Sit up or sit down??

ianrobo wrote:

why bother with a gym, use the money to pay for a turbo trainer

There is more to cycle training than just slogging it out on a turbo/rollers in the winter.

glynr36 wrote:

ianrobo wrote:

why bother with a gym, use the money to pay for a turbo trainer

There is more to cycle training than just slogging it out on a turbo/rollers in the winter.

yep you can run, do that outdoors, core exercises need no gym.

I used to pay £60 per month for a gym TT costs £320 so savings made quite soon.

ianrobo wrote:

why bother with a gym, use the money to pay for a turbo trainer

Well, the cast comes off in three weeks. If I get a turbo trainer it will probably not get used again once the cast is off, and I have to try and set it up one handed. However, if I enjoy the gym I might carry it on, and the rest of my body might get more out of it. Plus my garage is a manky leaky place I don't really want to spend any time in!

dazwan wrote:

So are suggesting all those women sat chatting and reading on the recumbents without breaking a sweat aren't working as hard as the sweaty gits on the other equipment?

...they will all be ironwomen on a rest day

Cyclist wrote:

Standard. (If you must)

The recumbent reduces the range of movement even more than a standard 'Gym' bike. glutes quads hams hip flexors/extensors doing reduced work, even adductors/abductors have their work as fixators workload removed. Recumbents are great for the injured short term or the obese, however, the lazy love them, it fills them with false hope and achievement.
If you must, ride a gym bike, at least try and get on a good quality 'spin bike' my gym has a watt bike, find one of those if you can. Get rollers or a turbo.

Err..nope.

Unless you're using short cranks (which are not infrequently used on bents cos it allows a faster spin) the range of movement is not less , but over a different area. Depending on how 'open' or 'closed' ie hip to torso angle -a function of relative seat height/angle and bottom bracket height - then there does seem to be different muscle recruitment - some estimates around the web suggest that about 30% power might be dropped going from df to 'bent (acclimatised to both) but whether that's true of a *very* acclimatised rider I dont know. A common set of aches for new recumbent riders seems to be halfway up the glutes and at the bottom of the vastus medialis (the muscle to the front/upperer/inside of the knee). Plus I find my hip flexors are actually the first thing to fatigue on a longer/harder ride.
Its not *all* reduced work, it seems some smaller muscles are doing relatively more than they would in a more closed upright position.

Worth doing - dunno, always felt like it gave some benefit when briefly back on an mtb, ymmv. Be aware its easier to hurts your knees pressing into a seat back, try to spin more..not that you won't be doing that on an upright, surely

Recumbents aren't easier (and riding a real one is usually harder work when youre not on the flat), just different. If you want to work hard on one you can..probably a lot of those you see riding them in the gym do so cos its more comfortable or easier to read..the latter would probably do the same on gym uprights..

Almost foryot - one thing I've noticed is that -especially in the early days of riding a bent -its harder to get the heart rate up unless climbing, and breathing is shallower. Might in part be the relative leg/heart elevation, but I suspect the leg muscle capability somewhat lags the CV system, probably because of the differing recruitment. Plus mebbe an element of trying to spin more vs straining knees.

But give it a try, and see if you get on with it..even better, try a real one Lots of different variants, from the more upright long or short wheelbase (mostly US) machines - some are surpringly light/fast (in the right hands), to trikes (more kart-like), and short wheelbase mid/lowracers (generally european). Lightest you'll find is probably Barchettas, Challenge Fujin SL2, M5 CHR at 2-3k (not that much ££ more than heavier tourers), at about 9-10kg. Coolest for road use is probably Troytec - carbon monocoque that supports several formats (low/mid racer/suspension) and 9-10kg ..but about 4-5k.

JonD wrote:

Cyclist wrote:

Standard. (If you must)

The recumbent reduces the range of movement even more than a standard 'Gym' bike. glutes quads hams hip flexors/extensors doing reduced work, even adductors/abductors have their work as fixators workload removed. Recumbents are great for the injured short term or the obese, however, the lazy love them, it fills them with false hope and achievement.
If you must, ride a gym bike, at least try and get on a good quality 'spin bike' my gym has a watt bike, find one of those if you can. Get rollers or a turbo.

Err..nope.

Unless you're using short cranks (which are not infrequently used on bents cos it allows a faster spin) the range of movement is not less , but over a different area. Depending on how 'open' or 'closed' ie hip to torso angle -a function of relative seat height/angle and bottom bracket height - then there does seem to be different muscle recruitment - some estimates around the web suggest that about 30% power might be dropped going from df to 'bent (acclimatised to both) but whether that's true of a *very* acclimatised rider I dont know. A common set of aches for new recumbent riders seems to be halfway up the glutes and at the bottom of the vastus medialis (the muscle to the front/upperer/inside of the knee). Plus I find my hip flexors are actually the first thing to fatigue on a longer/harder ride.
Its not *all* reduced work, it seems some smaller muscles are doing relatively more than they would in a more closed upright position.

Worth doing - dunno, always felt like it gave some benefit when briefly back on an mtb, ymmv. Be aware its easier to hurts your knees pressing into a seat back, try to spin more..not that you won't be doing that on an upright, surely

Recumbents aren't easier (and riding a real one is usually harder work when youre not on the flat), just different. If you want to work hard on one you can..probably a lot of those you see riding them in the gym do so cos its more comfortable or easier to read..the latter would probably do the same on gym uprights..

Almost foryot - one thing I've noticed is that -especially in the early days of riding a bent -its harder to get the heart rate up unless climbing, and breathing is shallower. Might in part be the relative leg/heart elevation, but I suspect the leg muscle capability somewhat lags the CV system, probably because of the differing recruitment. Plus mebbe an element of trying to spin more vs straining knees.

But give it a try, and see if you get on with it..even better, try a real one Lots of different variants, from the more upright long or short wheelbase (mostly US) machines - some are surpringly light/fast (in the right hands), to trikes (more kart-like), and short wheelbase mid/lowracers (generally european). Lightest you'll find is probably Barchettas, Challenge Fujin SL2, M5 CHR at 2-3k (not that much ££ more than heavier tourers), at about 9-10kg. Coolest for road use is probably Troytec - carbon monocoque that supports several formats (low/mid racer/suspension) and 9-10kg ..but about 4-5k.

Err yesssssss... He is not talking about a recumbant for the road... In a gym!

@whoever mentioned sweating..... What has sweating got to do with it? It has no particular relevance to workout intensity... I sweat in a sauna.