Bike at the gym...does it help at all?

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proverbs31chick
proverbs31chick Posts: 485 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So what do you guys think about the stationary bike at the gym, do you think it's work doing. I was told by a trainer that he didn't tell his clients to do it.

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  • B40FireGuy
    B40FireGuy Posts: 10 Member
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    I love the stationary bike at the gym. I usually set it to a "Hills" program, and I usually go for 20 minutes. I think the best I have done was 8 miles in 20 minutes (remember it is a Hills workout so the resistance gets pretty tough.) I like the fact that it doesn't put any strain or pressure on your knees (i.e treadmill). I work up a pretty good sweat too and lose 250-300 calories. Personally, I recommend it.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Yeah, my trainer said they really aren't effective at all.
  • MissTomGettingThin
    MissTomGettingThin Posts: 776 Member
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    It's exercise.
    It's better than nothing.
    Other exercises are better BUT as part of a routine it can only help.
  • ashleynicoleb
    ashleynicoleb Posts: 376 Member
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    I do it every so often, but I never feel like I get a real good workout from it. I feel like I'm just sitting there and not exerting myself fully. Spinning classes, however, are BRUTAL and are such good work outs.
  • strandedeyes
    strandedeyes Posts: 392 Member
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    I am no fitness expert but my trainer tells me to use the stationary bike as a warm up and to get my heart pumping part of my cardio. I don't feel the same burn as I do on the elliptical but my heart rate does go up with it and its a great warm up.
  • LisaLN
    LisaLN Posts: 54
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    Personally, I love it. And you can make it very challenging if you want. I always do the "Random" setting with resistance (usually Level 5-8). Jackie Warner suggests doing 20 minutes to start out. What you do is go as hard as you possibly can for a minute (stand up if you'd like), then regular pace for 2, then hard as you can for 1-2 more minutes, then again regular pace for 2. Before you know it you've blown threw @ 300 calories and 20 minutes. I sweat like crazy when I did her workout on it. Interval training is key to gaining lean muscle and weight loss.
  • clahut
    clahut Posts: 211 Member
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    Hi,

    I use it for 2 things - both recommended by a trainer at my gym.

    1. To warm up for 5 to 10 mins to get my heart rate up and muscles warm
    2. Intervals training - alternating sprints for 30 to 40 seconds with a moderate pace for 30 to 40 seconds. Repeat for up to 10 min. I find that really works but (a bit like spinning) it is a killer!

    C
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
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    It is a decent warmup but not intensive enough for me. I always feel than any exercise you do while sitting down is probably not the best choice for a good burn.
  • Purplegal
    Purplegal Posts: 137 Member
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    Well its one of the only cardio exercises I can do with my knee...so I think its great! I do it everyday for 30 min, and average about 200 cals burned.
  • kelika71
    kelika71 Posts: 778 Member
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    Any exercise is what you make of it. In other words, if you wimp out, it's not going to benefit you much. Push yourself and you'll reap benefits of some kind.

    That said, when I started back in March of last year, the bike was all I did for 3 months and lost 30 lbs and got my blood sugars in normal range. The bike I use has moving arms. I highly recommend this kind because it helps keep the heart rate up. Increasing resistance helps, too. The more you use any equipment, video or anything, you always need to be stepping it up a notch as your body becomes used to it.

    I still use the bike to this day. Of course, I do other things now, but the bike can work.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
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    I was watching some of the machines at the gym last night, at least with a stationary bike you're replicating an entirely real-world applicable movement, ie get on a real bike and you'll be pedalling the same so the muscles know how to take it.

    I saw something called an Arc trainer and while the user did work up a sweat on it, nowhere in the real-world is that shuffling movement of the feet going to be applicable. To each their own though I'm not knocking them for using that machine, the gym has it available so there must be some perceived benefit, even if it is just through the burned calories.

    I know my treadmill stuff is real-world applicable too in that I'll be walking for the foreseeable future, it's already helped with some knee pains I was coming close to hyper-extending my knee after a period of little use during rehab, now that I've been using the treadmill and getting used to walking again I find that I haven't "twinged" the knee in 2 weeks just in my normal walking. So personally I'll stick to things like the stationary bike, treadmill, stair-walker, and rowing machines which are all translatable "real" movements.
  • bdavenport62
    bdavenport62 Posts: 101
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    recumbent bikes I'm not a huge fan of, but the "spin" bikes, especially if you are doing a spin class can be killer and burn just as much as a running session. If you go to a spin class you will see puddles of sweat on the floor at almost every bike once the class is done.
  • believetoachieve
    believetoachieve Posts: 675 Member
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    I can't see how anything that causes you to burn calories would be a bad thing! :smile:
    Better than sitting on your sofa at home!

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