kimber100683 Posts: 21 Member
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    Thanks for the heads up!
  • Kimber100683
    Kimber100683 Posts: 21 Member
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    Thank you everyone!! I guess I never really thought of using both daily, but I am sure the change from one to another will be benificial to me! Durf... silly me!!!! I am so used to doing my whole workout on my treadmill... this new bike is throwing me for a loop!!!

    Make sure to mix things up even more if you want....do 30 min bike, hop off, 30 min treadmill (called a brick workout). I do them for multisport training. They are tons of fun! If you do, just be careful the first time, your legs may be more exhausted than you realize, and it's easy to collapse when you start up the treadmill. You will probably want to bike, hop off, walk slow on treadmill for a few minutes to get your legs acclimated to the leg movement, then you will be good to go.

    Thank you for the heads up!
  • Kimber100683
    Kimber100683 Posts: 21 Member
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    I don't do cardio machines unless there are some very extreme circumstances..but I'd say incorporate both into your routine. Doing the same thing all of the time gets boring. Maybe have treadmill days and bike days. I'd also suggest working in some resistance training...that's where you're really going to get results.

    So obviously I am new at this... By resistance training you are meaning, weights right? I work out at home and I do have some small hand weights, but I never know if I am doing the moves right! LOL ...
  • TheDoctorDana
    TheDoctorDana Posts: 595 Member
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    I prefer the bike because it's me making the machine move where as the treadmill is the machine making me move. The elliptical and the stair climber are also me moving the machine. The treadmill is always my last choice.

    Good point. Never thought of it that way.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    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.
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
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    Beat pavement






    /end thread
  • sandy_gee
    sandy_gee Posts: 372 Member
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    OK, I am going to sound stupid... but what is HIIT?

    High Intensity Interval Training :flowerforyou:
  • daj150
    daj150 Posts: 815 Member
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    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
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    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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