by Bob Lachniet
President -
Fitness 4 Home Superstore
Now that Fall is here, the weather is getting nicer, the holidays are approaching fast – and, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep that weight off! Yet, now is the perfect time to start on improving your exercise program! One great way of doing that is to improve your cardio workouts with an exercise bike.
Exercise bikes have changed quite a bit in the last few years. Where before, they seemed to be nothing more than just a bicycle frame, a wheel, and a resistance belt connecting the two, now you have a wide variety of options in both style as well as resistance.
Exercise bicycles now come in two major styles – recumbent and upright. Upright exercise bikes are great for those who prefer a classic seated position – and they are perfect for those that want to try spinning workouts at home like they may have experienced in the gym. Recumbent bikes put you in a seated position more like you would find while sitting in a chair – these are great for people that have avoided exercise bikes in the past due to back issues.
When it comes to resistance levels, you now have a wide variety of choices. The resistance belts are still there on some bikes, but now you can also choose from motorized resistance and magnetic resistance bikes. The advantages of these types of bikes are that where before, you’re workout was based only on how hard you pedal against a resistance belt, now you can “dial in” preset or customized workout programs, which not only provide variety to your workouts, they can also help you stay in a “fat burning” or “cardiovascular workout” zone – or anything in between!
Of course, these bikes now require a power source – even with some of the bikes with resistance belts. Why? Well, those bikes from years ago may have only had an odometer and if you were lucky, a speedometer. Now, many bikes feature LCD or TV displays, cooling fans, and audio systems! Depending on the bike you choose, control panels now can give you instant feedback on your workouts, monitor your heart rate so that you can maximize your workout, calories burned, not to mention speed / distance / time.
Yet, all of these choices can make finding the right exercise bike for your needs seem like a difficult task, made more difficult if you stop in one of the “big box” stores. For the best way to not only understand more about the types of bikes (and types of options available), but to also find the best bike for your fitness needs, visit one of Fitness 4 Home Superstores 3 locations today!
