Recumbent Vs Upright Bike Muscles

The upright bike will work your leg muscles and some upper body muscles but there will be much greater stress on your joints.

Recumbent vs upright bike muscles.

So they can cause severe pain but engage your upper body muscles. The two bikes differ because with the upright bike all of your body weight is coming down on those two tailbones. As their names suggest in recumbent bikes the rider is laid back in a reclined position. The upright bike also works the muscles of the arms back and abs while the recumbent bike essentially works the muscles of the lower body.

Since you are in a reclined position on a recumbent bike there is little to no use of the abdominal muscles. In an upright road bike your back is almost straight with only a slight lean forward. The upright bike works the abdominal muscles since you are keeping the body upright and supporting your workout. The first and most obvious difference between recumbent and upright bikes is the position in which the rider sits.

Upright bikes give you that experience as if you are having outdoor riding. Upright bikes offer zero support to your upper body portion like traditional bikes. The upright bike clearly exercises more muscle groups than the recumbent bike. Upright stationary exercise bikes have been around a long time but recumbent stationary exercise bikes have become very popular.

Concerning target muscle groups. And since you can stand up on the bike s pedals it allows you to work on your abdominal muscles. Both the bicycles work for the lower body exercises particularly the work on glutes quads hamstrings and flexors. Recumbent bike stresses the muscles negligible pressure on the joints.

A recumbent bike s seat is parallel or a little bit higher than its pedals so you seat with your legs extended in front of you as you pedal. Climbing hills in a recumbent bike can be slow and you may have to shift to a. In an upright bike the seat is usually placed high up as it would be on a regular bicycle and it has a handlebar right in front of you. The advantage of the vertical exercise bike over the recumbent exercise bike is that it works for more muscle groups.

Recumbent vs upright exercise bike. The recumbent bike may offer a less effective cardiovascular workout than upright cycling especially for the very fit. The bike keeps the body upright and supports your exercise routine. With the recumbent bike as you are leaning against the back rest as well some of your weight is being transferred.

To summarize a recumbent bike will work more of your leg muscles with minimum stress on joints. The upright bike poses more of a risk for saddle sores butt pain due to the constant downward pressure being placed on the bike seat.