5 Recumbent Exercise Bike Benefits to Boost Fitness Without Stressing Your Joints

Walk into any gym, and you’ll likely see a section for stationary bikes, some upright and some recumbent. A recumbent bike has a reclined seat and backrest, with two handrests on the sides and a screen above the pedals. The low-impact cardio machine can help you burn calories and boost your fitness. 

You can modify your cycling workout to match your fitness level and abilities. It’s great for beginners, people with joint problems, or those recovering from injuries.

Learn more about recumbent bike benefits, how they compare to upright bikes, and how to incorporate them into your fitness routine. 

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What are the benefits of recumbent bikes?

Recumbent bikes are accessible, customizable, and commonly found in most gyms. These five recumbent bike benefits might make them more appealing than upright bikes. 

1. Offers accessible, low-impact exercise

High-impact workouts –– like HIIT, circuit training, and plyometrics –– have dominated the fitness world for years. But low-impact exercise has become more popular in recent years. Recumbent biking and other low-impact workouts put less pressure on your joints. The reclined seat and pedals reduce stress on shock-absorbing joints like your hips, knees, and ankles.

It’s an excellent choice for people of all ages and fitness levels, including:

• Beginners

• Older adults

• People with arthritis or other joint conditions 

• Those recovering from injuries

• People living with chronic pain

2. Provides comfortable seating

Unlike upright stationary bikes, like the popular Peloton, recumbent bikes have a backrest and a wide seat about 2 feet from the ground. The pedals on a recumbent bike are in front of you instead of beneath you, as they are on upright bikes. This setup allows users to sit in a reclined position while pedaling. It provides lumbar support, reduces lower back strain, and helps distribute your body weight evenly.

Many people find the seating more comfortable than upright bikes, which have a higher, narrower seat on the end of a metal post. Recumbent bikes may suit people with back pain, joint issues, or saddle soreness from upright cycling. 

3. Boosts cardiovascular health

Indoor cycling has been shown to improve cardiovascular health and fitness by:

• Increasing aerobic capacity

• Lowering blood pressure

• Improving cholesterol levels

• Changing body composition

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• Elliptical vs. treadmill: Find out which cardio machine is better for your fitness goals.

• Looking for more low-impact workouts? Try rowing for a full-body workout that’s easy on your joints. Learn how to use a rowing machine before you get started.

• Or take your workouts to the pool. Aqua jogging is a water-based workout that’s gentle on your joints and can help you build strength and endurance.

Recumbent biking is an endurance exercise that provides many of the same benefits. One study found that low-impact exercises like recumbent biking may improve heart health and joint mobility in older adults with hip and knee pain.

Another study found that recumbent biking may put less stress on your cardiovascular system. But check with a healthcare professional before exercising with heart conditions. 

4. Strengthens lower-body muscles

Recumbent cycling is primarily a lower-body powered workout. It works multiple muscle groups, including the following:

• Hip flexors

• Glutes

• Quadriceps

• Hamstrings

• Calves

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The low-impact workout also engages stabilizer muscles in your core, such as your abdominals and obliques. This makes it a great way to build muscle strength and endurance over time. 

5. Low injury risk

The recumbent bike has several safety advantages. For one, the reclined seating provides back support. The seat is wider than an upright bike, making it easier to stay balanced and stable throughout your ride. The seat is closer to the floor, so the risk of falling is lower, especially compared to an upright bike seat that suspends your body several feet in the air.

Disadvantages of recumbent stationary bikes

It’s easy to sing the praises of the recumbent bike. But like any exercise machine, it has drawbacks. Whether you see the points below as disadvantages depends on your perspective. Some of them are what make the bike safe and accessible:

• Limited upper-body muscle engagement: The recumbent bike has a reclined seat, handlebars, and a backrest. So, it doesn’t engage your upper body much. Upright bikes aren’t known for upper-body engagement either. But at least with those, the handlebars are in front, so you have to use upper-body muscles to sit up tall in the seat. 

• Less intense: Riding a recumbent bike results in a lower calorie burn than other cardio machines, like a treadmill or elliptical. The good news is that if you put in the same amount of effort on a recumbent bike and an upright bike, you may burn a comparable amount of calories (about 500 per hour, depending on your weight and pace). 

• Less variety: When using an upright bike to cycle, there are different hand and body placements — often called first, second, and third positions in spinning classes. But on a recumbent bike, there’s only one way to use it, which may feel monotonous to some people.

Tips for how to use a recumbent bike

Recumbent bikes are considered safe, low-impact machines, but only when used correctly. The following advice can help you get the most out of recumbent bike workouts: 

• Adjust the seat properly: The first step to using a recumbent bike is to adjust the seat, which is usually pretty easy. There’s a handle under the bike seat that you can lift to slide the seat forward and backward (like a seat in your car). Ideally, you want your front knee slightly bent when your foot is fully extended on the pedal. Once you reach that position, you’re good to go.

• Engage your core: Make sure to engage your core and sit with your back comfortably against the backrest. Slouching on the bike can lead to tension and pain in your upper back and neck. Also, by engaging your core, you can more easily maintain balance on the bike. 

• Increase resistance gradually: When it comes to resistance, start low and increase slowly. There’s no need to go from 0 to 100, or push yourself too hard. Add resistance slowly, giving your body time to adjust each time you increase. The goal is to challenge yourself in a healthy, suitable way.

• Incorporate interval training: You can try incorporating interval training to add variety and intensity to your recumbent bike workouts. To do so, choose a baseline resistance level (consider this your flat road). Then, choose a challenging resistance level (that feels more like a climb). Alternate between the two, using an effort-to-recovery ratio of one to two. 

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Written by:

Ray Bass, NASM-CPT

Ray Bass is an author, editor, and National Academy of Sports Medicine-certified personal trainer. She holds an honors degree in creative writing from the University of Pennsylvania, and she is pursuing her MFA at The New School.

Edited by:

Lauren Savage, MA

Lauren Savage, MA, is a health editor at GoodRx, where she focuses on movement, exercise, and healthy aging. She aims to provide readers with the information they need to live healthier, more active lifestyles.

Reviewed by:

Sanjai Sinha, MD

Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in internal medicine.

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