Stationary Bike Set Up for Pelvic Floor Safe Exercises

Stationary Bike Set Up for Pelvic Floor Safe Exercises

Learn how to set up your stationary bike for pelvic floor safe exercises.

If you’re looking for a great way to workout for fitness and fat burning without straining your pelvic floor stationary bike might be the solution you’ve been looking for. Please scroll down for more tips and written guidelines.

With Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist Michelle Kenway from https://www.pelvicexercises.com.au

Stationary bike is great form of fitness and weight management exercise that can help women exercise and avoid pelvic floor strain.

Stationary bike is low impact providing a safe effective workout for women with prolapse and/or incontinence problems.

This stationary bike video shows you how to set up your bike and ride to protect your pelvic floor when cycling. It also describes the most effective stationary bike exercise for weight loss.

What are the Benefits of Stationary Bike?

Potential benefits include:
-Cardiovascular fitness
-Weight management and weight loss
-Pelvic floor protection
-Joint protection (i.e. knees, hips, ankles)
-Lower limb muscle strengthening
-Lower limb muscle endurance
-All weather
-Convenient

When to Avoid Stationary Bike
Avoid stationary bike exercise:
– With pelvic pain (usually aggravated with sitting)
– With increased pelvic floor tension
– Some lower back conditions (e.g. acute disc injury, sciatic nerve irritation)
– With numbness or tingling in the area you sit on

Stationary Bike Set Up
To set up your bike:
-Position the bike seat so your hips are higher than your knees throughout
-Your extended leg remains slightly bent when fully extended
– The arm rests support you sitting your body upright on the seat

Stationary Bike Techniques to Avoid for Pelvic Floor Protection

Some stationary bike techniques can increase pelvic floor loading and are best avoided if the pelvic floor is at increased risk of injury:

– Using high gears causing heavy resistance and straining to move the pedals
– Standing out of the saddle when cycling

Stationary Bike Techniques to Choose

-Stay seated in the saddle
-Keep leg resistance manageable
-Alternating cycle speed with fast,moderate and slow pedal revolutions

Best Stationary Bike Technique for Weight Loss

Stationary bike may help you exercise for longer duration than you might otherwise be able to with pelvic floor problems.

Stationary bike helps some women exercise at a higher intensity than they otherwise may not be able to achieve

Using the stationary bike with alternating high and low intensity provides for highly effective weight loss exercise – without the need to diet.

Stationary Bike Regime for Abdominal Weight Loss

Research at the University of NSW has investigated stationary bike weight loss exercise using a regime known as “Life Sprints”.

The most effecting weight loss stationary bike training regime involved:
– Exercising on 3 alternate days of the week
– Performing 20 minutes alternating high and low intensity exercise (following 5 minutes warm up)
– Alternating 8 seconds high intensity vigorous cycling with 12 seconds low intensity cycling known as “interval sprinting”

Summary for Stationary Bike and Pelvic Floor Safe Exercise

-Set up your stationary bike so your hips are higher than knees
-Sit your body upright
-Choose light to moderate resistance
-Avoid high resistance
-Avoid standing out of the saddle when cycling
-Cycling with short sessions of alternating high and low intensity can provide effective weight loss exercise

For further reading about the Life Sprints stationary bike exercise regime see https://www.pelvicexercises.com.au/weight-loss-exercise/

35 Comments

  1. alalrl lawson on March 25, 2023 at 10:04 am

    Is this particular bike a good brand for pelvic prolapse safety and if so what kind is it?



  2. Mo Sahanawaz on March 25, 2023 at 10:08 am

    Thanks



  3. Diane Teunessen on March 25, 2023 at 10:10 am

    Trying to find out if a recumbent bike would work.



  4. Robert McLaughlin on March 25, 2023 at 10:11 am

    Thank you



  5. Ann B on March 25, 2023 at 10:12 am

    Very helpful, Michelle, thank you! My bike also has moving arms; not an Airdyne but something like that. It is terrific for the tabata workout you describe. I don’t think it is making me lean forward. Does that sound safe for PF?



  6. Jaloney Caldwell on March 25, 2023 at 10:12 am

    Great video



  7. Dooky T on March 25, 2023 at 10:18 am

    Hi Michelle, does this help your pelvic muscles?



  8. Kristen on March 25, 2023 at 10:18 am

    Hi Michelle, thank you so much for this great video! I looked through the notes for the video and I didn’t see the link to the interval training music that you said would be included. Maybe I missed it? Please let me know where I can find that. Thank you!



