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What Muscles Do Recumbent Bikes Work?

What Muscles Do Recumbent Bikes Work

A recumbent exercise bike is an exercise bike that features a low profile, bucket seat and back support. It is great for people with mobility and lower back issues. Because of the more horizontal pedaling motion than a stationary bike, a recumbent bike works the lower body muscles slightly differently.

So what muscles do recumbent bikes work?

The main muscles worked by a recumbent bike are the hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, calves and core. In this article, I’ll drill down into how each of these muscles gets worked on a recumbent bike. I will also answer the most commonly asked questions about recumbent bikes.

Which Muscles Do You Use On A Recumbent Bike

Legs

The main muscles worked on a recumbent bike workout are the legs. Working out on a recumbent bike is a closed chain exercise that does not lift your feet off the pedals. As a result, it allows you to work your lower body muscles without putting stress on your ankle, knees and hip joints.

The Hamstrings

The hamstrings is the name given to a group of four muscles located on the back of the upper leg. This muscle group is made up of the biceps femoris short head and biceps femoris long head, as well as the semimembranosus and semitendinosus.

The hamstrings are the opposing muscle group to the quadriceps. 

All four parts of the muscle work together to perform knee flexion. This bends the knee to bring the heel of the foot back and up toward the butt. The hamstrings also assist in hip extension, which is mainly formed by the glutes and adductors.

The hamstrings are activated in the return of the lateral pedaling motion of recumbent cycling. 

What is a recumbent bike? Click the link to read more.

The Quadriceps

The Quadriceps

The quadriceps, or thighs, are the four muscles at the front of your upper leg. The four muscles, or heads, of the quadriceps, are:

  • Vastus Lateralis
  • Vastus Intermedius
  • Rectus Femoris
  • Vastus Medialis

The main job of the thighs is to extend the knee. All four of the muscle heads converge at a single joint, located directly above the knee. Three of the heads originate at the top of the femur and the fourth head, the rectus femoris, originates on the pelvis.

Because all heads of the muscle insert at the same point, any exercise you do will equally work all parts of the quadriceps.

When you push down on the foot pedals at the start of the recumbent pedaling motion, you will be working your quadriceps.

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Gluteal Muscles

The glutes consist of three muscles:

  • Gluteus Maximus
  • Gluteus Medius
  • Gluteus Minimus

The gluteus medius and minimus lie under the gluteus maximus. They are known as deep muscles. The gluteus maximus is the largest and most powerful muscle in the entire body. It originates on the gluteal surface of the ilium, on the inside edge of the posterior side of the pelvis, close to the spine.

The job of the gluteus maximus is to extend the hip joint. In other words, it opens up the hip joint, moving the femur (upper leg) bone down and back. This muscle also propels you forward when you are walking or running.

The gluteus maximus gets activated throughout the entire pedaling motion.

The Calves

The calf muscles are made up of two muscles:

  • Gastrocnemius
  • Soleus

The soleus sits underneath the much larger gastrocnemius or gastro. The function of the calves is extension and contraction of the forefoot. It is activated every time you push down on the ball of your foot to pedal a recumbent bike. 

Upper Body

Upper Body

Unless you have a recumbent with movable handles, you won’t get much of an upper body workout on a recumbent bike. A bike with movable handles like an elliptical will stimulate the latissimus dorsi muscles, the rhomboids, teres major and trapezius of the back. It will also work the anterior, or front, deltoids, forearms and triceps.

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Core

Your core consists of the following muscles:

  • Transverse abdominis
  • External and internal obliques
  • Rectus abdominis
  • Erector spinae
  • Pelvic floor muscles

These muscles perform a stabilizing action when you use a recumbent cycle. The lateral position of the recumbent bike will engage your abdominal area more than when you use a regular upright bike. As a result, you will get more of a burn in the abs from a recumbent workout.

Learn how to turn your bike into an exercise bike.

Can You Build Muscle On A Recumbent Bike?

Yes, you can build muscle on a recumbent bike. However, the amount of muscle gain will be minimal and will be limited to your lower body. If you use a challenging level of pedal resistance, you will be able to place enough stress on your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves to produce microtears in the muscle fibers. Provided that you feed it plenty of protein, your body will respond by repairing the muscles and making them slightly bigger and stronger.

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Is A Recumbent Bike Good For Toning?

Is A Recumbent Bike Good For Toning

Yes, a recumbent bike is a good option for toning. Toning involves burning calories to remove stored fat between the muscle and the skin. Exercising regularly on a recumbent bike will help you to create the daily calorie deficit that forces the body to use that stored body fat for energy. Be sure to combine your exercise with a reduced-calorie diet.

Can You Burn Calories On A Recumbent Bike?

Yes, you can burn calories on recumbent bikes. The number of calories that you burn, however, depends on a number of variables. These include your gender, weight and intensity of exercise. A 130-pound (58 kg) woman exercising on the machine at a pace of 5.5 miles per hour will burn around 3 calories per minute. A 200-pound (90 kg) man will burn around 5.35 calories at the same pace.

Are Recumbent Exercise Bikes Good For Weight Loss?

Recumbent bikes are good cardio equipment for weight loss for people with back issues. However, they do not burn as many calories as an upright bike. That’s because the vertical pedaling motion is a little easier. To increase your calorie burn on a recumbent bike, set a higher resistance level. You can also do upper body exercises with dumbbells or resistance bands while riding.

Are Recumbent Bikes Good For Cardio?

Recumbent bikes are good for cardio as they will exercise your heart and lungs without stressing your joints. To get the most cardio benefit you should pedal at a moderately challenging pace for at least 30 minutes.

Are Recumbent Exercise Bikes Good For Sciatica?

Are Recumbent Exercise Bikes For Sciatica

Yes, recumbent bikes are good for sciatica. They will help to take the pressure off the erector spinae and gluteus muscles. You can also exercise the glutes, which are often affected by sciatica, without discomfort.

Discover the biggest exercise bike benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, recumbent training can help you lose belly fat. Using a recumbent bike for 30 – 40 minutes daily, combined with a calorie reduction, will allow you to lose weight consistently and safely. To burn more calories, increase the resistance or get a full-body workout by doing exercises with dumbbells while riding.

Yes, recumbent bikes work your core. The core balances and supports your body while pedaling. More core stability is required when pedaling a recumbent bike since your legs are more in the horizontal position than the vertical one. You are sitting in a reclined position on a recumbent bike whereas you are sitting upright and leaning forward during your workout on an upright bike. The larger seat on a recumbent bike also supports the erector spinae muscles of the posterior side of the core.

Yes, 30 minutes of recumbent bike work is a good form of exercise. It will help you burn a significant amount of calories, while also toning your leg muscles and helping to burn calories and lose weight. To maximize your 30 minutes of recumbent bike work, maintain a moderate to challenging pace.

Conclusion

Recumbent bikes provide a great workout, especially if you need extra back support. So what muscles do recumbent bikes work? They work all of the major muscles of the lower body, including the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, quadriceps and calves. The exercise also works the core. To include the upper body, you can do dumbbell or tube band exercises while riding.

Learn more about the different types of bikes for exercising.