The Bike-The Answer
April 19th 2007 05:49
Let us assume that the down side of many cardio exercises and aerobics is that the long term pounding of the joints leads to chronic pain,debility, and even arthritis. It is prudent to pay close attention to how much you engage in these activities. The casual exerciser has much less to worry about;the devotee is in serious danger of ending their years with a painful chronic condition. The question is thus how much will be enough to garner the benefits of the activity without undue danger of long term problems. I think e to take up swimming.this question is beyond solving.
A better approach to getting exposure to cardio, if that is what you feel is important for your fitness program, is to focus on the cardio activities which reap the benefits with the least amount of exposure to risk of injury. Swimming, for instance, is excellent for heart and lungs, but, as I said in a post last week, is not optimum for spurring fat loss. If my only purpose in cardio is the health of the heart and lungs, I would not hesitate to take up swimming.
I suspect that a cardio activity that doesn't promote fat loss is not very high on most exercisers' agenda. If that is true of you and you work out in an average gym, I think you have to look to two pieces of equipment-the elliptical and the bicycle. The elliptical has many advantages for those who are ardent treadmillers. Its movement is from an upright position and the legs move in a manner at least similar to running. This machine has to be used carefully,however, since it can begin to jar the joints itself.
The solution to largely wear free cardio training is probably the bicycle. There cannot be a gym of any consequence that does not feature a number of exercise bikes. They come in two varieties- upright and recumbent. Neither does any real damage from pounding, although the upright version is far less comfortable than the recumbent. It is a no-brainer that the the recumbent bike is the most comfortable and least punishing piece of cardio equipment in the gym.
Not only is it comfortable,but the bicycle can provide a workout which rivals treadmills etc. It has the advantage of being adjustable enough to permit a period of adaptation and then can be set to challenge the most hardy. Most feature a variety of programs from simple manual all the way to mountain climbing. These latter programs are a real test of power and endurance and will leave anyone new to them with a respect for their difficulty.
The bicycle also lends itself to the kind of interval training that is becoming the standard. It is really at its best when the rider makes every attempt to maintain a certain rpm level throughout the workout. I think that a short workout while trying to maintain rpms between 90-110 will provide a powerful incentive for the heart and lungs to adapt. The average rider comes nowhere near that pace and the benefit they derive is thus compromised. The hill and mountain programs usually mimic a road course which would vary from steep uphill to steep downhill. This kind of interval training is optimum for long term lung and heart capacity.
If you are a committed cardio adherent, you might give a period of bike training a try. It will give your joints a break and I think you will find that it can do all the other equipment does. Your servant, as always.
recumbent exercise bike
I suspect that a cardio activity that doesn't promote fat loss is not very high on most exercisers' agenda. If that is true of you and you work out in an average gym, I think you have to look to two pieces of equipment-the elliptical and the bicycle. The elliptical has many advantages for those who are ardent treadmillers. Its movement is from an upright position and the legs move in a manner at least similar to running. This machine has to be used carefully,however, since it can begin to jar the joints itself.
The solution to largely wear free cardio training is probably the bicycle. There cannot be a gym of any consequence that does not feature a number of exercise bikes. They come in two varieties- upright and recumbent. Neither does any real damage from pounding, although the upright version is far less comfortable than the recumbent. It is a no-brainer that the the recumbent bike is the most comfortable and least punishing piece of cardio equipment in the gym.
Not only is it comfortable,but the bicycle can provide a workout which rivals treadmills etc. It has the advantage of being adjustable enough to permit a period of adaptation and then can be set to challenge the most hardy. Most feature a variety of programs from simple manual all the way to mountain climbing. These latter programs are a real test of power and endurance and will leave anyone new to them with a respect for their difficulty.
The bicycle also lends itself to the kind of interval training that is becoming the standard. It is really at its best when the rider makes every attempt to maintain a certain rpm level throughout the workout. I think that a short workout while trying to maintain rpms between 90-110 will provide a powerful incentive for the heart and lungs to adapt. The average rider comes nowhere near that pace and the benefit they derive is thus compromised. The hill and mountain programs usually mimic a road course which would vary from steep uphill to steep downhill. This kind of interval training is optimum for long term lung and heart capacity.
If you are a committed cardio adherent, you might give a period of bike training a try. It will give your joints a break and I think you will find that it can do all the other equipment does. Your servant, as always.
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