Recumbent vs Upright Exercise Bike
I am out of triathlon for a few years. I plan to bike some just as cross training for running, and to not be starting from scratch once I do start back.
I probably know the answer to this, but I will ask anyway: Will I lose a whole lot by exercising on a recumbent bike as opposed to an ordinary upright bike?
I predict a lot of “better than nothing, but not as good as…” responses, but just the same, I thought I’d ask 
What do you mean when you say recumbent bike? The two-wheeled kind that you ride on the road or the sit-down kind they have in a gym?
Sit down in gym. Mainly because of comfort.
Cardio wise should be the same assuming you work as hard on the recumbent.
Muscle wise it’s a decent amount different.
Just go recumbent as the saddle on the upright is usually not great…
Sit down in gym. Mainly because of comfort.
I can’t comment on the gym kind of recumbents. I know that I would lose my mind if I had to use one of those since I can’t stand being stuck inside…
On a serious note, be aware of your choices for “comfort.” They are dramatically different on a recumbent. The seats don’t support you the same way as a road bike saddle. You also have a back support that you can push against, which loads your body differently than an upright bike. Your whole spine interacts differently on a recumbent. Your core is not required to provide the stability of your torso and hips. All of this can lead to problems, especially if the workouts become long and/or intense.
Sit down in gym. Mainly because of comfort.
I can’t comment on the gym kind of recumbents. I know that I would lose my mind if I had to use one of those since I can’t stand being stuck inside…
On a serious note, be aware of your choices for “comfort.” They are dramatically different on a recumbent. The seats don’t support you the same way as a road bike saddle. You also have a back support that you can push against, which loads your body differently than an upright bike. Your whole spine interacts differently on a recumbent. Your core is not required to provide the stability of your torso and hips. All of this can lead to problems, especially if the workouts become long and/or intense.
See, that is the kind of thing that I hadn’t thought of. Long term / exclusive recumbent bike use could atrophy my core (I am oversimplifying here), huh? Thanks for your time
I’m not sure why, but I’ve always had a harder time spinning up on any sort of gym type bike, whether it’s recumbent or upright. If I decrease the resistance to ride more like my preferred 95ish rpm, it becomes too easy.
Recumbent bikes too, I could never get my HR up much at all, my legs would just die before the cardio system ever got too taxed
At times I’ve done twice a week on a gym recumbent. I’m a roadie who likes to read.
I also used to ride MTB for workouts. I have found it amusing when people talk of tweaking their fit by mere millimeters. I would ride bikes in different positions, different crank lenths, etc, and while they feel different, they all just go.
Your core won’t atrophy (as a whole, at least). You’ll just be using it differently than on an upright bike. And not necessarily in an ergonomically efficient/effective way. If you’re not cognizant of that (and you’re not resilient enough to accomodate it), you might find yourself in a new state (injury, muscle imbalance, etc.) that is not helpful to your situation.
As an example, you’re a triathlete so you’ve likely got some degree of fitness on the bike. You’ve also got some conscious or sub-conscious measure of what constitutes a satisfying bike workout. The upright bike fitness that is usable on the recumbent might encourage you to work at your upright bike level. Your musculo-skeletal components that are not prepared for that level might not do so well under those conditions. Lots of little things conspire against you here. Crank length, gravity’s contribution to the pedal stroke, sitting on your power muscles, resisting pedal force application with back musculature/joints are a few things to be aware of.
Pay attention and train accordingly and you’ll do as well as you can. It might not be good, but it will be better than nothing. OTOH, if you get a low back or knee/hip problem out of it, you’d be better off finding a different activity.
Can you say what is leading you to a recumbent?
Your core won’t atrophy (as a whole, at least). You’ll just be using it differently than on an upright bike. And not necessarily in an ergonomically efficient/effective way. If you’re not cognizant of that (and you’re not resilient enough to accomodate it), you might find yourself in a new state (injury, muscle imbalance, etc.) that is not helpful to your situation.
As an example, you’re a triathlete so you’ve likely got some degree of fitness on the bike. You’ve also got some conscious or sub-conscious measure of what constitutes a satisfying bike workout. The upright bike fitness that is usable on the recumbent might encourage you to work at your upright bike level. Your musculo-skeletal components that are not prepared for that level might not do so well under those conditions. Lots of little things conspire against you here. Crank length, gravity’s contribution to the pedal stroke, sitting on your power muscles, resisting pedal force application with back musculature/joints are a few things to be aware of.
Pay attention and train accordingly and you’ll do as well as you can. It might not be good, but it will be better than nothing. OTOH, if you get a low back or knee/hip problem out of it, you’d be better off finding a different activity.
Can you say what is leading you to a recumbent?
Purely comfort…the ability to watch Netflix on my iPad
I am only biking right now as xt for my FIRST Furman, not 1st) running program… So all that matters is that I am doing aerobics of some kind. But, since I plan to get back into tri once my kids get older, I figured I would bike instead of Zumba
I get it now… mix it up is probably best. That way you can offset any imbalances that arise from the recumbent. Do that Zumba once a week and bike the rest, you’d probably be fine. That Zumba would kill me…
Purely comfort…the ability to watch Netflix on my iPad
I once tried to ride a recumbent stationary bike for an hour. When I got off, I could barely walk as my butt cheeks (or something) had fallen asleep. It was the opposite of comfort
Thanks! I really appreciate it! (And the Zumba was a joke!)
Just my viewpoint but if you’re watching tv or movies or reading etc during any sort of training you’re doing it wrong.
You’re not training, you’re engaging in some sort of pseudo-exercise. Training is what athletes do, exercise is for people who don’t have goals.
Are you an athlete or an exerciser?
/end rant.
Just my viewpoint but if you’re watching tv or movies or reading etc during any sort of training you’re doing it wrong.
You’re not training, you’re engaging in some sort of pseudo-exercise. Training is what athletes do, exercise is for people who don’t have goals.
Are you an athlete or an exerciser?
/end rant.
Actually, it is exercise. Aerobic cross training. As I stated earlier, I am done with triathlon for the moment. I am, however, trying to BQ within the next 3 years.
How do you type with your nose so high up in the air?
I commute on a recumbent trike. It is totally different than an upright. It’s good but different. If I were you I would train like you race and go for the upright gym bike.