Recumbent Exercise Bikes vs. Upright Exercise Bikes

There is an ongoing debate on which is better: recumbent exercise bikes vs. upright exercise bikes. Although upright exercise bikes have been used by exercisers for a very long time, recumbent stationary bikes are becoming more and more popular. While both have their advantages and disadvantages it all boils down to what your personal needs may be.

 Recumbent exercise bikes are more ergonomic and their design allows riders to be in the correct training position for the maximum level of fitness results. Recumbent bikes are designed so that the seat is located almost in-line with the pedals. This gives the rider a lower center of gravity which makes the bike and rider more stable. Also, by sitting in the reclined position, leaning back with your arms hanging naturally at your side eliminates any sore hands, wrists and arms because there isn’t any weight or stress being put on them by leaning into the bicycle. This reclined position also gives a better workout for your gluteal muscles in the buttocks. The seat position gives optimum relief for anyone who suffers from lower back pain, and is a more comfortable seat than that of upright stationary bikes.

Upright exercise bikes are designed to be more like a traditional road bike where the seat is located over the pedals. Because the rider has a higher center of gravity, the stability of the bike is less than that of a recumbent bike. Also, sitting forward, leaning over the bike can cause you to get sores on your hands, or pains in your wrists and arms. Upright exercise bikes also do not work the gluteal muscles unless the rider is standing up and pedaling. For some people, this can be a difficult thing to do and cause more instability to the bicycle. Another disadvantage to upright bikes are that people who have back pain or neck pain will more than likely increase their pain while exercising on an upright bike. There are some that say that upright bicycles can give you a more concentrated workout simply because the recumbent bikes are more comfortable. The thinking behind this is that if a rider is more comfortable, they may not push themselves as hard to get to their desired fitness goals. My thought on this is that if a rider wants to achieve certain goals, they can and will do so no matter which type of stationary bike they are working out on.

So when it comes down to recumbent exercise bikes vs. upright exercise bikes, most points lead to a reclined recumbent exercise bike to meet your goals.