Total Gym Attachment Spotlight: Cyclo Trainer
Adding a Cyclo Trainer Total Gym attachment to your Total Gym workout is like adding a secret ingredient to your power shake; it boosts your metabolism, helps you burn more calories and gives your aerobic workout more dimension. That’s in addition to sculpting your legs and glutes. The Cyclo Trainer is an improvement to a stationary recumbent bike that is easy on your body and comfortable. It has the potential to provide an intense, killer workout just by moving up the glideboard during incline resistance training. It’s simple to attach without taking up a lot of extra space. It may very well turn into your favorite piece of equipment when you need a break from running or biking during triathlon training.
Cyclo Trainer: Therapy vs. Exercise
The Cyclo Trainer is perfect to rehab weakened lower extremities after injury or surgery. It’s easy to use even to those who can’t use a traditional stationary bike due to back, shoulder and arm problems. The glideboard provides a stable support platform for the entire spine. You can avoid sore wrists, arms and hands because there is no pressure applied to the shoulders or arms when lying back on the glideboard.
The ergonomics of this machine allow for longer periods of exercise over greater distances with less fatigue. Because you aren’t leaning forward, straining your neck or flexing your spine, there is less of a chance for stress in these areas. You can lie back or sit up or even press into bridge, depending on your fitness level.
Cyclo Trainer: Range of Motion
When lying back in a recumbent position, the butt is engaged as the major hip extensor, and the hips open more for a wider range of motion. Research shows that the arrangement of the pedals and crankshafts on recumbent bikes allows a closer match to the in-line pattern of footsteps under the hips. Both of these factors translate to more effective cross training for running.
Power is enhanced with the ball of the foot positioned on the pedals and standing, or in this case, pressing the glideboard away from the stoppers so that each leg is operating independently while loaded, and provides a terrific workout for your legs and butt. This is similar to standing on the pedals during biking and engages the core for balance.
HIIT Workout Featuring the Cyclo Trainer
The following is a high intensity interval-training workout using the Total Gym Cyclo Trainer.
- Set the Total Gym glideboard at an incline so that you can comfortably reach the pedals.
- Warm up on the Cyclo Trainer for three to five minutes with no resistance. Try to keep a steady cadence.
- Once you feel like your heart rate is increased and your muscles are warm, push the glideboard up the rails and pedal. If the resistance is too low, go ahead and add resistance on the machine’s control panel. Note that you don’t need to add much resistance to feel your muscles working.
- Pedal for 30 seconds at a faster rate, but keep the rhythm smooth with even pressure from each leg. If your thighs begin to burn, return the glideboard to the locked position.
- Continue to push up and down the rails in measured rounds of 30 seconds at a high intensity, with 10 seconds rest. If you want to challenge yourself, pedal with the hips raised off the glideboard while the glideboard is pressed up the rails. You can complete eight rounds in a little over four minutes for an effective endurance workout.
This pattern of exercise can be alternated with circuits using the pulley cables or any of the other Total Gym accessories. Complete the workout with a cool down, pedaling slowly for three to five minutes, and then stretch the glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves.
To order Cyclo Trainer visit www.totalgymcatalog.com/cyclotrainer.php.
Rebecca
30 Mar 2016Does the cyclo trainer 2 work as well as the original? I want to save money but want this attachment type.
Total Gym
31 Mar 2016Yes, the main difference is the digital display on the original CycloTrainer that tracks your distance, resistance, and other variables. We created the CycloTrainer 2 simply as a more “budget-friendly” option, which is what I think you’re after! 🙂
Rebecca
1 Apr 2016Just to verify, this has all the resistance necessary and would give me a great workout. Only thing missing is the display?
I don’t need to see how far I went, but want a great workout like riding a recumbent bike would give. Also are there dvd’s for workouts for this attachment.
Want to make sure before I spend the money.
Total Gym
4 Apr 2016You are able to change resistance levels by turning the knob on the machine facing you. There is a dvd that comes with the unit.
Thomas
19 Nov 2018How is the resistance created in the Cyclo trainer 2- Air, Fuild or magnets?