We all know stationary exercise bikes are for cardio, but the right bike can provide an effective full-body workout.
What muscles does an exercise bike work? That actually depends on what type of bike you’re using for your workouts. If it’s a spin bike, a folding bike, or a standard upright bike, you are primarily using your lower body and core muscles. On the other hand, if you’re pedaling while pushing and pulling the handles of an exercise bike with moveable handles, you are getting a full body workout.
Whether it is a dual action bike or not, you can burn a lot of calories in a 30-60 minute workout on an exercise bike.
You can check out the best bikes with moveable handles for a full body workout on Amazon.
What Muscles Does an Exercise Bike Work?
If you’re looking for a low-impact exercise that can help you burn calories and tone your body, an exercise bike might be just what you need.
I will give you a rundown of which muscles you’re working when you’re exercising on your bike.
Primary Muscles Worked With Any Exercise Bike
When you use an exercise bike, you always work your lower body because you’re pedaling with your legs. The main muscles that are targeted include:
- Hamstrings: These are located at the back of your thighs. They are responsible for flexing your knees and bending your legs.
- Quadriceps: Quads are located at the front of your thighs. They are responsible for extending your knees and straightening your legs.
- Glutes: Glutes are in your buttocks. They are responsible for extending your hips and rotating your thighs.
- Calves: Most everybody knows about their calves. They’re located at the back of your lower legs. They are responsible for flexing your ankles and pointing your toes.
You use all of these muscles to push down on the pedals and create resistance. The more resistance you add, the harder you work to keep pedaling.
It’s important to note that while a stationary bike primarily works your lower body, it also provides a low-impact cardiovascular workout that can benefit your overall health and fitness even after 60.
Quadriceps
When you pedal, your quadriceps are one of the primary muscle groups that get worked. The quadriceps are the large muscles on the front of your thighs, and they play a crucial role in pedaling the bike.
Quads contract to extend your knee as you push doen on the pedal. The more resistance you add, the harder your quads work.
Your bike will improve your overall lower body strength and stability along with improving your balance which will help reduce the risk of falling.
If you want to build up your quadriceps even more, try lowering the seat. Your quads will be slightly bent at the bottom of each pedal stroke. This puts more pressure on your quads, and aides in increasing range of motion.
Hamstrings
Your hamstrings are another one of the main muscle groups that are targeted. They are located on the back of your thighs and are responsible for flexing your knees and extending your hips.
As you pedal, your hamstrings contract to pull your foot back up towards your body during the upstroke. This helps strengthen and tone the back side of your legs over time.
If you want more action out of your hamstrings, just increase the resistance.
Glutes
When you think of a stationary bike, you might not immediately think of your glutes. However, these muscles play a crucial role in cycling and can greatly benefit from regular exercise.
As you work the pedals, your glutes work to push your legs down and back up again. Going up and down engages your gluteus maximus, which is the largest muscle in your buttocks.
Got saddlebags?
That’s your gluteus medius. They are the smaller muscles on the sides of your buttocks. They help stabilze your hips.
Regular use of an exercise bike can help to tone and strengthen both the gluteus maximus and the gluteus medius. It won’t be long before you notice a more defined and lifter rear end. Not to mention that you will now have better posture which naturally helps your overall apperance.
Calves
When you workout on your bike, your calves are getting some serious exercise. There are two two muscles that make up the calves, the gastrocnemius and the soleus.
The gastrocnemius muscle is the larger of the two and is the bulge at the back of your lower leg. It activates when you push down on the pedals.
The soleus muscle, on the other hand, is located deeper in your calf and stabilizes your ankle when you pedal.
Core
Riding an exercise bike also strengthens your core. Your core muscles include your abs, lower back, and hips. Your core is crucial for maintaining good posture and balance.
The muscles that join the spine or pelvis deep within your back and abdomen are known as your core muscles.
As you pedal, your abs and lower bac engage to keep your body stable and upright. This helps to improve your posture and reduce the risk of back pain.
Cycling also targets your hip flexors, which run from your pelvis to your thighs.
These are responsible for lifting your legs and bending your hips.
Strengthening your hip flexors can help improve your overall mobility, eliminate back pain, and reduce the risk of injury.
Just like any exercise routine, it’s important to maintain proper form when cycling. Keep your back straight, engage your abs, and avoid leaning forward or back too much.
Secondary Muscles Worked
While an exercise bike primarily targets your lower body, it also works some secondary muscles.
They include:
- Core: Your abs and lower back muscles are activated to maintain proper posture and stability while cycling.
- Arms: Your biceps and triceps get a workout as you hold onto the handlebars and push and pull against resistance.
- Shoulders: Your deltoids and rotator cuffs are engaged as you move your arms back and forth and up and down.
- Hips: Your hip flexors are activated as you pedal, particularly during the upstroke phase of the pedal stroke.
Upper Body
Regular upright exercise bikes mainly target the lower body, but they can still provide some benefits for your upper body.
Here are the upper body muscles that any exercise bike can work:
1. Shoulders
When you grip the handlebars, your shoulders get engaged. The deltoids (shoulders) and trapezius (upper back) are activated to some degree when you rid.
2. Arms
Your arms, including the biceps and triceps, also get some workout when you use an exercise bike. The intensity of the workout depends on how you use the handlebars. If you just lightly hold on to the handlebars, your arms won’t get much of a workout. But if you grip them tightly, you can engage your arms more.
3. Core
Exercise bikes can can also help to strengthen your core which includes the rectus abdominis (six-packs), obliques (sides), and erector spinae (lower back).
Lower Back
When you’re riding, your lower back muscles are also working. They help stabilize your spine and keep your body in the correct position. Here are the main lower back muscles that are used when you’re cycling:
- Erector Spinae: This muscle group runs along your spine and helps to keep your back straight. It also helps to extend your spine and keep you upright, which is important when you’re cycling.
- Multifidus: This muscle group is located deep in your back and helps to stabilize your spine. It’s important for maintaining good posture and preventing back pain. They are used when you’re leaning forward on the bike.
- Quadratus Lumborum: This muscle group is located on either side of your spine and helps to stabilize your pelvis. It’s important for maintaining balance and stability while you cycle.
To engage your lower back while cycling, make sure you’re sitting up straight and engaging your core. Avoid slouching or leaning too far forward, as this can put unnecessary strain on your lower back.
Hip Flexors
Riding an exercise bike can help strengthen your hip flexors, which allow you to lift your knees and bend at the waist. These muscles are important for many activities, including walking, running, and jumping.
If you want to target your hip flexors, try adjusting the resistance. Increasing the resistance will make it harder to pedal, which will require more effort from your hip flexors to lift your legs and push them down.
But wait! There’s more to working muscles with an exercise bike than meets the eye.
While stationary bikes traditionally target the lower body, dual-action exercise bikes allow you to engage your upper body as well.
These bikes feature movable handlebars that you can push and pull as you pedal, working the arms, shoulders, chest, and back in addition to your lower body.
So, combining your upper and lower body as you move both the pedals and handles produces a more total body cardio and strength workout.
Just by incorporating the use of the movable arms, you can get a complete cardiovascular and resistance training session on one machine.
Wrap-Up: Why Your Exercise Bike is the Ultimate Muscle Machine
You can be assured that an exercise bike can be a real powerhouse for your muscles. In fact, you can sculpt quads, hamstring, glutes, and calfs. Turn up the resistance, or pedal harder and longer and watch your muscles grow.
And no matter which type of bike you have, it’s not all about your legs. Your core will naturally get in the action as you work your lower body for toning, muscle growth, heart health, and increase stamina.