How to Start Indoor Cycling

Indoor cycling is a great activity for health, weight loss, or to increase your overall fitness level. It is no surprise that indoor cycling has exploded in popularity over the past few years. Peloton has become a household name and the number of indoor cycling bikes and connected apps has dramatically increased. With all these options, getting started with a new indoor cycling setup and routine can be overwhelming. We’ll give you tips below on how to get started with confidence. 

Selecting Equipment 

Options for indoor cycling equipment are nearly endless, but don’t let this scare you away! You don’t have to break the bank to get into indoor cycling. Shop around for inexpensive indoor cycles and find something within your budget. There are endless cycle gear and gadgets you can invest in, but you can start slow and add to your cycling gear closet as you go. Beyond a bike, the following accessories are a good starters: 

• Cycling shoes
• Heart Rate monitor
• Clothing
• A fan

Cycling Shoes 

Dedicated cycling shoes that clip into your pedals are a useful tool, even when you are a beginning cyclist. These shoes are compatible with “clipless” pedals and there are few different types. Since you’ll be indoors and not moving, you don’t need to worry about falling over trying to unclip. The most important thing when purchasing shoes is to ensure that the cleat on the bottom of your shoe matches your pedal interface. SPD pedals and cleats are the most common for indoor cycling. Cycling shoes help you have a smooth and even pedal stroke 360 degrees around. Instead of just pushing down on the pedals, you can push and pull using different muscles for different phases of the pedal stroke. Cycling shoes have a stiffer foot bed than athletic shoes. They support the feet and can help prevent foot pain and numbness.

Heart Rate Monitor

A heart rate monitor is a great way to measure the work you do during a ride. It also helps monitor progress as your fitness improves. Heart rate monitors connect to many riding apps and some workouts will use heart rate zones to tell you how hard to work. Heart rate zones are a topic for a different day, but heart rate, rate of perceived exertion (also known as RPE) and power and the three primary ways of measuring effort while cycling. Heart rate is a metric that is easily influenced by factors outside of the workout. Caffeine intake, how well you slept the night before, stress, or even if you’re recovering from a cold can impact your heart rate on a given day, so keep this in mind if you see variations in heart rate day-to-day when doing the same workout. 

Cycling Clothing 

Cycling clothing for your indoor rides is totally up to personal preference. I prefer to ride in cycling bib shorts with a built-in chamois. The extra padding keeps me comfortable on longer rides, and is built to handle sweat. Leggings or exercise tights are also a good option if you don’t prefer the padding of the chamois. Any clothing you pick needs to be comfortable, ventilated and moisture wicking. Be prepared to sweat, and sweat a lot!

A Fan

After the bike, a fan is the most important piece of equipment. When riding outdoors, even in hot weather, the wind and motion cool you off much more than when riding indoors. When indoor cycling, it is easy to overheat quickly, which will limit your workout unnecessarily. Just because you’re dripping sweat all over your bike doesn’t mean you’re getting the most out of your workout. Stay cool with a nice strong fan or even two. These don’t need to be fancy, but you will want something that pivots into the right position. I like to have a remote control so I can adjust my fan into the highest setting after my warm up.

Selecting Workouts

As with any new workout routine it is important to start slow and build on your progress. Jumping on your new indoor bike for the first time and riding for three hours will result in a sore rear end and legs for many days after. When you first get started, use time as a guide in your workouts as opposed to distance. Start with 15-30 minutes two or three times per week and build from there. Indoor cycling is an extremely efficient workout. There are no stop lights, coasting, or downhills that interrupt your momentum. When you ride indoors for 45 minutes you are engaged the entire time. You are getting the most out of every minute of your workout and longer isn’t always better. As you progress, look for workouts with intervals, variations in cadence (speed of your legs), and different intensities. 

Apps and Entertainment

Indoor cycling has come a long way in terms of entertainment and fun options. You aren’t doomed to pedal away staring at the wall! You can follow along with workouts or ride in virtual worlds. Most of these apps are subscription based, so try out several through free trials and see which ones work best for you and your style of indoor cycling. Options include Peloton, Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad, and many more. 

Whatever your goals or reasons for getting into indoor cycling, there is a bike and a workout platform that will work great! With a little bit of research and dedication, you’ll be a seasoned indoor rider in no time. Happy cycling!