What is the Best Pedal Exerciser for Seniors? [Updated]

In my opinion, the best pedal exerciser for seniors or the elderly is the Cubii elliptical type exerciser. It’s not the only type of elliptical machine, it’s just one of the best known brands that build a quality product.

I write a little more down the page, but, in short, it’s heavy enough that it stays in place while you’re using it. It’s easier for seniors to use because it doesn’t have the pedal straps that most other machines have. All you need to do is place your feet on the pedals and they stay in place. And finally, the elliptical type design gives more range of motion exercise to the ankle and calf muscles than the typical machines do.

Benefits of Pedal Exercisers

So we all know how exercising is important for staying healthy, right? Well, for the elderly among us who might be limited in the amount of activity they can do or tolerate, a pedal exerciser, or ergometer, can be an option that gets their blood flowing and lubricates their joints (BTW, take a look at this guide on how to get seniors to exercise). Basically, it’s this machine that lets you pedal with your feet, like a bike, while sitting in a chair or on a couch.

So why is this an option for older folks? First, because low-impact, meaning it’s easy on their joints and the possibility of injury is less. The real benefit is that it can help improve their cardio fitness and tolerance for overall activity. A secondary and minor benefit is that it may improve leg strength to a degree. Both of which can help the elderly get around a little better. Something that many caregivers (and health care professionals) don’t fully appreciate is that using a pedal ergometer has also been shown to improve mental health and cognitive function in older adults. Exercise isn’t just good for your body, it’s good for your brain also!

With all pedal exercisers, you can adjust the resistance making it easier or harder to pedal. As with any exercise, you would start out at a lower resistance and increase as a person improves their strength and endurance. The biggest perceived benefit is that people can use them while watching TV or listening to music. But I would recommend dedicating time to focus on the activity rather than simply passing the time.

Are Pedal Exercisers Good for Seniors?

As we age, it becomes increasingly important to emphasize a more healthy lifestyle in order to preserve our physical, functional, and cognitive abilities. Doing regular exercise is a crucial component of staying healthy and aging on your terms. But, for many older adults who may have limited mobility or other health issues, finding a safe and effective way to stay active can be a challenge.

That could be the place where a pedal exerciser comes in. These simple machines offer a low-impact, lower body workout that caregivers or individuals can tailor to a specific fitness level. The one obvious drawback is that the units are smaller than bicycle pedals and people don’t get a more complete range of motion into their joints. But there are several benefits of using a pedal ergometer that seniors can experience and include:

Improved Cardiovascular Health. Basically, using an ergometer is like riding a bike and is considered aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise, when done right, keep the heart pumping and working throughout the session and improves a person’s stamina and endurance for physical activity.

Increased Leg Strength. The continuous motion of pedaling puts a demand on the muscles of the legs and calves and makes them relatively stronger. Although weight bearing exercises like squats and heel raises are better options for strengthening and will train the legs to carry the body weight using a pedal exerciser will help get the legs ready for more intense exercises.

Mental Health Benefits: Exercise has been shown in numerous studies to have multiple mental health benefits, including improved mood and reduced risk of depression. Exercise triggers the body to release chemicals that raise our mood. For older adults, who may be at risk for social isolation and other mental health issues, the mental health benefits of regular exercise are especially important.

What is the Best Pedal Exerciser for Seniors?

It’s generally going to be a matter of preference as to which ergometer a person likes. Each have good points and some bad points that we will take a look at right now.

Back in the day, there were limited options and most were variations of the same thing. Nowadays, there are several options to choose from. Some are based on the typical bicycle and others are more of an elliptical style. Each generally have a control to adjust the resistance and a digital display to keep track of time and reps.

The Tried and True

This type of pedal ergometer is probably familiar to most people. It’s the old school version and has been in use for a long time. It’s a simple bicycle crank that you can adjust the resistance of, it’s lightweight, and easy to use.

What you see in this picture is actually an updated model that folds up to make storing it or traveling with it a lot easier. This model is an improvement over the older school model.

There are a couple of drawbacks to this style of exerciser that I have heard from my patients. For one, the model is very lightweight and can move around while you’re using it. Some seniors may have difficulty controlling it.

