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Stationary bike
The easiest cardio machine to start on and the one that's gentlest on your joints. But a badly adjusted bike shows up in your knees and back: two minutes setting the saddle are worth more than half an hour pedaling crooked.
Stationary bike with Nora. Nora and Hugo are our models, created with artificial intelligence, against the backdrop of our gym. Inside the Reverfit Workout app, this is what Pro users see.
What it works
- Quads, which push the pedal down
- Glutes and hamstrings, which help on every pedal stroke
- Calves, which finish the push with the ankle
- Heart and lungs, which is what you get on the bike for
How to do it
- 1Adjust the saddle
Standing next to the bike, the saddle at hip height. Sitting, with the pedal all the way down, your knee is almost straight, with a slight bend. If your leg straightens completely or your hips rock, it's too high; if your knee stays very bent, too low.
- 2Place your feet
The ball of your foot over the center of the pedal and, if there are straps, tightened. Feet pointing forward, not turned out.
- 3Sit tall
Back straight and leaning slightly forward, shoulders relaxed. Hands on the handlebars without putting your weight on them: they hold, they don't push.
- 4Pedal in a circle
Push down and let the pedal come up without braking it, in one continuous circle. Your knees go up and down in line with your feet, without drifting in or out.
- 5Choose resistance and pace
You should feel you're pushing something, not that your legs are spinning on their own. Start with a few easy minutes to warm up and build up gradually: if you can't say a short sentence, you're going hard.
The mistakes you see most
- Saddle too low. The most common mistake. With your knee very bent at the bottom, all the work loads the front of the knee. Raise the saddle until your leg is almost straight.
- Hips rocking. If you shift side to side to reach the pedal, the saddle is too high. Lower it a notch: your hips should stay still.
- Hanging on the handlebars. Putting your weight on your arms tenses your shoulders and neck and takes work away from your legs. Rest your hands lightly.
- Spinning with no resistance. Pedaling very fast with no load makes you bounce on the saddle and barely works anything. Add enough resistance that every pedal stroke is a push.
- Hunching over. A rounded back and a hanging head tire your lower back. Chest open and eyes forward.
Variations
- Steady and easy. Twenty to forty minutes at a pace where you can talk. The base of any cardio plan.
- Intervals. Short hard stretches, thirty seconds to a minute, with twice as long easy in between.
- Climb. More resistance and lower cadence, as if you were riding up a mountain pass. It works your legs more and your pace less.
- Recumbent. With a backrest and the pedals in front. More comfortable for your back; a good option if sitting upright is hard.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I pedal?
To start, twenty or thirty minutes at a comfortable pace, three times a week. When that's no longer enough, add time or intervals, rather than always going all-out.
Bike or treadmill?
Both work for your heart. The bike puts less load on your knees and ankles because there's no impact; the treadmill is closer to real walking and running. The best one is the one you'll actually use.
My knee hurts. What should I do?
It's almost always the saddle: if it hurts at the front, raise it; if it hurts at the back, lower it a little. If it still bothers you with the bike properly adjusted, get it checked.
What's cadence?
The number of times the pedals go round per minute. Between seventy and ninety is a comfortable pace for almost everyone; many bikes show it on the screen.
And to keep track of what you lift
In the Reverfit Workout app every exercise comes with its animation, and you log the weight and reps set by set, with what you did last time right in front of you. Free and with no ads.
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