In everyone's cognition, exercise bikes are generally pedaled with feet facing forward because riding in this way can help us consume a lot of calories and is conducive to weight loss. It can also exercise the muscles of the whole body and strengthen the cardiopulmonary function.
So if you ride backwards, will you still have the same fitness effect?
"Life Times" once wrote in an article that riding an exercise bike backwards consumes 23% more calories than riding along, and oxygen uptake will also increase by 27%. In addition, riding backwards is also beneficial for improving blood circulation in the legs and feet, so that the legs will not feel sore after the ride.
But I don't think so. As stated in this article, it's true that riding upside down is less prone to leg soreness because there's less resistance to riding upside down. The intensity of exercise is also much less than normal. But according to the article, riding backwards burns more calories. But since the intensity of exercise is reduced, why does it consume more calories?
Therefore, whether riding the exercise bike backwards will have a better fitness effect remains to be studied. But riding an exercise bike upside down must be unsafe. As for the reasons, they are mainly the following:
1. Loosen the crank.
When riding the exercise bike upside down, the crank rotates backwards, which can easily cause the crank screw to loosen. In severe cases, the pedals could fall off the cranks, causing the rider to fall off the bike and be injured.
2. Injuring the knee
The stationary bike configuration used in the exercise bike has a flywheel weighing 8 to 15 kilograms. This flywheel is directly connected to the pedals, and even when you step backwards, the flywheel rotates backwards. This is different from the structure of ordinary bicycles, which are actually idling when riding backwards. And if you ride the exercise bike upside down, the inertia of the flywheel rotation and the resistance you apply to the flywheel will create force. Pass it to your calves and knees via chains, cranks, and pedals. Excessive pressure on the knee can lead to long-term knee damage.
3. Wrist and hip injuries.
Because riding the exercise bike backwards will mobilize the power of the waist and crotch too much, which will lead to excessive stress on the waist and crotch, and the waist and crotch will be injured.
4. The foot cover comes undone.
When riding the exercise bike upside down, the legs and soles of the feet will be forced backwards, which can easily cause the feet to slip out of the foot cover. And the pedal driven by the flywheel full of inertia is still rotating rapidly, which will easily cause the pedal to hit the leg and cause injury.
It can be seen that riding an exercise bike upside down will not only cause harm to our bodies but also damage the bicycle itself to a certain extent. And, for now, there's no research to suggest that riding an exercise bike upside down is better for your health. Therefore, we do not recommend that you use this method to exercise.
If you are looking for a cost-effective exercise bike that can meet your exercise requirements. You can consider YOSUDA exercise bikes, which are suitable for home use and meet various riding needs.