My birthday is coming up, and I never have any idea what to ask for. But this year, it occurs to me I could request a (cheap) stationary bike. At first glance it seems like a good idea to me, but the problem is I know nothing about them.
I’ve lost some weight recently (down to 205 lb.) doing the low-carb thing, and increased my level of exercise (from “none” to “some”), but it’s all been sit-ups and push-ups and the like: I’m building some muscle mass, but I still fatigue pretty easily.
I could get a gym membership, but knowing what I do about myself I’m sure I’d never drag myself over there. I’d try jogging first, but when I tried that in college my shins and knees disintegrated after a week or two (I’m sure I was doing it wrong, but still, it didn’t feel natural). Finally, I could try just riding an actual bike around, but, well, I never learned how (shut up, I’m a city boy).
So, any light people could shed on stationary bikes (or other aerobic workouts to do at home) would be great. Would a cheap one (~$200) be a total piece of crap and not worth it? What am I looking for (or looking to avoid)? Particular brands/models? Other things I should know.
If you’re set on an indoor bike, see if you can find a used Keiser or similar. They’re quality gym stationary bikes but more burly than one you’d find at a place like Sears or what have you. It would have to be used, because they are pretty expensive new. IMO, your best bang for your buck with home exercise equipment is a rower. But again, quite expensive.
That said, in the long run, you might be better off buying a good pair of running/walking shoes. Go to a proper running store, get an assessment/fit, and spend the $150 on a pair of good shoes. That might be the difference you need to save your shins. Then get outside and walk, and when you feel you’re ready, start a Couch to 5K program.
I went through a succession of cheap stationary bikes, and they all sucked. I finally bit the bullet and bought a good quality Lifecycle. It was expensive, but worth it.
If I were trying to start a fitness program and didn’t want to drop a load (edit: a load of cash), I would start with walking. Invest your birthday money in a good pair of walking shoes. Get yourself a pedometer (or a pedometer app for your smartphone) and work your way up. 5000 steps a day is a good start, 10,000 a good intermediate. Go up from there.
Meanwhile, start saving up for that good sturdy bike, and maybe you’ll have enough by the time it’s too cold outside to walk. Good luck!
I agree with the others who’ve recommended getting a good pair of running shoes from a specialty running store. I had the same experience as you the first time I tried to run. My knees hurt so bad I couldn’t walk up or down stairs for days. Ten years later, I tried again, doing a couch to 5K program, running two minutes, walking one minute, and doing this four times in succession. I did this three times a week. Each successive week I added one minute to the running time, so the following week I would run three minutes, walk one, four times in succession.
The running, in conjunction with careful management of my diet, has resulted in successful weight loss that I’ve now kept off for five years.
Running is fantastic exercise, but you have to work into it properly. Walking is also very good. You can track your exercising on a site like mapmyrun.com to monitor weekly mileage and pace. You can use mapmyrun.com to track exercise on a stationary bike, too
As you’ve figured out, the best exercise plan is the one you can follow.
I don’t have a gym membership, because I’m too lazy to drag myself there…and the extra time it takes would eat away at other activities. When I remodeled the house, I updated my home gym to a bit, to account for this.
I have a NordicTrack GX 5.0 Pro recumbent bike. And a TV on the wall. So instead of sitting on the couch downstairs watching TV, I do 45 minutes on the bike almost every day, while watching TV.
Why recumbent? Easier on my back. Not that I have back problems. But I like the setup. Last time I did physical therapy, I noticed that people doing leg warm up activities were almost always taken to the recumbent bikes, ignoring the uprights. My therapist said it was for the same reason - better on their back. So I tried a few there, and found it comfy.
Don’t count on a recumbent bike to save your butt–try those out before you invest in one, too. The gym I go to has them, and I tried them exactly once. After fifteen minutes I felt like my tailbone was about to split apart. Can’t stand 'em.
I found a recumbent exercise bike to be best for my indoor riding when I needed it (commuting through most weather takes care of a lot of my ride needs). The reason is that you can easily get bored on a upright exercise bike and watching TV gets old real fast. With the recumbent you can read or even play on an iPad.
