Getting on a stationary bike helps us improve our cardiovascular capacity, facilitating weight loss and fat burning; it is a good way to work our muscles avoiding the impact or the sudden demands of similar sports and it helps us reduce stress or tension. In addition, the stationary bike considerably minimizes the risk of injury as long as we pedal in a good posture. Being long routines we forget the posture, which increases the risk of injury. That is why we propose these tricks to improve your position on the exercise bike.
1. You pedal with the sole of the foot
A fairly common mistake is pedaling with the tip of the feet, which conditions our posture with each pedal stroke. When you complete the leg extension, the sole of the foot should be parallel to the ground, so we will support the sole of the foot on the pedal. You have to place your entire foot on the pedal, inserting it until it stops with the strap that holds it.
2. The saddle, at hip height
Before getting on the bike we have to adjust the saddle. The ideal height is one is where when extending the leg it remains completely straight, without flexing it. The trick is to stand next to the bike and extend the height of the saddle to that of your hips. If you can adjust the position of the saddle, place your elbow in front and extend your arm until you touch the handlebar with your fingers – also extended -. This way you will have the ideal position.
3. The handlebar, at the height of the saddle
Many times we bend our back, exerting pressure on the lumbar that can lead to injury. The ideal position is one that allows us to have the trunk aligned with the arms supported and relaxed, with the elbows slightly bent. The usual thing is to place the handlebar of the stationary bike at the height of the saddle, although in cases such as spinning, where what you are looking for is power, we can look for an intermediate position.
4. Arms only give us stability
Another fairly common mistake is to use force or pressure with the arms. The function of the arms is limited to give us stability, to allow us to hold on to the handlebars. They should be semi-extended, with low shoulders, always relaxed and comfortable. If you force your arms, you will be forcing your posture on the bike, breaking the correct position.
5. The elbows, parallel to the body
Many times we see people on the stationary bike with their elbows pointing outward. If you do it too, you will be breaking that correct posture since the forearms are pressed and the wrists tighten, so that they end up hurting themselves. Therefore, we will keep the elbows parallel to the body or to the ground, pointing backward at all times, never forward.
6. Don’t spread your knees
As with the elbows, pointing the knees out makes us separate them from the bike, adopting a totally unnatural position that in the long term is easy to be harmful. Many times we separate our knees because we carry the saddle a bit low, so we will raise it a few centimeters to adjust it to the correct height, although we will have to pay attention to keeping our knees straight.
7. Avoid bouncing on the seat
If you follow the cycling on television you will see that some professional cyclists, especially in the time trial stages, slide down the saddle and make a small bounce to return to the starting position. Do not try to imitate them, since this rebound, apart from being harmful, prevents us from adopting a good posture on the bicycle.
