Curious about indoor cycling? This popular workout style combines high intensity, low impact cardio with positive, upbeat classes, and opportunities for working out at home. But is indoor cycling right for you?
Learn about the benefits of indoor cycling, an awesome way to get your heart pumping!
Low Impact
For those looking for a workout that allows for serious cardio without causing stress on the joints, indoor cycling is the perfect option. It’s a low-impact exercise, meaning it’s gentle on your joints and won’t exacerbate existing musculoskeletal issues.
Imagine going for a run on hard pavement – every time your feet hit the ground, there’s an impact that goes through your feet, knees, and legs.
Now think about keeping those feet firmly on a bike pedal, cycling in controlled circles. With indoor cycling, there’s no slamming or pounding that can leave you sore in ways that aren’t healthy for your body.
Set Your Intensity
Most indoor cycling materials will tell you that it’s a high-intensity workout – but don’t be fooled or frightened by this big talk.
One great thing about the stationary bikes used in indoor cycling is that they are fully adjustable when it comes to the resistance level. That means you can start off gently as if you were riding a bike on smooth, flat ground.
Once you work up to it, you can increase the resistance, forcing you to pedal as if you were making it up a steep incline. No need to actually seek out easy ground or tough hills – the bike lets you set exactly the challenge level you need for a particular day or a part of your workout.
Not sure what intensity you need to set your bike to? No problem! Taking an indoor cycling class will provide you with clear, positive instructions for moving through periods of high intensity and slower recovery periods.
Trained coaches will walk you through how to adjust your bike and signal you with music, instructions, and inspiring advice to let you know when you make a change.
Data-Driven & Measurable
Are you someone who likes to know exactly how you’re doing? Many of us enjoy seeing measurable results for our workouts, but it’s not always easy.
Remembering to keep track of weights and runs can be difficult. Tracking progress by weighing yourself is unreliable since our bodies naturally fluctuate in weight and since muscle weighs more than fat.
Fortunately, indoor cycling lets you see and track data like how far you’ve ridden and how many calories you’ve burned!
Most stationary bikes used for indoor cycling include high-tech measurement systems that show you just how you’re doing, with numbers you can feel good about and targets you can hit.
Adjustable Equipment
All bodies are different – which can make it difficult to find workout equipment that works perfectly for you. Fortunately, indoor cycling is not a one size fits all workout – the stationary bikes can be fully adjusted so that you have a comfortable, effective workout experience.
Whether you’re tall or short, prone to poor posture, or easily distracted by a bent back, you can set yourself up for indoor cycling success. If it’s your first time, try arriving a few minutes early to get your bike set up for you by adjusting the pedals, seat, and handlebars.
Not sure how to adjust your bike correctly? Ask the coach or trainer, who has plenty of experience helping beginners learn their way around indoor cycling equipment.
Health Benefits
Indoor cycling is a great workout for cardiovascular health because it gets your heart pumping and your blood flowing!
This type of movement is referred to as cardio and is great for all-around fitness. Lower your resting heart rate, fend off arterial disease, and enhance your body’s overall well-being with a few hours of indoor cycling a week!
Hitting the stationary bike also releases endorphins, which improve your mood and lower your stress levels. Frequent workouts of this type are also connected to better immune health, making it easier for your body to heal quickly and fight off germs.
If you’re looking to build muscular endurance, look no further than an indoor cycling class. When you bump up that resistance and pedal away, you’re building muscle and increasing the strength of your entire musculoskeletal system, including your tendons, ligaments, and bones.
Vibrant Community
Many of us have a friend who raves about their experience with an indoor cycling class like SoulCycle or Flywheel.
These types of classes are popular for a reason! They connect you with a like-minded community of people interested in enhancing their fitness and improving their lives.
Nothing builds camaraderie like shared hardship, and you’ll certainly feel a connection with the people around you as you all make a tough uphill climb together, then feel the shared relief of the recovery period afterward!
Indoor cycling classes also provide you with trainers and coaches, who can be helpful sources of information and inspiration along your fitness journey.
Everything’s better with a community, and indoor cycling provides plenty of opportunities to meet and work out alongside awesome, friendly people.
Creative & Imaginative
For those who like to work out their mind as well as their body, indoor cycling provides plenty of opportunities to let your imagination soar.
Many indoor cycling classes or online workouts provide a virtual ride through places like the French countryside or the jungles of Thailand, using videos, images, and soundscapes to create an imaginative experience.
You can also design your own trip around the world by identifying places you’d like to visit, then riding for the specific distance it would take to get there.
Follow a historical journey across America or trek through the Alps, all from the comfort of your own home! You can even use a specialized app or website that lets you record indoor cycling distances on maps.
If you like a different kind of brain-busting workout, indoor cycling is a workout you can do with headphones in or in front of a television.
Listening to audiobooks or watching video classes means you can double up your workout time by learning something new while improving your health!
Low Up-Front Investment
Taking up a new type of exercise can sometimes seem overwhelming. Many people worry about whether they’ll have the right workout clothing and gear.
Or, they’re concerned that they might spend too much money getting into something new, only to find that it doesn’t work for them and they’ve wasted their investment.
Fortunately, indoor cycling lets you scale how much time and money you invest, while you figure out whether it’s the right workout for you.
If you’re interested in getting started with indoor cycling, you can sign up for a short class, where you’ll be provided with a stationary bike and an instructor will take you through everything you need to know.
After you take a short class, if you decide that indoor cycling is something you want to do more of, you can sign up for a longer or more intensive class. You also have the option of investing in more serious gear, like clip-in shoes for a stationary bike.
Versatile Options
For those who become huge aficionados of the indoor cycling lifestyle, you can set yourself up for workouts at home by getting your own stationary bike and signing up for virtual classes. Unlike some workouts that require lots of space or specialized equipment, indoor cycling is something you can do from the comfort of your own home!
Many people, however, prefer indoor cycling as part of a class or group. Fortunately, this type of workout offers a variety of options.
You can be an indoor cycling master without ever purchasing your own at-home equipment. Plenty of gyms and specialized studios offer ongoing classes at varying levels of intensity, so you can continue your workouts in a community environment with trained coaches.
Climate Control
One great benefit of indoor cycling is right there in the name – it’s an exercise you can do indoors! That means you won’t have to cut your workout short due to rain, heat, or any other weather inconveniences.
If you’re someone who likes to stay cool while working out, you can even set up in front of a fan or an air conditioner. You can even get small fans that attach to your bike!
Get Started With Indoor Cycling
Now that you’ve learned about the many benefits of indoor cycling, consider trying it out for yourself!
Check out a local studio and see if there are discounts or free trials for beginners, or ask a friend to bring you along to one of their indoor cycling classes. You’ll be a lean, mean, indoor cycling machine in no time!