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Exercise Bikes

Sitting on a stationary bike flipping through the Financial Times isn't going to cut it when it comes to fat-burning or fitness.

Try some triathlon cyclist techniques for getting better instead of just getting bored.

If you really want to see an orgy of junk training in action just go and check out what's happening on the stationary bikes in most gyms. Of course it's possible that every one is a blur of blistering biking, but if your gym is anything like mine there's at least one person reading a book, while a couple of others begrudgingly nudge the pedals with all the enthusiasm of someone who's just given up looking for the 'freewheel' setting. Until the day they invent the stationary tandem you don't have to worry about the quality of anyone else's stationary bike bashing, but if you recognise yourself as one of the above, then it's time to get better, before boredom gets the better of you.

COUNTER REVOLUTIONARY

The stationary bike has many things going for it - it provides a great low-impact cardio workout - but the features that attract most of us are: (a) you get to sit down; and (b) unlike all those scary looking machines at least you know what you're supposed to do on a stationary bike.

Sitting down is a great position for resting - literally taking the weight off your legs - but taking your bodyweight out of the equation has serious consequences when it comes to calorie burning. Moderate effort on an exercise bike will burn around half the calories of running on a treadmill or giving it hell on a stepper

As for point (b), years of riding bicycles mean that we tend to think that as long as the pedals are making little circles, then we're probably doing what we should. And since that doesn't exactly demand 100 per cent attention, we then reach for the nearest copy of Hello!

Instead of trying to tune out, try some professional cyclist tips for improving your technique (and in the process powering up your hip flexors and bum muscles.)

FIRST OFF, A QUICK NOTE ON FORM

On the upright bike, make sure you've got the seat adjusted so that your knee is very slightly bent at the bottom of the stroke. A completely straight leg suggests you may have trouble reaching the pedal, and a very bent knee at the bottom of the stroke will put real pressure on your joints.

Next sit upright - don't be tempted to lean forward and rest your weight on your wrists or elbows. Never mind what those whip-thin little pros do on the telly, we don't have any wind resistance to work against here and we're not on enough drugs to blot out the back pain that comes from bad posture. Make sure those foot-straps are good and tight - you're going to need them.

THEY'RE OFF! - CYCLE STYLE

Most of us think that pedalling is a downwards push, followed by a few seconds respite as the pedal comes round, before giving it some again. Bad news: the pros like to work the pull up as well as the push down. The idea is to develop a smooth, circular force that evens out the stroke and leads to more efficient cycling. As a bonus it also recruits more muscles (notably the hamstrings) into the stroke and firms up your bum and thighs.

There are four parts (arcs) to the full circle of your pedal cycle:

1. Down - the bit you're already pushing on.
2. Bottom and back - at the bottom of the stroke, the bit where you probably stop pushing. What you should be doing is pulling back at this point. Imagine you've stepped in something nasty and are scraping it off.
3. Up - harder without being 'clipped-on' with cycle shoes, but you can still pull on this arc if you have those foot-straps done up.
4. Top - imagine the curve at this transition point from pulling up to pushing down.

Now break the stroke down and try to spend a couple of minutes just pushing on stroke 1. That should come easily - after all it's what we normally do - so before getting too complacent, try switching to the second part of the stroke and focusing on putting your effort into that. Next go for the third part, and then the fourth. Inevitably the easiest and most powerful part of the stroke to do will be the downstroke, but with a bit of practice you should be able to feel a smoother all-round rhythm.

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