Exercise bikes are one of the most popular and convenient ways to get fit at home. They offer a low-impact, high-intensity workout that can improve your health and fitness in many ways. Whether you want to lose weight, tone your muscles, boost your heart health, or just have some fun, an exercise bike can help you achieve your goals. In this guide, we’ll show you the top 3 exercise bikes for home use in the UK on a budget, and explain the benefits of exercise bikes for your body and mind.
What are the benefits of exercise bikes?
Exercise bikes have many advantages over other forms of exercise, such as:
- They burn calories and fat. Depending on your weight and intensity, you can burn between 200 to 500 calories in 30 minutes of cycling. This can help you create a calorie deficit and lose weight over time.
- They strengthen and tone your muscles. Cycling works your lower body muscles, such as your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. It also engages your core and upper body if you use the handlebars. This can help you shape and sculpt your legs, butt, abs, and arms.
- They improve your cardiovascular health and fitness. Cycling increases your heart rate and blood circulation, which strengthens your heart and lungs. It also lowers your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke.
- They enhance your lung capacity and VO2 max. Cycling challenges your respiratory system and makes it more efficient at delivering oxygen to your muscles. This improves your aerobic capacity and endurance, which means you can exercise longer and harder.
- They reduce the impact on your joints. Cycling is a low-impact exercise that does not put much stress on your knees, hips, ankles, and back. This makes it ideal for people with joint problems or injuries, or those who want to prevent them.
- They enable HIIT and interval training. Cycling allows you to vary your speed and resistance easily, which means you can do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or other types of interval training. These are short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of rest or lower intensity. HIIT and interval training can boost your metabolism, burn more calories and fat, and improve your fitness faster than steady-state exercise.
- They are suitable for all fitness levels. Cycling is a versatile exercise that can be adapted to suit anyone’s ability and goals. You can adjust the resistance, speed, duration, and intensity of your workout according to your preferences and needs. You can also choose from different types of exercise bikes, such as upright bikes, indoor cycles, recumbent bikes, or turbo trainers.
- They improve your mental health. Cycling can release endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and other chemicals in your brain that make you feel good. It can also reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and improve your mood, self-esteem, and confidence.
- They provide an all-weather anytime fitness workout. Cycling indoors means you don’t have to worry about the weather, traffic, or safety issues that may affect outdoor cycling. You can cycle anytime you want, day or night, without leaving the comfort of your home.
- They ensure safer workouts than outdoor cycling. Cycling indoors eliminates the risks of accidents, injuries, or collisions that may occur when cycling outdoors. You also don’t have to deal with pollution, noise, or other environmental factors that may affect your health and performance.
- They offer more versatility than outdoor biking. Cycling indoors gives you more options and flexibility than cycling outdoors. You can choose from different types of exercise bikes that offer different features and functions. You can also use apps, online platforms, or streaming services that provide interactive classes, virtual rides, games,
or entertainment.
Top 3 exercise bikes for home use in the UK on a budget
Now that you know the benefits of exercise bikes, let’s take a look at the top 3 exercise bikes for home use in the UK on a budget. These are:
Opti magnetic exercise bike:
eBay This is the best budget buy, as it costs only £139 from Argos.co.uk. It has a magnetic resistance system that is quiet and smooth,
and 8 levels of tension to adjust the intensity of your workout. It also has an LCD that shows your speed,
time,
distance,
calories
and pulse. The seat
and handlebars are adjustable,
and the bike can be folded for easy storage.
JTX Cyclo-6:
Amazon.co.uk This is the best-value exercise bike,
as it offers a lot of features for a reasonable price of £549 from JTX Fitness. It has a 22kg flywheel that provides a realistic cycling experience
and an electronic resistance system that can be controlled by a dial or by the console. It also has a backlit LCD that shows your speed,
time,
distance,
calories,
pulse
and watts. The seat
and handlebars are fully adjustable,
and the bike comes with a free heart rate chest strap and a water bottle holder.
Echelon Smart Connect Fitness Bike EX-15:
This is the best exercise bike for content,
as it gives you access to thousands of live and on-demand classes from Echelon’s app. It costs £799 from Echelon.co.uk, and it has a 13kg flywheel that delivers a smooth ride. It also has a magnetic resistance system that can be adjusted by a lever or by the app. It has a tablet holder that lets you stream the classes on your device
and a Bluetooth connection that syncs your stats with the app. The seat
and handlebars are adjustable,
and the bike has transport wheels for easy movement.
These are our top 3 exercise bikes for home use in the UK on a budget. We hope this guide helps you find the best one for you. Happy cycling!
