One of the most popular cardiovascular workouts at Adventure Fitness Athletic Club is upright cycling. An effective way to burn calories and strengthen your heart, lungs, and lower body, upright cycling also provides a low-impact workout that won’t put undue stress on your joints.
If you’re looking for a gym near you that offers every indoor cycling option available—including state-of-the-art upright bikes—please join us at Adventure Fitness Athletic Club. Read on to learn about all the benefits of upright bikes and how they compare to other stationary bikes at our Thornton gym.
What Are Upright Bikes at the Gym?
Let’s start with some basics. There are three types of indoor stationary bikes that you can use at the gym—upright bikes, recumbent bikes, and spin bikes.
Upright bikes are designed much like standard road bikes, which means you sit upright and hold onto the handlebars as you push the pedals directly beneath your body. The design of an upright bike allows you to sit or stand while you pedal so that you’re able to vary the intensity of your workout and the muscles you’re targeting.
While upright bikes give you a similar experience to riding a road bike, they come with many features that make them more convenient than outdoor cycling. The large, full-color screen on an upright bike gives you numerous entertainment options, pre-programmed workouts, and resistance levels to choose from. It also tracks your heart rate, calories burned, speed, and more. You can adjust the position of the seat and handlebars, and you’ll even have a convenient holder to put your water bottle and cell phone while you ride.
What Are the Benefits of Using an Upright Bike at the Gym?
When looking at the different types of stationary bikes at the gym, many people ask which one is best. The answer to that question can depend on your fitness level and your own personal preferences. That said, here are some benefits that upright bikes offer.
Technology
Upright bikes have consoles that track calorie burn, distance, heart rate, and other variables which allow you to measure and record the effectiveness of your workout. Spin bikes tend to be simpler than upright bikes. While they might have a console, spin bikes are primarily designed for people who want a ride that closely mimics a road racing bike.
Comfort
Comfort is one of the key differences between upright bikes, spin bikes, and recumbent bikes. The bottom line is: If you’re riding a stationary bike purely for workout purposes, an upright bike is your best choice. If you need more comfort, then a recumbent bike would be better. If you want a true racing bike experience (or if you’re practicing for a bike race), then a spin bike would be your best option.
Upright bikes tend to be more comfortable to use than spin bikes, especially for beginners. On an upright bike, you’ll be sitting in a more natural (upright) position. Plus, the seat is wider than a spin bike and has some padding.
On a spin bike—which is designed to make you feel like you’re on a sports road bike (think Tour de France)—you’ll need to lean forward to reach the handlebars which are positioned lower than on an upright bike. The seat on a spin bike also tends to be narrower and harder, again, to simulate a racing bike.
On a recumbent bike, the wide, supportive seat with a backrest allows you to recline in a more natural position, almost as if you’re in an office chair, while you push the pedals in front of you. This means you won’t feel any strain on your lower back and your hands will be free to text on your cell phone or hold a book as you read. The seat is also lower to the ground than an upright or spin bike, which helps you to feel more secure and balanced as you ride. This is particularly beneficial for those who are elderly or have chronic back pain. There is a tradeoff, however, because the more comfortable seat on a recumbent bike prevents you from standing while you ride, and can lower the intensity of the workout.
Full-Body Workout
While most people think of bike riding as a lower-body exercise, an upright bike will work other muscles, too. This is because you’ll have to hold onto the handlebars to keep steady while you ride, engaging your arm, back, and core muscles while you pedal with your lower body.
As a matter of fact, an upright bike and spin bike will target all your major muscle groups to some degree. Your lower body muscles will be used the most, followed by your core muscles and arm muscles, which you’ll use to keep stable. If you ride standing up, you’ll use your arms more to support the rest of your body.
Resistance
On the upright bikes at AFAC gym, you can easily change the resistance digitally using the control panel. Changing resistance on a spin bike is a little more challenging because you have to manually flick through different resistance levels using a knob until you find the resistance you want (similar to changing gears on a racing bike). It’s fairly easy to change resistance on a recumbent bike, but you can’t stand while you ride one. The fact that you can stand while riding an upright bike and easily change resistance gives you more ways to vary the muscles worked and the intensity of the workout.
Calorie Burn and Weight Loss
Since most people ride stationary bikes at the gym to lose or maintain their weight, they often wonder which bike burns the most calories? Many are surprised to learn that you can burn the same number of calories on upright, spin, and recumbent bikes, but there are some variables you need to consider with each.
Since recumbent bikes have a large seat with a backrest, they appeal to those who are looking for comfort. That comfortable seat might tempt people to exercise at a lower intensity that burns fewer calories, if even subconsciously. However, if you increase the resistance setting and deliberately ride with enough intensity and distance, you can achieve the calorie burn you’re hoping for.
Upright bikes more closely resemble outdoor bikes, which gives off the image that they’ll provide a serious exercise experience. That, coupled with the full range of resistance settings and the ability to ride standing up, tends to deliver a more intense workout that burns a few extra calories over recumbent bike riding. Spin bikes are also known for providing a powerful, calorie-burning sweat session, particularly if you use them during a spin class where a coach inspires you to keep moving.
All things considered, an upright bike and spin bike will usually burn more calories and provide better weight loss than a recumbent bike.
Just keep in mind that if your goal is to lose weight and your only exercise is riding a stationary bike, you need to add strength training to your workout program two to three times a week.
Safety
Upright bikes at the gym offer you a safe workout in a couple different ways.
First, riding an upright bike provides a low-impact exercise session that strengthens bones and joints without putting too much pressure on them. This means your knees, ankles, hips, feet, and other joints won’t be as stressed as they would be when you’re jogging, running, jumping, or doing other high-impact activities.
Second, while outdoor cycling can be a wonderful way to exercise, it does come with some hazards like bad weather, poor visibility, slippery surfaces, and inattentive drivers. Plus, if the weather is too hot, too cold, or wet, it can be difficult to muster up the motivation to go outside and ride. With indoor cycling at the gym, you don’t have to be worried about all the dangers that could be lurking outside. Plus, you’ll be working out safely in the comfort of our gym during any season of the year.
Upright Bikes Might Be the Right Option for You at AFAC Gym
As you can see, all three stationary bike types at our gym have their own unique advantages. Upright bikes are an especially attractive workout option because they provide a happy medium between recumbent bikes and spin bikes, plus they have extra features that many gym members find convenient and helpful.
The most important consideration when choosing a stationary bike is, which one do you like the most? Because at the end of the day, the bike you enjoy will be the one you’re most motivated to ride, bringing you closer to your fitness goals.
To learn more about our upright bikes and the other stationary bikes at AFAC gym, we hope you’ll stop by and talk with a member of our staff. We’d love to show you around Adventure Fitness Athletic Club, the best gym in Thornton, Colorado. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.
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