Are you feeling motivated to get in shape, but having a hard time getting excited about your indoor cycling workouts? While indoor cycling may never be the same as the real thing, it’s easy to make indoor cycling fun!
Say goodbye to boring sessions on your Stationary Bike and unlock your potential to see even better results and have tons of fun on your bike! Make your indoor cycling workouts fun with these 6 simple tricks.
Set Up a Dedicated Training Space
Set up a space where you can ride! When your space is set up and ready to go, it’s one less excuse to get your workout in. It’s important to make your space as comfortable as possible, minimizing avoidable discomfort that simply adds annoyance and distraction to your workout.
You’ll want to keep the temperature low, around 68 degrees, and have a fan nearby to help cool you off and increase airflow throughout your workout. While this may sound cold, keep in mind at a studio, they keep the temperature low for your comfort, and if you’re used to outdoor cycling, there’s a lot more airflow outdoors. I also highly recommend having a water bottle and sweat towel handy, as you’ll find indoor workouts quickly run on the sweatier side.
If you’re used to outdoor cycling, consider pointing your bike towards a window with a view. If you’re looking to take advantage of on-demand or online cycling workout videos, have your phone or tablet charged and at the ready, or create your own TV set up for an even better experience!
Play Music
There’s nothing better than when your mid-sprint or climb and your favorite song comes on! I mean, have you ever felt more unstoppable?
Music can boost your workout performance (1). Not only will it help you keep your pace, but it also can make your cycling workouts way more fun! One of the major benefits of cycling at home (in my opinion) is you can choose your own music.
If you’re making your own playlist, choose songs that are upbeat and have a good tempo to keep you moving! If you’re not sure where to start, check out these workout playlists designed to keep you on pace.
Vary Intention of Sessions
Nothing is more boring than repeating the same workout all week long; besides, it could be holding you back from making progress. By varying the intensity, cadence, resistance, and length of your sessions - you’ll see fitness gains faster, become a more well-rounded cyclist, and, not to mention, have way more fun! Check out the 4 ideas for varying your indoor cycling sessions below.
- Interval Workouts: An interval workout could be anything from heavy resistance hill climbs to all-out sprints or longer endurance-based intervals. Depending on your fitness goals, you may change and vary how intervals are used in your regular training. This is a great way to incorporate high-intensity interval training into your workouts.
- Progressive Workouts: A progressive workout is one that gets more and more challenging throughout the session, whether that’s through increasing the cadence, resistance, or interval period under high intensity - the end of the workout is the most challenging.
- Endurance Workouts: An endurance-based workout is one that’s generally more focused on hitting a higher time. The focus of these workouts is to maintain a moderate intensity that can be sustained for a longer period, so the pace is generally easier and more conversational.
- Recovery Workouts: You’ll want to ensure at least one day a week is dedicated to completing rest. It’s also important to schedule active rest through recovery workouts into your regular schedule. Recovery workouts are low-intensity, gentle movements designed to warm up your body, increase blood flow, and leave your body feeling better than when you started. It’s also a great way to warm up your body, leaving your muscles pliable and ready for a good stretch.
Once you have an idea of how to vary your workouts, you’ll want to decide how to work the variation into your regular routine to ensure you’re mixing it up. Remember, the goal is to make your routine fun, so choose the workouts that sound the most fun to you and work on including more of those in your regular schedule.
If you’re interested in mixing up your regular routine but not sure how to make it happen, below I’ve included some example schedules for beginner, intermediate, and advanced cyclists. Remember, this is just an example, and I always recommend creating a schedule appropriate for your current fitness level, goals, and the time you have available to work out.
Example Weekly Indoor Cycling Workout Schedule
Beginner Cyclists
| Monday | 20-Min Interval Workout |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 20-Min Recovery Ride/Stretch |
| Wednesday | 20-Min Progressive Ride |
| Thursday | 20-Min Recovery Ride/Stretch |
| Friday | 20-Min Interval Workout |
| Saturday | 30-Min Endurance Ride |
| Sunday | Rest Day |
Intermediate Cyclists
| Monday | 30-Min Interval Workout |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 20-Min Recovery Ride/Stretch |
| Wednesday | 30-Min Progressive Ride |
| Thursday | 20-Min Recovery Ride/Stretch |
| Friday | 30-Min Interval Workout |
| Saturday | 45-Min Endurance Ride |
| Sunday | Rest Day |
Advanced Cyclists
| Monday | 30-Min Interval Workout |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 20-Min Recovery Ride/Stretch |
| Wednesday | 45-Min Progressive Ride |
| Thursday | 20-Min Recovery Ride/Stretch |
| Friday | 30-Min Interval Workout |
| Saturday | 60-Min Endurance Ride |
| Sunday | Rest Day |
Take Online Cycling Classes
There are so many options when it comes to online cycling classes, and they are the easiest way to make your workouts more fun. If you’re skeptical about taking one, just try it! You have nothing to lose, and they could totally change your life - or, at least, your workouts.
Get started with one of our cycling workouts designed for beginners! Below I’ve shared 4 of our most popular indoor cycling classes designed for beginners, or anyone ready to learn the basics of indoor cycling to take their rides to the next level. Give them a try!
Beginner Cycle Bike Workout
Rhythm Cycling Power Dance Cardio Interval Workout
30 Min Heart Pumping Feel-Good Cycle Dance Cardio Workout
Work Up a Sweat To This Beginner Cycle Workout w/ Hills & Climbs
Analyze Workout Data
I’ll be the first to say, fitness technology is not for everyone, and if intuitive fitness is more your thing, I fully support that decision. However, for those of us who are positively motivated by metrics and stats, keeping track of your workout data can be an incredible motivator!
Make your workouts more fun by diving into your metrics. There are so many fun ways to challenge yourself when it comes to metrics, and this can be a great way to get competitive with yourself and see tangible progress.
A few fun ways to use workout data and see better results from your sessions:
- Try to hit a higher cadence throughout each interval of your workout
- Burn more calories by the end of your ride than you did during your last ride
- Try to achieve a further distance by the end of your ride in comparison to your last ride
- Try to increase the intensity of your session by comparing your heart rate
Be Consistent
There are a few reasons why it’s important to be consistent in your indoor cycling routine. First, let’s be honest; every cyclist knows those first few weeks of cycling are the time for your sit bones to adjust to the saddle. Regardless of how comfortable your seat is, your booty is going to be sore for a week or two. The good news is, it does get better; however, staying consistent with your routine will ensure you don’t have to experience this pain again and again.
If that’s not a reason alone to stay consistent on your bike, keeping your fitness level up will help make your sessions more fun! Most of us have experienced that feeling when we breach that point of being out of shape and finally arrive in this space where we feel fitter, and more able, and our workouts start to get more fun. That’s right, consistency means progress and results, it means more confidence on your bike, and it means feeling great; and I can’t think of anything more fun than that!
So, who’s ready to ride?! Get your bike setup ready, build out your best playlist, mix up your workouts, find some fun online classes, dive into those metrics, be consistent, and you are going to be having more fun on your bike than you ever thought you could.
(1) “ACE-Sponsored Research: Exploring the Effects of Music on Exercise Intensity” ACE Fitness, n.d., https://www.acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/805/ace-sponsored-research-exploring-the-effects-of-music-on-exercise-intensity/. Accessed 26 April, 2021.