  9. Lori Lagorio on March 25, 2023 at 10:21 am

    Do you ever answer questions on this site? I see several regarding a recumbent bike and NO answers. Is it ok to ride a recumbent bike if one has pelvic floor issues?



  10. Cathy Clayton on March 25, 2023 at 10:21 am

    Is it safe to use a recumbent bike at home (or at the gym) if you have grade 2 rectocele and bladder prolapse? How many minutes per day/weeks? Please advise.



  11. sofia alter on March 25, 2023 at 10:22 am

    Hi, can I do elptical ? If i have ractocile ? Thank you for your everything 🙏🌸



  12. Mrs. MCGOVERN on March 25, 2023 at 10:23 am

    Is it an upright cycling bike different than a regular spin bike? If so, is it better for who has prolapsed bladder than a regular cycling bike like those you find at the gym? Thank you!



  13. pat burg on March 25, 2023 at 10:24 am

    What about a recumbent bike?



  14. Janet Cook on March 25, 2023 at 10:25 am

    Which is better, a traditional bike or a recumbent bike and why? I switched to a recumbent trike because of neck problems and safety issues. It’s also more comfortable to sit in.



  15. Richa Trivedi on March 25, 2023 at 10:30 am

    Kitne ki h yeh



  16. Heather g on March 25, 2023 at 10:31 am

    how do you do high & low intensity without increasing resistance? And what is a good level resistance to use? (I used to do HIIT training weight/bodyweight training & high/low resistance HIIT cardio before my prolapse diagnosis so not quite sure how to use low/mod resistance but increase intensity to lose weight…)



  17. Blue Horse Stitchers on March 25, 2023 at 10:33 am

    Hello. I don’t know if you still check comments on this video, but hopefully… I have recurrent pelvic prolapse, and I would like to know your opinion on recumbent stationary bikes. Is a bike with the recumbent sitting position considered "pelvic floor safe"? I would be so grateful for your advice. Thank you!



  18. Mrs. MCGOVERN on March 25, 2023 at 10:33 am

    Thank you!!



  19. Christina Perez on March 25, 2023 at 10:35 am

    are recumbent bikes appropriate for prolapse patients?



  20. Hugo Davenport on March 25, 2023 at 10:37 am

    thank you for this well presented, clear and concise video. much appreciated.



  21. Darlene K on March 25, 2023 at 10:37 am

    Really appreciate you. Thank you. My question is about using mini floor exercise bikes. Are they safe for my protruding anterior bladder prolapse. And if so the best position for using them… tyvm



  22. Joanne Davies on March 25, 2023 at 10:40 am

    Is the reclining bike safer to use for pelvic floor safety?



  23. cliff cox on March 25, 2023 at 10:45 am

    Legend has it, that her pelvis is so healthy that when you look up healthy pelvis, she comes up.



  24. K W on March 25, 2023 at 10:46 am

    I recently purchased a recumbent bike. Is this type of bike safe to use as well for pelvic floor safe exercises?



  25. Rajat Goyal on March 25, 2023 at 10:46 am

    Is it good for thigh loose



  26. Bally kaur on March 25, 2023 at 10:52 am

    what bike is it mate



  27. hazers44 on March 25, 2023 at 10:54 am

    I am going to try and contact you Michelle to find out exactly which stationary bike you are using in your pelvic floor safe tips video. Does anyone know the answer to this?



  28. Variety08 on March 25, 2023 at 10:54 am

    In the video you mentioned its better to keep your knees below your hip… Does that mean recumbent stationary bikes is not recommended for those with a bad hip?



  29. Lis Sierra on March 25, 2023 at 10:55 am

    I have been doing this intuitively for several months! Thank goodness I am on the right track, Michelle. Sitting up straight and engaging the core. Absolutely. Not pushing to be a “beast.” HIIT. I love this. Thank you for confirming my suspicions. Xoxo



  30. haironfire m on March 25, 2023 at 10:57 am

    Is the advice the same for a recumbent stationary bike?



  31. Katie Beverley on March 25, 2023 at 10:59 am

    Are the bikes with handles that also work out your arms safe?



  32. Ann K on March 25, 2023 at 11:00 am

    Hi! If you have a problem with bowel incontinence can you actually exercise on a bike ? I would really appreciate your answer.



  33. Sammy Revo on March 25, 2023 at 11:01 am

    Is this exercise safe for prolapse issues



  34. Hasham Khan on March 25, 2023 at 11:03 am

    Isy weight loss hota hai ???????



  35. Arsha Vinod on March 25, 2023 at 11:04 am

    Is this good for upper body weight loss??