Exercise Bikes · Workout
Indoor Cycling Workout
You do not need a class, a screen or a subscription to get a proper workout on an exercise bike. You need a sensible session and a way of judging effort. Here are three indoor cycling workouts that work on any bike, plus a first week for anyone starting from scratch.
In shortThree sessions cover almost everything. A 30-minute steady ride to build your base, a 30-minute hill climb for strength endurance, and a 25-minute interval session for fitness. Judge effort on a simple one-to-ten scale rather than chasing numbers. Two or three rides a week, mostly easy, is a sound place to start.
On this page
- Set your bike up first
- Judging your effort
- Workout one, the steady ride
- Workout two, the hill climb
- Workout three, the interval session
- A first week for beginners
- Do you need an app or a class
Set your bike up first
Most discomfort people blame on a bike is actually a fitting problem, and it takes two minutes to fix. Get this right before you worry about workouts, because a bike that hurts is a bike you stop using.
Saddle height
Sit on the saddle and put one heel on the pedal at its lowest point. Your leg should be almost straight, with the knee just off locking. When you then place the ball of your foot on the pedal, that gives a slight bend in the knee at the bottom of the stroke. Too low is the most common error and it is what makes knees ache.
Saddle fore and aft
With the pedals level, your forward knee should sit roughly over the pedal axle. Slide the saddle back or forward until it does. This affects how your weight is distributed and how much your quads take the strain.
Handlebar height
Higher bars are more comfortable and easier on the lower back, lower bars are more aggressive and better for hard efforts. If you are new, start high and drop them over time if you want to.
Judging your effort
Every session below refers to an effort number rather than a heart rate or a wattage, because that works on any bike, including one with a basic console. It is also a more honest guide than a number, since how hard something feels already accounts for your sleep, stress and how much coffee you have had.
| Effort | How it feels | Talk test |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 3 | Very easy, barely working | Full conversation, singing possible |
| 4 to 5 | Comfortable and steady, could hold for an hour | Talking in full sentences |
| 6 to 7 | Working hard, breathing heavily | Short sentences only |
| 8 to 9 | Very hard, unpleasant, sustainable for a minute or two | A word or two at most |
Workout one, the steady ride
The most underrated session there is, and the one that should make up most of your riding. Thirty minutes of comfortable, sustainable work builds the aerobic base that everything else rests on, and it is easy enough to do while watching something.
| Phase | Time | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 5 min | 3 out of 10, easy spinning |
| Main set | 20 min | 5 out of 10, comfortable and steady, holding a consistent cadence |
| Cool-down | 5 min | 2 to 3 out of 10, very easy |
If you can only do one session a week, make it this one. If you are riding three times a week, make two of them this. It is not glamorous and it works.
Workout two, the hill climb
Higher resistance at a lower cadence, which builds strength endurance in the legs and is far kinder on your lungs than sprint intervals. It suits heavier flywheel bikes particularly well, and you can do it seated throughout.
| Phase | Time | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 5 min | 3 out of 10, easy spinning |
| Climb 1 | 4 min | Raise resistance, hold about 6 out of 10 at a slow, strong cadence |
| Recover | 2 min | 3 out of 10, drop the resistance right down |
| Climb 2 | 4 min | 6 to 7 out of 10, a little harder than the first |
| Recover | 2 min | 3 out of 10 |
| Climb 3 | 4 min | 7 out of 10, the hardest of the three |
| Cool-down | 5 min | 2 to 3 out of 10 |
Thirty minutes in total. Keep your upper body still and let your legs do the work. If your hips are rocking on the saddle, the resistance is too high.
Workout three, the interval session
The shortest and hardest of the three, for when you have twenty-five minutes and want the most fitness per minute. This is a gentler version of a full HIIT session, and it is the one to do once a week at most.
| Phase | Time | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 6 min | 3 to 4 out of 10, building gradually |
| Interval | 1 min | 7 to 8 out of 10, hard but controlled |
| Recover | 2 min | 3 out of 10, easy spinning |
| Repeat | 5 rounds | 15 minutes of intervals in total |
| Cool-down | 4 min | 2 to 3 out of 10 |
If you want something shorter and sharper, our dedicated HIIT bike workout uses 30-second efforts instead. Do not do both in the same week when you are starting out.
A first week for beginners
If you have just bought a bike, resist the urge to do too much in week one. Almost everyone who quits does so because they started too hard, not because they started too easy. Something like this works well.
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | 20 minutes very easy, effort 3 to 4. Just get used to the bike. |
| Tuesday | Rest, or a walk. |
| Wednesday | 20 minutes easy, effort 4. Try to hold a steady cadence. |
| Thursday | Rest. |
| Friday | The steady ride, shortened to 20 minutes. |
| Weekend | One easy ride if you fancy it. If not, rest. |
Build from there by adding five minutes to one ride a week, or adding a third ride, but not both at once. After a month of that, you will be ready for the hill climb, and after two, the intervals. Nobody has ever regretted progressing too slowly.
Do you need an app or a class
No. Every session on this page works on a bike with a basic console and no connectivity whatsoever. What an app or a guided class buys you is not a better workout, it is the removal of the question what should I do today, and for a lot of people that is exactly the friction that stops them riding.
If that sounds like you, a connected bike may genuinely be worth the money, and the guided classes on the screen bikes earn their keep. If you are happy to follow a session from a page like this one, a bike with no subscription gives you the same ride and keeps the fee.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good indoor cycling workout for beginners?
How long should an indoor cycling workout be?
How many times a week should I use an exercise bike?
Do I need a spin class or an app to get a good workout?
What cadence should I aim for?
Why do my knees hurt on the exercise bike?
Should I ride standing up?
This guide is general information rather than medical advice. If you have a heart condition, joint problems, you are pregnant, or you have been inactive for a long time, speak to your GP before starting a new exercise routine. Stop and seek advice if you experience chest pain, dizziness or joint pain that does not settle.
Want something shorter and harder? Try our HIIT bike workout. Curious what regular riding does for you? Read exercise bike benefits. Still choosing a bike? Start with the best exercise bikes guide.
Chris writes the home fitness reviews across our sites, including our sister site HomeTreadmill.co.uk. He compares every machine against its rivals on UK pricing and specs, and scores each one with FitRank.
We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our FitRank score. See our affiliate disclosure.