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The following movements are unsafe on a Spinner bike:
1. Using weighted equipment while on the bike.
Lifting weights on any bike is ineffective and unsafe. Weight training
is most effectively accomplished when your body and core muscles are
stabilized. This is difficult to accomplish at even the lowest
recommend training speed of 60 RPM.
2. Riding with one or no hands. While
standing or jumping, you could seriously injure yourself if one of
your feet slipped out of the pedal and you fell off or on the bike.
Riding like this during a seated climb places undue stress on the lower
back.
3. Laying the forearms on the handlebars (triathlete style) or isolating one part of the body.
When you ride outdoors, your body stays relatively calm because the
bike is moving back and forth. A Spinner® bike can’t move, so your body
needs to be relaxed enough to dissipate the energy created. Forcing one
part of your body to remain still makes it a magnet for tension in your
neck, back and hips.
4. Riding with pointed toes.
This can cause inflammation of the tibial tuberosity, an overuse injury
that stresses the knee, ankle and supportive structures. It can also
cause numbness in the feet.
5. Riding with no resistance (except during warm-up and cool-down).
Riding with no resistance increases risk of injury and wastes workout
time because resistance is what develops speed, power, strength and
endurance.
6. Pedaling backward.
This movement unscrews the pedals from the crank arms, which can lead
to injury when the pedals fall off. Also, researchers have shown that
pedaling backward burns the same calories and uses the same muscles as
pedaling forward.
7. Dropping the seat in the middle of class.
This movement is never done on the road. When you drop the seat, you
eliminate the option of sitting and recovering, which can lead to
over-training and injuries.
8. Hand Position 3 while seated.
This position takes a rider out of the ideal biomechanical riding
position and causes increased flexion of the hips and spine, which may
lead to back pain. It often causes riders to strain their necks in an
effort to look up.
9. Stretching with a leg on the handlebars. Many
riders are not flexible enough to swing a leg up onto the handlebars.
Instead, use the center frame of the bike for an equally effective
hamstring stretch.
10. Anything that is in bad form.
The five movements and three hand positions were designed with safety
and performance in mind. Bad form can reduce fitness benefits and may
lead to injuries.
The above guidelines are not all-inclusive.
Use good judgment at all times.
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