Indoor Cycling Workout Guide

Whether your goal is to increase stamina, build strength, or simply enjoy a low-impact workout, indoor cycling offers a fantastic option for fitness enthusiasts of all levels. It’s an effective way to boost cardiovascular health, tone muscles, and improve overall endurance—all without putting undue stress on your joints.

Why Indoor Cycling?

Indoor cycling is versatile and accessible, making it a great choice for beginners and experienced riders alike.

For newcomers, stationary bikes provide a safe environment to learn the basics of pedaling, shifting gears, and adjusting your grip on the handlebars for different riding positions. Jacque Crockford, PhD, a certified personal trainer and health expert with the American Council on Exercise (ACE), notes that these controlled settings allow beginners to focus on their form and build confidence without the challenges of outdoor terrain.

For more advanced cyclists, stationary workouts are an excellent way to improve cardiovascular fitness and leg strength while bypassing the unpredictable obstacles of outdoor riding—like traffic, weather, or uneven surfaces.

However, jumping on a stationary bike without a plan may not yield the best results. Crockford emphasizes the importance of structured training sessions to maximize efficiency and performance. To help, she designed a three-part cycling workout plan:

1. Endurance rides to develop a strong fitness foundation.
2. Strength intervals to build leg muscles and core stability.
3. Speed drills to train for quick bursts of power and improve intensity management.

Each workout concludes with targeted core exercises, as your core muscles are crucial for stabilizing your body while your legs do the heavy lifting. For optimal results, aim to complete all three sessions weekly, as they are designed to complement each other and gradually enhance your cycling capabilities.

Preparation Is Key

Before diving into any training regimen, it’s always wise to check with your doctor or consult a certified fitness professional to ensure the plan suits your current health and fitness level.

This workout guide works with any indoor cycling setup, whether it’s a traditional stationary bike, a smart bike trainer, or a spin bike. To track your effort, use your ability to talk as a guide:

• If you can comfortably speak full sentences, you’re in Zone 1 (low intensity).
• If you can only manage a few words at a time, you’re in Zone 3 (high intensity).

If your bike tracks revolutions per minute (RPMs), you’ll find it easier to follow the suggested cadence. For bikes without RPM tracking, you can invest in a cadence sensor or use music to set the rhythm.

Pro Tip: Search for songs that match specific RPMs on music platforms or create a playlist with tempos suited to your cadence. A motivating playlist can make all the difference in maintaining focus and energy during your workout.

The Endurance Ride

Goal: Build stamina for longer, steady rides

Endurance rides focus on continuous, moderate-paced pedaling over an extended period, helping you improve your cardiovascular fitness and get comfortable with sustained efforts. These sessions may seem straightforward, but they’re essential for building a solid fitness foundation.

Jacque Crockford explains that steady pedaling allows riders to concentrate on proper form and technique, which are critical for handling more intense workouts like hill climbs or speed drills.

The Workout:

• Warm-up:
  • 5 minutes of light, steady pedaling.
  • Cadence: 70 RPMs
  • Heart rate: Zone 1
• Main Session:
  • 45 minutes of continuous pedaling at a moderate pace.
  • Cadence: 90–100 RPMs
  • Heart rate: Zone 1
• Cool Down:
  • 5 minutes of slow pedaling to bring your heart rate back down.
  • Cadence: 70 RPMs
  • Heart rate: Zone 1
• Core Exercises:
  • Perform each move for 30 seconds on each side. Repeat three times.
  • Front plank
  • Side plank with straight leg
  • High plank with T-spine rotation

The Strength Ride

Goal: Build muscle power and improve endurance for tough climbs

Strength intervals are designed to push your leg muscles and core while enhancing cardiovascular fitness. These sessions alternate between seated and standing positions to mimic the challenges of outdoor hill climbing. Over time, they’ll improve your ability to recover more quickly and handle harder efforts during endurance rides.

The Workout:

• Warm-up:
  • 5 minutes of light pedaling to loosen up your muscles.
  • Cadence: 70 RPMs
  • Heart rate: Zone 1
• Main Session:
  • Hill Climb Intervals:
  • Hill #1:
  • 5 minutes of climbing (stand out of the saddle for the last minute).
  • Cadence: 80 RPMs
  • Heart rate: Zone 3
  • 5 minutes seated recovery.
  • Cadence: 70 RPMs
  • Heart rate: Zone 1
  • Repeat for Hill #2 and Hill #3, increasing cadence to 90 RPMs and 100 RPMs, respectively.
• Cool Down:
  • 5 minutes of easy pedaling.
  • Cadence: 70 RPMs
  • Heart rate: Zone 1
• Core Exercises:
  • Perform each exercise for 30 seconds per side. Repeat three times.
  • Bear crawl
  • Bird-dog
  • Lateral crawls

The Speed Ride

Goal: Train fast-twitch muscles for quick bursts of power

Speed workouts focus on improving your ability to sustain high-intensity efforts for short durations. They target fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are essential for sprinting and explosive movements. These sessions can benefit not only your cycling performance but also other activities requiring bursts of speed or power, such as running or playing sports.

The Workout:

• Warm-up:

5 minutes of light pedaling to prepare your body for sprints.

Cadence: 70 RPMs

Heart rate: Zone 1

• Main Session:
  • Sprint Intervals:
  • Repeat the following sequence 10 times:
  • 1-minute sprint:
    • Cadence: Up to 120 RPMs
    • Heart rate: Zone 3
  • 2-minute recovery:
    • Cadence: 80 RPMs
    • Heart rate: Zone 1
• Cool Down:
  • 5 minutes of gentle pedaling to relax your muscles.
  • Cadence: 70 RPMs
  • Heart rate: Zone 1
• Core Exercises:
• Perform these moves for 30 seconds on each side. Repeat three times.
  • Mountain climbers
  • Russian twists
  • Modified side planks

Final Thoughts

This three-part indoor cycling plan is designed to cater to cyclists of all fitness levels, offering a balanced mix of endurance, strength, and speed training. By sticking to this routine, you’ll not only become a better cyclist but also improve your overall fitness and stamina for daily life.

Set up your bike, crank up the music, and start pedaling your way to a stronger, healthier you!