> I purchased a cheap one 3 months ago, I set up the seat high as levelled to my waist as possible but the adjustment is a little short,
Well most cheap things aren't used very long because of poor design. Hopefully you can make yours work. If not, sell it and buy something of quality on the used market. Unless you're made of money never buy new.
As I've mentioned several times in this thread you start with the seat so low that when you spin fast your hips are not bouncing on the seat. That means when your pedal is at the bottom your leg is quite a bent. Like this:
https://roadcyclingacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Seat-right-height-1024x683.jpeg
Your best seat height will probably be similar.
The angle of your seat needs to be experimented with as well. Initially try it so the front is a little lower than the back. Never, never should the front ever be higher than the back. That will cause lower back strain and injury.
> the seat is a bit hard when you stay longer on the seat, so I put a towel on it for a little cushion, I tried a neck pillow too, the U shaped one, the one we use when we travel and use on the plane.
Cycling shorts have a purpose and they work very, very well. Nothing replaces well padded cycling shorts. They are not cheap. Don't go with knock off garbage from China. Go with name brands like Sugoi and other well known makes. New they are usually $50-$100 but luckily for you once you've tried on some at a store you'll know what size you need (don't guess!) and can buy them USED online as they are not fragile and very light so they're easy and cheap to ship. Because buying used shorts has an ICK factor this makes them much harder to sell so they sell pretty cheap. Often 1/4 - 1/3 of the new price. Watch out for shorts that stop mid thigh. This is a huge mistake as well. They need to go just above your knee otherwise they will constrict your thigh muscle which you use all the time cycling. In that photo above the shorts are barely long enough. Ideally 1/2" - 1" longer. As you lean over on the bike the shorts will pull up on your legs so you can't tell very well by putting them and standing up. Try them on a bike in the store if possible. If you ride there bring your bike in and try them on the bike leaning against a wall. Don't worry about "using" the store. You'll need them for other things in the future. Just not clothing.
A quality seat that feels right is necessary too. You just can't cheap out in these areas otherwise you'll be very uncomfortable and never use the bike. Seats are more about user preference but having dense padding is crucial. Usually $40 and up for a decent seat. But again, you can find them used for about 1/2 price. Make sure the rails below the padding are straight when buying used! Of course you if get so you can stand up during most of your workout the seat will become immaterial.
> There's a video on youtube for proper positioning when spinning, buttocks must be far out the edge of the seat, lean forward like there's a bar on your hips, not rounding lower back or hunching, arms slightly bent on the handles, keeping close not as wide... I mostly spin after I do my daily exercise, what I do is I wear a sauna suit, it's like a sweat suit in plastic / rain coat material type top and pants and I will sweat a lot, like literally dripping sweats, great value for time as I dont have to stay on it for a long time... sometimes I will do a faster spin, sometimes I just sit there and watch Tv while I spin, still good bec of the movement rather than sitting on the couch, hope this helps.
Sounds good, especially the part about the danger of rounding your back.
Why do you aim to sweat more? This will not burn any more calories. And it will dehydrate you more. Do you remember people wearing these to the gym decades ago in the 80's? The problem with these is they can feel cumbersome when spinning fast. Probably better to wear cycling clothing for cycling. Fancy that!
Experiment with shoes and standing up for as long as you can. This will put a lot of workload on your legs and burn a lot more calories and get your heartrate up fast. Shoes work with the peddles so if you change your shoes the new ones may not work so well on your pedals. Platform pedals like these seem to work well. You probably don't need the pins. These type of pedals are very inexpensive. Even plastic pedals work OK for most people.
https://images.the-house.com/framed-alloy-sealed-bike-pedals.jpg
Try to do cardio BEFORE you eat every day. Just room temperature, purified water in the morning, no caffeine of course (its a diuretic and will dehydrate you). Ditch the fried foods and any cooked oils too so you don't have a heart attack when pushing yourself hard. And the salt. Then declare war on sugars, even natural ones like honey as they will tempt you for more. Minimize but don't eliminate fruit aiming for a very low glycemic index from pure, raw foods. Artificial sweeteners are just chemicals and have no place in your body. Also they will make you want more sweets. Sprouting is great for peas, beans, grains and lentils. Most are ready in a day and of course you don't cook them as they would hugely reduce their vitamin content. Fresh turmeric root(never powders), galangal/galanga, ginger, garlic, red and green onions, shallots are your very good friends. Never cook these superfoods. To really launch yourself into the world of health you can try water fasting once a week for 24-40 hours.
Dumbbells can be fantastic and are very inexpensive used, about $1/pound now in most parts of the country. Metal 1 piece are the cheapest and most useful. Rubber coated always go for a premium. Don't go for the ones with the removable plates. They're a hassle. 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 20 lbs will cover an immense amount of exercises. You can also use them one at a time when at your desk. Even better are gymnastic rings but you better make sure they are mounted well from your ceiling. Do NOT guess. Most people mount them too close to each other. Best is a horizontal bar so you can change the mounting distance of the straps.
Ok so I just did it.
