Exercise Bikes without Pain
If your exercise bike hurts you, switch to a recumbent
stationary bike or do short, intense workouts where you alternate
between sitting and standing on your bike. When you ride a conventional stationary
bicycle, you sit on a narrow bicycle seat because your legs have to
reach around the seat down to the pedals. The pudendal nerve in your
pelvis can be pinched by the seat to cause numbness and pain in your
crotch and genitals. When you sit on a recumbent bicycle that
has the pedals at the same height as your pelvis, your legs are not
separated by the seat so you don't need a narrow bicycle seat.
You sit on a seat shaped like a regular chair which is contoured
to fit your back and is very comfortable. Anyone who can sit in a chair
can use a recumbent stationary bike, so even elderly people with
poor coordination and weak muscles can get the benefits of exercise.
My current favorite workout bike is a "spinning" bike, the
same kind used for classes in many gyms. It’s an upright bike
with a standard narrow seat, but you don’t get sore because you
never sit for long. In a "spinning" workout you cycle as fast and
as hard as you can for brief periods, changing positions and resistance
frequently. The bike has a very heavy wheel that moves smoothly and
adjusts easily. In spinning classes, you have an upbeat instructor,
music and other cyclists to keep you motivated, but you can do the same
workout on your own. Used, reconditioned spinning bikes are available
at reasonable prices if you decide you’d like to have one at home.
Diana prefers the recumbent stationary bike for indoor workouts because she likes the comfortable seat. Her outdoor single bike is recumbent too -- a Greenspeed trike, which she loves.
Checked 3/9/10