Cycling is a very effective exercise. The exercise bike has made cycling an indoor exercise without losing any of its benefits. However, a lot of people tend to compare any low impact exercise machine with treadmills. So the question arises, is an exercise bike better than a treadmill? Let us help you find out the answers to your queries regarding an exercise bike.
Is An Exercise Bike Better Than A Treadmill?
Both exercise bikes and treadmills are the most popular exercise machines, be it at home or in the gym. The answer to this question depends really on your purpose of using either of the exercise machines. Both exercise bikes and treadmills have fantastic benefits in different aspects. Check out the comparisons below to find out the answer according to your need.
Muscle Building
The exercise bike uses your glutes, quadriceps muscles, hip muscles, and calves muscles for pedaling motion. As you increase resistance, the exercise bike will build your muscles over time more effectively than treadmills. For best results, pedal on a gear that prevents you from cycling faster, for 60 minutes a day.
Weight loss
When you are running on a treadmill, it associates your whole body, which requires a lot of effort. This will burn fats at a higher rate. A 165 lb person will burn 800-1000 calories. On the other hand, paddling in an exercise bike will burn 600 calories in 30 minutes.
Low impact, High-intensity workout
The exercise bike is better as a low impact but high-intensity workout. On a bike, your body fat burns 36% faster than any workout. It improves your cardiovascular health, and you’ll have toned legs and strong muscles. And the treadmill is a high impact workout that puts a strain on joints if you’re not careful.
Injury Rate
Exercise bikes get an easy win when you’re considering the injury rate of the machines. The treadmill is a high impact machine and has a high chance of losing balance on the belt. Along with this, it may lead to a sprained ankle or torn ligament. It can take you out for a long time, depending on the severity.
Machine durability
Exercise bikes rarely break down where treadmills can go wrong in many ways, such as belts, the motor, or the inclining ability. These issues add to your machine’s cost, so it’s better to go for the exercise bike.
Calorie Burns
Running on Treadmills burns a higher amount of calories than paddling on the exercise. So, if you’re looking to burn calories faster, running on a treadmill will help you better. An exercise bike will also burn a significant amount of calories, but treadmills target your whole body for calorie burn.
5 Great Reasons Exercise Bike Better Than A Treadmill
Not all the cardio exercise machines are made the same. Although exercise bikes don’t burn as many calories as treadmills, there are many ways to indicate that exercise bikes are better than treadmills. We are presenting you with 5 of the most beneficial ones here for you to check out.
Cardio fitness
An exercise bike is a cardio exercise that increases your heart rate and allows your heart to consume more oxygen. Your heart muscles are worked up as you paddle, strengthening your cardio muscles and improving your cardiovascular health.
Improves joint health
The exercise bike is easy on your joints. It puts less strain on your knees and ankle joints. It helps to circulate more blood on the joints, which promotes better cartilage health. When you paddle, your knee, ankle, and hip joints rotate. This improves your overall joint health and makes them stronger.
Improves strength
If you paddle on an exercise bike with increased resistance, it will prevent you from paddling fast. You will have to put a lot more strength on each paddle to rotate the cycle. This will significantly contribute to your leg muscles and lower body to become significantly more potent.
Reduces stress
Working out with an exercise bike not only helps you with physical fitness, but it also improves your mental health. Working out helps release feel-good hormones like serotonin and dopamine. Every time you finish working out on the exercise bike, it will reduce your stress level and put you in a better mood.
Improves brain function
It is proven from multiple surveys and researches that exercise bikes help improve cognitive functions, memory, and attention on a significant level. As you work your body, it also impacts your brain to clear out fogs and activates brain functions. The secretion of good hormones and pedaling actions play important to keep the brain functioning at an optimum level.
Frequently Asked Question
Can you lose weight on an exercise bike?
How long should I use an exercise bike for?
Is it OK to ride an exercise bike every day?
Final Thought
In conclusion, we hope that you are now well aware and have got your answer to the question of is an exercise bike better than a treadmill. We are more inclined to exercise bike due to its low risk of injury, convenient functions, and durability of the machine. We recommend you start exercising with an exercise bike if you’re a beginner. And slowly build up from there.