FAQ

Can this training benefit athletes in other (non-cycling) sports as well?

Basically any athlete that need leg endurance could benefit, in the same manner that many athletes use cycling as cardio for their sport, but more efficient for the muscles. Examples of typical sports that can have a direct performance advantage are alpine skiing, biathlon, ice-hockey, rowing, speed skating and xc-skiing. In addition, cycling is a popular training modality for many other types of athletes during periods of injury and unipedaling both opens new possibilities and makes training and rehabilitation more effective.

Is The Unipedal only for stationary cycling or can I use it when cycling outside?

While it is technically possible to perform unipedaling on the road outside, WE STRONGLY ADVICE AGAINST IT, because it makes the bike more difficult to handle which can increase the risk of an accident. Unipedaling is a complementary training method to your normal cycling training or other sport specific training, so the time you spend unipedaling can be allocated to a stationary bike.

Why can't I just pedal with one leg without any extra equipment?

Pedaling with one leg is absolutely possible when the foot is attached to the pedal, either with clipless pedals and shoes or using a toe clip. This is actually a common training method for competitive cyclists, as it forces the muscles used to pull the pedal upward in the upstroke to be more activated and trained, which can improve pedaling technique in specific ways. This is, however, also the problem, as it changes the pedaling dynamics considerably from two-legged pedaling and is very straining. Without assistance in the upstroke the small muscles in the upstroke fatigue before the primary large muscles used during pedaling are trained optimally. The power output you can sustain for a prolonged period with one leg, without assistance, is lower than half of the power with two legs.

Is unipedaling really an effective training method?

Check out our science page for the latest research on assisted one-legged pedaling and related topics. In essence, the reason that makes unipedaling an effective training method, is that it enables a higher external (pedaling power output per leg) and internal (metabolic rate in the muscles), which lets you tap into a type of extremely powerful training stimuli not possible with two-legged pedaling. Conversely it is also possible to load the muscles in a normal manner with a lower perceived exertion and load on the cardiovascular system, which makes it possible to spend more time at a given muscular intensity with a lower training load.

Will not training the legs separately double the training volume needed?

No, firstly not all training should be unipedaling, it is just an highly effective complement to the regular training. Thanks to the fact that unipedaling provides a stronger training stimuli to the muscles, it lets you get more adaptations in a shorter period of time and even adaptations not possible otherwise. Also, since most high intensity training is interval based with rest periods, the time needed for a given session of unipedaling is not significantly different, because while one leg is training the other is resting and ready to go as soon as the interval is over for the leg currently training.

If I want to maximize my cycling performance with two legs, why should I train with one leg isolated?

The short answer is because it enables a more power training stimulus that carries over to performance during two-legged pedaling. It is however important to stress that unipedaling is a complement used perhaps for up to an hour once or a few times per week, with the rest of training being two-legged.

Can unipedaling be dangerous?

Unipedaling in itself can not be deemed a dangerous activity and research rather suggests it is a safe and beneficial training modality for vulnerable patient groups such as those with COPD, heart disease and obesity.

On the other hand, if the spring breaks, it can potentially cause injury to the user or equipment. The internal strap used to adjust the tension of the spring and prevent it from over-stretching is one of the measures we have taken to mitigate this risk as it keeps the spring from flying off and damaging anyone or anything if it breaks. It is of course also important to carefully follow the instructions when using the Unipedal.

Is it recommended that users adapt how they use the Unipedal depending on their age?

There is at the moment no research on children or youth athletes, which is why we do not recommend unipedaling for this group. For adults, there are at them moment no evidence to support that unipedaling should be performed differently for different age groups. However, aging athletes and older patients do normally not have the same exercise capacity and therefore have to adapt the intensity and volume of training to their individual capacity. Regarding adults, there is research suggesting that older (~65 year olds) have larger training gains from unipedaling compared to younger (~35 year olds).