One of the most common and visible piece of exercise equipment in any fitness gym is the stationary exercise bike. It basically is a bicycle, and it stays in place, hence stationary. It has a saddle, pedals, and handlebars arranged just like any bicycle.
Stationary exercise bikes are used primarily for exercise, to increase general fitness, for weight loss. Studies show that a vigorous ride on a stationary bike for one hour at minimum will burn calories at the same rate as running with a speed of 10 km/h with the same time period. Not all individuals can run or jog as jogging is already considered a high-impact exercise. With the stationary exercise bike, everyone does a low-impact, safe, and effective cardiovascular exercise.
Stationary exercise bikes are not only for beginners in a fitness gym. They are used by professional athletes, for warming up before a game or as a therapeutic machine to those who are trying to play despite the presence of leg and feet injuries. The low-impact movement involved in operating an exercise bike puts minimal stress on the joints and does not involve erratic and sudden motions compared to other fitness equipment. Take the 2008 NBA finals for instance. In game 1, when Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics was substituted out to prevent aggravating his knee, he mounted the team’s stationary exercise bike, pedaling on it while cheering on his teammates.