Indoor Cycling Training Tips

Posted by tan xiao yan on

While nothing compares to the excitement of cycling training outdoors, you can get all the health benefits from indoor cycling that you desire. With the technology that indoor cycling bikes have nowadays, you can pretty much simulate what you would typically experience when out on the road.

Cycling indoors is a wonderful alternative for those who face cold winter temperatures, frequent rain, or incredibly hot temperatures. No matter what is going on outdoors, you can always turn to indoor cycling. When indoors, you have the control. You can select from a wide range of resistance levels with most bikes to get as intense of a workout as you want.

While you can certainly get a highly effective workout from indoor cycling, some may find it rather boring in comparison to being outdoors. The result is that many don't push themselves quite as hard, or find it difficult just to get started.

One approach is to keep your workouts relatively short. When you get started, see if you can get through 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, and so on. If 10 minutes is where you want to stop, so be it. But getting into the habit of indoor cycling is the key.

Only train several times each week. Training every single day is only going to make it more difficult. Instead of doing a recovery ride on a given day, take the day off. Giving yourself a mental break when needed will help you stay motivated over the long run.

If you decide to train for a shorter period of time, then your intensity must be higher in order to get a quality workout. Interval training is ideal for the indoors because you have complete control over cadence, power output, and heart rate.

If you don't own an indoor cycling bike, then you have two other options. One is a trainer, and the other is rollers.

While there are pros and cons of each, some prefer the natural feel of riding on rollers. It simulates riding outdoors more so than a trainer because it requires you to maintain balance. On the flip side, a trainer keeps the bike in the exact same position throughout the workout.