1. Bikes place you in an anatomical position that’s conducive
to back and shoulder problems.
You know that hunched forward, rolled shoulder look that we
(most of us anyway) try to avoid like the plague? Not only is that look undesirable to most
from an aesthetics standpoint, but it’s a recipe for back and shoulder
problems. That position – it’s called
spinal flexion – places abnormal amounts of compensatory stress on the low back
and shoulders, and it’s exactly the position you’re in the majority of time
you’re on a bike. Add long durations and
increased workload to that position and you’re asking for an orthopedic issue.
2. Like any long duration activity, it burns very few calories.
Similar to jogging, walking, using the elliptical, etc.,
when performed for long durations it becomes an inefficient calorie
burner. By definition, anything done for
20, 30, 40 minutes or more has to be low in intensity. This isn’t a bad thing…unless you’re trying
to lose body fat.
Unless you’re doing some serious sprint intervals on the
bike (which I don’t think I’ve ever seen), you’re better off choosing something
shorter in duration and higher in intensity if lean, slim and strong are the goals.
Not sure why these guys are smiling. Spinal flexion like that should be making
their physical therapists and chiropractors smile real wide.
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