Lying Down Exercise Cycling Setup with the Excy Hang On Bar

Plenty of options to explore core, leg, and back exercises anywhere!

First, setup the Keeper and the Excy Bike

To get started, open your Excy system and place it on the floor in your preferred height position with the right pedal in its most forward position (about 3’o’clock). Place the Keeper on the floor and connect it to the Excy bike using all six Keeper Holes and Post Bands. Lay down on the Keeper (ensure the Keeper stays tight and doesn’t bunch up). Using a slow and controlled movement, raise your right foot off the floor while straightening your leg and place your right heel on the pedal (your knee should be straight with your heel on the pedal). If you have too little or too much angle, adjust yourself on the Keeper until your leg is straight with your heel on the pedal.

Pedal forward with the balls of your feet (you should now have a 25-30 degree bend in your knee and be in a position like your are doing a bicycle crunch). Your feet should be close to the crank arm, but never so close that your ankle hits on its way through the stroke. Avoid splaying your feet outwards or rotating them inwards while cycling. The favored foot position is barefoot or with socks. When wearing shoes, make sure they are suitable to allow you to maintain a fixed and stable position on the pedals. Once you are in a comfortable position for your preferred workout, reach down with your hands and grab the Keeper. Take note of where your hands are. This is where you will place your Hang On Bar.

Next, attach the Hang On Bar

Place Keeper on floor and connect it to the Excy bike. Lie down on your back to cycle and reach down to where you would like your hands to rest comfortably on the Hang On Bar (close to your hips). Begin the process to attach the Hang On Bar by placing the first bar under the Keeper. Then place the second bar on top of the Keeper. Next, roll it forward 2 to 3 times and place the final third bar on top of the others. Finally, attach both bar handles. You will then attach the Keeper to Excy using all six holes and your Keeper Bands. See video here. Use the Clevis Pin to adjust the height to work different muscles.

Finally, Start Your Workout

When spinning, cranking, or wrenching, think in terms of square rotations to improve your technique and pedaling efficiency. Envision pushing your foot forward along the top of the square, and then curling your toes and pushing down against the front side of the square and pulling towards your glutes as you pull up the backside of the square. Through the bottom of the pedal stroke you simply need to un-weigh and apply a little of force while pushing the pedal to keep the momentum going. Use your stomach and back muscles to stabilize the trunk, pelvis, and to keep your hips facing forward. Adding abdominal crunches while cycling can engage your core, but also strain your neck. Lacing the fingers behind the head can encourage you to pull on your neck and worsen the strain.

A slight pelvis tilt can be added for a more challenging workout. If you want to challenge it more, you can add a bridge exercise, which requires that you balance the stomach and back muscles to brace your trunk such that the pelvis is in a neutral position to the lumbar spine. This is an advanced move that we don’t recommend unless you have good trunk stabilization skills and can hold a bridge position off the Excy bike while lying down exercise cycling on the floor.  Always start with easier levels of resistance.

On-Demand Guided Lying Down Cycling Workouts for Core, Leg, and Back Exercises