When I had bought my first spin bike around 6 years ago, I never believed that exercising could be so much fun and challenging at the same time. I brought it home, fearing the difficult times ahead of me. But eventually, I mustered up my courage and got on it. For the next few days, I had to grind through with some difficulties until one day I got my runner’s high. From then on, I wanted to experience it again and again. As time passed by, I began to feel stronger and breathe better within weeks. What had changed? Was it a miracle or something out of my sheer will?
If someone prefers working out at home and doesn’t have enough time to hit the gym, buying a spinning bike would definitely be their first priority. The option is quite effective, as I myself had seen all the visible changes in my body shape and energy levels.
Spinning Wheels for Improved Health
Spinning is simply extraordinary compared to the other physical approaches that can help enhance your metabolic rate. Muscles that are affected while riding on a spin bike include your quadriceps followed by your lower legs, glutes, the back and upper body. Being a cardiovascular exercise machine, they are also great for your organs like the lungs and the heart. Spin bikes can help strengthen your hamstrings and you don’t need a separate workout routine to hit these thigh muscles.
But many among us give up on exercising because you can’t handle the pain. That’s why, before you start riding on a spin bike, you need to consider certain things. First, you need to understand the fact that several parts of your body get activated while cycling. Once you start pedaling you need to adjust your seat in such a way that you can extend your legs properly. If you do not get your position right, this might result in damaging your knees while riding the spin bike.
There is always a sign of satisfaction whenever you see your calories burning at a good rate. Riding a spin bike for 20 minutes improves the palpitations. Having a faster heart rate indicates that you’re driving towards a better cardio system. As your cardiovascular system is one of the most significant and essential mechanisms of your body, it’s important to take care of your heart and keep and eye on your BMI to see the results of your training.
Making the Choice
When buying a spinning bike for home use, you need to consider a few factors. I had to calculate the available space in my home first and choose my bedroom as my workout station. That was just my personal choice; it‘s not necessary that you keep your spin bike in your bedroom, you can place it anywhere you like. But the key here is the space that you’re going to need for the spin bike.
Now that you’ve located the space, you need to start thinking about all the possible options for spin bike, considering your budget. Different spin bikes come with different features for different prices. Depending on your budget and the features you need, you can pick the right spin bike in no time.
Weight
Since you’ll be picking a spinning bike for home use, let us browse through the spin bike functions that would suit your needs accordingly. It would be easier if I shared my own experience here.
There was a time in my life when I gained a few pounds because I couldn’t hit the gym due to a bad case of jaundice and had to be hospitalized. Even after I was all better, I still could not return to my job, doctor’s orders. There had been some problems with my health insurance covering a limited percentage of the fees.
Eventually, my weight reached 210 pounds when I decided to purchase a spinning bike for home. I chose the Sunny Health and Fitness indoor cycling bike when I was seeking a spinning bike for home. As I had a tight budget and wanted something that would meet all my necessities, this seemed to be the right choice for me.
This machine could handle users weighing up to 220 lbs. That was satisfying in terms of weight capacity of the bike. So, I was able to meet my first criterion for bike selection without any worries.
Material
Then, you need to look into the quality and build material of the bike. You wouldn’t dare to pick a plastic body for lifting yourself. The suggested material is aluminum or stainless steel or something metal. I bought a stainless steel bike because it was rust-proof. Fortunately, I haven’t experienced any bronzy structures on my bike so far.
Drive System
Now, you need to think about their drive mechanism, whether they are belt driven or there is a chain drive system. Both of them are good, however, I would prefer the chain drive system over a belt driven machine. This is because the old-school chains are more durable than the belts, but the modern belts are able to provide a smoother and a more silent riding experience.
Flywheels
Spin bikes need good flywheels for a good performance. As for the flywheels, the heavier the better. The heavier ones would actually have better momentum and ensure that you have a smooth ride. Most of the latest spin bikes are engineered in such a way that users have good stability while pedaling.
Talking about stability, you need to understand how important it is for a bike to have adjustable seats. All of us don’t have the same vertical and horizontal body shapes and in order for you to perform at your best level, you need to be comfortable with your spin bike. So, you need to carefully consider this factor since there is a possibility you won’t be the only one who will be riding your bike.
Pedals
What have you missed so far? You need to remember where you will keep your foot i.e. whether the pedals will be open or caged. If you are an experienced cyclist you would never need caged pedals. However, for those who would like to have a fresh start, they should try a spinning bike with closed pedals. Fear not, most of the spinning bikes for home use come with closed pedals.
Tension Knob
For variations on your exercise bike, it should have a tension knob. This knob is supposed to be user friendly because these are the resistance levels of the spin bikes which would eventually have an impact on your leg muscles. The harder the resistance, the stronger your legs will be. Moreover, these knobs will actually make you feel like you are riding on uphill and downhills. A piece of note though – do not start riding the mountain right off the bat.
Display
Many spin bike users often neglect the fact that they need to track their workout schedules and durations. including the time, distance, calories burned, and heart rate observation. So, you need to look for bikes which would actually have an LCD or an LED monitor. Everyone would not necessarily need it but I would definitely want something that would have my stats displayed. Actually, this has one more benefit – you don’t have to buy extra fitness bands.
Spinning Bike for Home: Setup and Spinning Techniques
Do you have to assemble your spinning bike for home use? The answer is – it might depend on your bike type. Most manufacturers sell spin bikes that are pre-assembled; but if not, they usually send a representative for the spin bike setup task. But the question is, what happens when you order a product online? Well, assembling a spinning bike for home use is very easy. Its portable flywheels can be plugged with one screw, and the pedals and handles are easier to assemble with the help of the user manual.
Now let’s talk about how to make the most of your spin bike. Make sure you have enough resistance that you can feel, which you might call “the push point”. This means you feel resistance at the front of the pedal stroke more than the bottom. Once you gain the proper resistance, if you are sitting on the saddle, you need to make sure your hips are close to the back of the saddle. Also, remember that you need to have your hand spread wide in this position.
If you are in a standing position, you need to have your hips close to the front of the saddle. That would, in fact, keep your knees safe. Not only this; you also need to keep your focus on your balance to avoid any possible accidents.
To conclude, people often tend to run away from their workout programs because they’re time-consuming, tiring and often expensive. In order to lose fat, gain strength and have an amazing definition to your legs with less hassle, spinning bikes are a perfect choice. The fact is that cycling is a predominant cardiovascular activity that fits within any workout routine. So, when are you planning to start using a spin bike?