And, secondly, the pedal stirrups are not as easily adjusted and a person’s feet can easily slip out of them requiring the user to focus on keeping their feet in the stirrups throughout the exercise session.

To overcome the first drawback, people have found that using this on carpet tends to hold it in place fairly well. Others have placed it against a wall or other stationary object while they are using it. Then again, some have anchored it with a weighted object to hold it in place.

Addressing the second drawback of the feet slipping from the stirrups is usually addressed by the choice of footwear and height of the chair being used. If a person is more on top of the pedals, their feet tend to stay in better than if a person is sitting farther behind the pedals.

A Newer Design

This newer design of ergometer lets people use it for either their arms or their legs. This is an improvement because many people who can’t really use their legs effectively can still get an aerobic exercise session in by using their hands and arms. Or, there may be another person, a stroke victim possibly, who simply wants to focus on upper extremity function and strength that will find it beneficial.

This unit functions essentially like the first unit above. The resistance can be adjusted and the feet rest in the stirrups as a person pedals away. And, like the unit above, there are a couple of draw backs that I have heard about.

As with the first option above, people have a difficult time keeping their feet in the stirrups while they are pedaling and caregivers and users have to be attuned to when their feet may be slipping out and readjust them.

Another drawback particular to this design is that if a user’s feet happen to be on the larger side and they can’t get a good portion of their foot into the stirrup, their heel hits the rear legs of the unit and disrupts the flow and fluidity of the exercise.

A good practice with this unit would be to place it against a stationary object while it’s in use, whether for feet or hands, so that the user doesn’t have to focus on keeping it in place while it’s being used.

Improved Design Pedal Exerciser

The Desk Cycle is a new design of pedal exerciser that has a ton of good reviews. It actually addresses a lot of the problems that I mentioned about the previous 2. It’s actually a bit heavier and so, more stable design and will stay in place easier. The overall frame has been lengthened so that hitting the support legs with your heel is not as much of an issue with this unit.

Although the design does address some of the problems that people have had with pedal exercisers, it still hasn’t addressed the issue of the stirrup and potential for a user’s foot to slip off the pedal. While this may not be a big issue for the majority of users, caregivers need to understand that could be a challenge for the elderly who may not have as much awareness to feel the foot slipping or strength to keep the foot in place.

The Elliptical Pedal Exerciser

As I mentioned when we started, there are now more options available for seniors who need a way to workout their legs and feet while they are sitting down. Enter the elliptical style pedal ergometer. The Cubii brand is the most well known mini-seated elliptical machine. And, it is a good addition.

In general, what the elliptical style offers is pretty similar to what you would get with any pedal exerciser. One thing to keep in mind however, is that this type of ergometer is generally heavier than any of the units mentioned above and may be too heavy for seniors to carry. In that case, having a dedicated space for it would be an easy solution.

There are significant differences between the cycle and elliptical styles. For one thing, a user doesn’t have to really worry about their feet slipping off the “pedals” because the elliptical typically supports the whole foot and doesn’t use a strap to hold the foot in place.

Another benefit is you get more work into your lower legs. Because the whole foot rests on the “pedal”, it causes the ankle to work more and go through a greater range of motion (without any more effort) than a typical bicycle type pedal. This means more muscle activity and more circulation through the lower leg and foot.

Lastly, the elliptical style of pedal ergometer offers a “smoother ride”. Sometimes, with a bicycle type pedal machine, the motion can be jerky and not as smooth due to the amount of resistance or the users ability to coordinate the movements. The elliptical seems to eliminate this jerkiness and makes the motion smoother and easier to perform. And for some elderly, that might be the thing that they need to keep them exercising.

In Summary

There are many different options for pedal exercisers. To answer “what is the best pedal exerciser for seniors” is dependent on individual needs and of course finances. For the majority of seniors who may not be able to exercise in the traditional sense and need to use a pedal exerciser, ease of use and durability are important. Very few people are motivated to exercise and will find an excuse not to. So, with the choice of pedal exerciser for the elderly should be one that makes exercising as easy as possible and no more of a chore than it already is to those up in age. These small and portable items are another type of technology that will help seniors stay in their own homes as long as possible.