6
Adjust the seat.
When the pedal is at the lowest position, your leg should be almost,
but not quite, straight. You shouldn’t have to strain or rock your hips to pedal. Your knees
shouldn’t feel crunched when they’re at the top of the pedal stroke. With a recumbent bike,
you adjust the seat forward and back, rather than up and down, but the principles are the
same.
Get to know the display panel.
For instance, notice how many levels the bike has. Also,
pay attention to your cadence — that is, how many revolutions per minute (rpm) you’re
cycling. Varying your cadence is a good idea. You may want to hum along at 80 rpm for 5
minutes and then do 30-second intervals at 100 rpm using the same tension level.
Adjust the pedal straps so that your feet feel snug —
but don’t let the straps cut off your
circulation. Riding a bike with the foot straps is much more comfortable and efficient than
pedalling without them. Don’t remove the pedal straps from your bike; this forces the next
person to waste time putting them back on.
Don’t pedal with just your toes.
Otherwise you may bring on foot and calf cramps.
Instead, press from the ball of your foot and through your heel as you pump downward on
the pedal, and pull up with the top of your foot on the upstroke.
Don’t hunch over.
Rounding your back is the way to develop back and neck pain. Don’t
get your upper body into the effort, either. Instead, keep your chest up, shoulders back and
down, ears in line with your shoulders.
Pedal slowly for the first 5 to 10 minutes of your workout.
This is called a warm up
and allows your body time to adapt to being in a state of motion, decreasing your chance
of injury.
Grasp the silver heart rate monitors to allow the machine to monitor your heart rate.
Most beginners will want to begin working at about 70 percent of their maximum heart
rate. As your fitness improves, you will be able to work out at a higher percentage of your
maximum heart rate.
OPERATION
