Stationary Bicycling

Execution

1. Pedal easily for 3-5 minutes to warm up the knees and hips.
2. Gradually increase the resistance or speed until you can still speak in full sentences but your breathing has picked up.
3. Keep your back naturally straight, shoulders relaxed, with just a light rest of the hands on the handlebars.
4. Hold a steady pedaling cadence for the planned duration of the session.
5. A beginner aims for 20-30 minutes of continuous pedaling at a pace where full sentences still come out, not counting the 3-5 minute warm-up and the 3-5 minutes of easy pedaling at the end.
6. Finish with 3-5 minutes of easy pedaling to bring your heart rate down before stopping completely.

Quick cues

• Slight bend in the knee at the bottom.
• Full sentences means the right pace.
• Shoulders loose, light hands on the bars.
• Keep a steady cadence the whole session.

Common faults

• Fault: The seat set too low, so the knee bends deeply on every pedal stroke

  Fix: Raise the seat until the knee has only a slight bend at the bottom of the pedal stroke.

• Fault: Tensing the shoulders and leaning hard on the handlebars

  Fix: Relax the shoulders and let most of the weight rest on the saddle.

• Fault: Starting at too high a resistance and having to stop partway through

  Fix: Start light and build the resistance gradually after a few warm-up minutes.

• Fault: The knees caving inward while pedaling

  Fix: Check that the pedals line up with the toes and drive the knees in that same direction.