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Exercising your Options

Industry sales figures and user-preference surveys indicate that three of the most popular indoor machine-based exercise options are exercise cycles, treadmills and stair climbers. Each type of machine tends to appeal to individuals looking for a particular exercise “experience.”

Exercise cycles. Statistics show that the stationary exercise cycle remains one of the most popular pieces of exercise equipment in the United States. In general, exercise cycles can be categorized into two basic groups: standard stationary bikes and ergometers. The primary difference between the two is that ergometers have a feature that stationary bikes do not — a mechanism for calculating (and showing an exerciser) how much work is being done while the individual is exercising. This feedback enables individuals to better evaluate the effectiveness of their training efforts, and serves as a yardstick for monitoring progress and setting goals.

Two basic styles of exercise cycles exist — upright and recumbent. Upright cycles most closely resemble traditional outdoor bicycles. Recumbent models, on the other hand, allow individuals to sit in wide, comfortable bucket-style seats with their feet out in front of them, placing less strain on the back, neck and shoulders. The pedals should be positioned slightly above or on the same horizontal plane as the rider’s hips to ensure that the knee joints are kept in a protected position throughout the pedal stroke. Older adults, overweight individuals and pregnant women tend to find recumbent cycles particularly comfortable.

Regardless of which style of exercise cycle is used, some mechanism of resistance is needed to provide the exercise workload. The pedals on exercise cycles turn a large flywheel, a fan or both — depending upon the specific model of cycle. On flywheel models, riders can increase the exercise resistance level without increasing pedal speed. The resistance level on flywheel models can be adjusted mechanically or electronically. Many individuals view this feature as a significant advantage in that riders can preset and/or adjust the exercise resistance level prior to and/or during their workouts. With fan resistance, the only way to increase the intensity of the workout is to pedal faster.

The major advantages of fan-only exercise cycles are that the exercise is very smooth, it doesn’t cause significant local muscle fatigue of the quadriceps, and workouts tend to be safer and more comfortable for riders’ knees because the load forces are directly proportional to an individual’s cycling speed. In other words, a low amount of resistance occurs at slow speeds and higher amounts of resistance occur at faster speeds.

One final consideration when selecting an exercise cycle is the basic geometry of the bike. The orthopedic risks are higher for exercise cycles with pedals located too far forward. Such a design can place unnecessary stress on the knees and the hips.