benefits of indoor cycling

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Last Updated on June 29, 2021

Maybe you’ve never taken indoor cycling classes seriously because you don’t know the benefits. Or maybe you’re not sure if it’s worth your time because you’re used to riding your mountain bike all the time. 

If you think about it, though, there aren’t many differences between cruising the streets on a bike and riding a stationary bike indoors. 

You’re transferring energy from your legs to the pedals in both cases. And that means indoors cycling is as important as regular cycling itself, with so many benefits that you can enjoy. 

From improving your heart’ health to shedding off some pounds, here are the top benefits of taking indoor cycling classes. 

What are the Benefits of Indoor Cycling? 

The following are some of the reasons you should start indoor cycling. 

Contents

1. Indoor Cycling Helps You Burn Calories

indoor cycling for weight loss

If you’re one of the budding cycling enthusiasts who cycle to lose weight (source), you should consider indoor cycling if you have a chance. Because it’s a full body workout, which you can do at an intensity of your choice, indoor cycling can help you burn more calories and shed off some pounds in the process. 

In fact, findings by Watt Bike show that you can burn up to 260 calories by riding an indoor stationary exercise bike at 10m/h for about 30 minutes a day. 

But getting used to the system can take a while. So it’s important that you don’t beat yourself to it. You can start slow, say by at least 10 minutes a day, and then increase the amount of time you spend spinning. Another option is to create an exercise program where you spin at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes. 

Once you get used to the exercise, feel free to do it every day for 30 minutes a day, at 10 miles an hour. 

2. Indoor Cycling is Easy to Customize

Riding your bike outdoor is fun. At least you get to connect with nature, cruise different streets and pavements, ride at a speed of your choice against the wind, and, if possible, connect with other cyclists. 

The problem is you’re always at the mercy of the terrains. If the roads are friendly, your cycling will be fun. Btu if the terrains are bad, you’ll probably have the worst cycling experience. 

Indoor cycling is different because you can easily customize it depending on your preference while cycling with your best indoor cycling shoes. Instead of being at the mercy of anything, you have full control of your workout.  

It’s important to note that indoor exercise bikes have something called tension resistance. For example, Keiser M3 Stationary Trainer has up to 27 tension resistance levels. And that means you have many options to consider. 

But there’s one very important thing that you need to keep in mind: 

The higher the level of resistance, the more challenging an exercise will be. 

So if you’re seriously ready to ton your body and work towards achieving your fitness goals with the help of an indoor trainer, you should consider switching up the machine to the highest resistance possible. After all, the more intense the exercise the better. 

Again, you don’t have to beat yourself up to get this right. Start slow, from the lowest resistance level that you can easily manage, and then scale your way up by increasing the intensity of the exercise. 

3. Indoor Cycling is a Low Impact Exercise

indoor cycling low impact workout

Maybe you’re just getting started with working out and you don’t think you can function at 100% yet. Maybe you’re recovering from an injury and you want to keep exercising but slowly. Or maybe you’re an elderly person who prefers to stay active without putting too much pressure on the joints.

Whichever category you fall in, indoor cycling can help you keep your body in motion without subjecting you to too much pressure. 

That’s because it’s a low-impact, yet effective exercise that get different parts of your body, such as hips and heels, in motion. 

4. Anyone Can Do Indoor Cycling

Indoor cycling is the simplest form of bike riding. So you should easily get the hang of it even if it’s your first time. Plus, the trainers are easily accessible. You can buy one for home use, or you can pay a gym subscription so you can take cycling classes. 

You don’t even have to worry about the complexity of the workout. That because there are readily available workout resources on platforms like YouTube that you can download for free. Moreover, workouts often range from beginners to experts, so it should be easy to start out and progress as time elapses. 

Each workout, from those that you can access at the lowest resistance to the more intense at the highest level of resistance, can help you to build endurance the right way. As you continue to do indoor cycling, you’ll be able to build muscles and your cardio system, so you can get the best cycling experience when you decide to take your steed outdoors. 

5. You Can Do Indoor Cycling Anywhere and at Any Time

One of the things we like about indoor cycling is that it’s easily accessible. Plus, you can cycle at any time you want. If you can afford to buy one for home use, do so. If you don’t have enough funds to finance the machine, then go to the nearest gym. 

Moreover, you’re the one to decide how much time you’d like to spend on the exercise. You can cycle in the morning before leaving for work. Or you can schedule the exercise for the evening after your working hours. 

How to Start Indoor Cycling 

You can invest in an indoor trainer or use the one in your local gym. If you decided to buy your own machine, make sure you go for a model from a reliable brand. This will go a long way to ensure you get the value for your money. 

Note that stationary bikes tend to be somewhat pricey. So if you’re on a budget, you should consider going for an indoor trainer instead. 



Harold Whitford

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About the Author

My name is Harold Whitford, a husband, father, and avid cyclist with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from the University of Delaware. Having been in the industry for more than 15 years, I have a number of the road race and national time trial championships in my bag.

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