Whether you’re a total beginner to fitness, or used to other forms of exercise and fancy something a little more challenging on the exercise bike, we’ve got you covered with three exercise bike workouts.
Using one of the best exercise bikes, you can enjoy a low impact workout that will also help improve your fitness, and, according to spin instructor Aaron Sweeney-Harris, the exercise bike is great at building lower body muscle.
“The more resistance you add on the bike, the more you will work the lower body muscles, whilst also increasing your heart rate, further boosting your fitness,” Sweeney-Harris explains.
It's also a form of aerobic exercise, which, as the Mayo Clinic notes, can improve a range of health metrics. And research published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that indoor cycling burns energy for up to 14 hours after a session.
So, if you're ready to hit the saddle, we've got exercise bike workouts for beginners, intermediate sessions for progression, and a high-intensity routine for when you want to get a sweat on.
Beginner exercise bike workout
Sweeney-Harris designed this 18- minute cycle, which he says is great for testing out different RPMs at different levels of effort. “If at any point you’re struggling to the point where it feels impossible, feel free to pull the resistance back a little to make it a little easier.”
RPM stands for Revolutions Per Minute. This is a measure of how many times the pedals of your bike rotate in one minute, so the higher the RPM, the quicker you’re cycling. Your exercise bike screen should display your RPM.
As for the reference to effort, this is your Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). The RPE is a scale of one to 10 with one being very easy and 10 being your absolute maximum effort. Of course, only you know how much effort you’re putting in!
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Warm up
- 5 minutes @ RPM 70-90
- Minute 1
- Seated
- RPE 2-4
- Minute 2
- Seated
- Add resistance
- RPE 3 -4
- Minute 3
- Add resistance
- RPE 4-5
- Minute 4
- Stand out of saddle
- RPE 6-7
- Minute 5
- Seated, maintain resistance
- RPE 6-7
- Recovery
- 1 minute
- Pedal slowly
- Grab some water
-
Block 1 — repeat twice
- 2 minutes
- Challenging flat road
- Maintain RPM 70-90
- 1 minute
- Add resistance
- RPM 50-70
- 1 minute
- Easy recovery cycle
- Any pace
- 2 minutes
-
Block 2
- 30 seconds
- Stand
- RPM 85-110
- 45 seconds
- Seated recovery
- Any pace
- 30 seconds
- Stand
- RPM 85-110
- 30 seconds
- Seated recovery
- Any pace
- 30 seconds
-
Cool down
- 2 minutes
- Any pace
Interval exercise bike workout
If you're ready to take on a more intense, high-energy session, Sweeney-Harris also put programmed this interval exercise bike workout. It's high-effort, high-resistance, but is short and intense for when you're tight on time.
-
Warm up
- 3 minutes
- RPM 70-90
- Minute 1
- Seated resistance build
- Slowly increase the resistance throughout this minute
- Minute 2
- Stand
- Continue on same resistance
- Minute 3
- Increase speed through the resistance.
- Sit when you need to.
- Minute 4
- Easy recovery cycle
- Effort 2-3
- Minute 1
-
Workout — repeat 3 times
- 1 minute
- Acceleration.
- Start at RPM 60, move slowly up to RPM 80
- Effort 6-7
- 45 seconds
- 70-90 RPM
- RPE 8-9
- 30 seconds
- RPM 80-10
- Effort 10
- 1 minute
- Eecover
- Effort 2-3
- 1 minute
-
Cool down
- 1 minute
- As slow as you need to recover
High-intensity exercise bike workout
If you're after a routine that'll push you, work your muscles hard and raise your heart rate, this is the one to go for. Created by Nick Kalkounis, the Director of Product Management at Zwift, this workout is great for helping to improve your speed.
-
Warm up
- 4 minutes
- RPM increasing from 75 to 85 over time.
- Low resistance
-
Beginning
- 45-second sprint
- RPM 90-100+
- Effort 9-10
- 2 minutes
- RPM 75-86
- Effort 2-3
- 2 minutes
- RPM 85-95
- Effort 6-7
- 45-second sprint
-
Middle
- 30-second sprint
- RPM 90-100+
- Effort 9-10
- 15-second recovery
- RPM 75-85
- Effort 2-3
- Repeat this 15 times
- 30-second sprint
-
End
- 5 minutes
- RPM 50-60
- Effort 2-3
- 30 seconds - sprint. RPM 90-100+. Effort 9-10.
- 15 second recovery - RPM 75-85. Effort 2-3.
- Repeat this 10 times.
- 5 minutes
-
Cool down
- 3 minutes
- RPM 75-85
- Effort 2-3
How long should a beginner ride an exercise bike?
As a beginner, you may be unsure how long is best to spend on your exercise bike. However this will depend a little on your level of fitness.
Sweeney-Harris explains: “If you’re already fit and active, then you will likely be able to stay on the exercise bike a lot longer without feeling tired, than if you were completely new to fitness.
"I’d say 30 to 45 minutes is a good amount of time to work with, however if you’re fit already and feel as though your lower body and cardiovascular system are strong, then aim for a little longer.”
Kalkounis adds: “Cycling is a low-impact sport, so the risk of injury is small. But it's worth spending five minutes at the start and end of each session spinning gently. Stretching is a good idea; you should pay particular attention to hamstrings and hip flexors!”
Is 30 minutes on an exercise bike each day enough?
Half an hour might be enough for some people but others may want to spend longer on the bike.
Research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that riding an exercise bike for 30 minutes may improve the cardiovascular system, boost circulation and reduce stiffness in the body.
But, if you’re pressed for time, you could opt for a shorter, more intense ride that works your body a little harder in a shorter space of time. As Sweeney-Harris explains: “For me, it’s all in relation to the resistance.
"You can stay on a bike for two hours if you want to, but if you really work the resistance and hill climbs for example, it’s going to work your cardiovascular system harder. However, you could spend two hours on the bike; this may get a little boring though.”
Kalkounis adds: “If you are structured in your approach then 30 minutes each day can be an excellent way to boost fitness. The best advice, however, is to set yourself a goal and be realistic with what you can achieve.
"Setting yourself up for success is the best way to stay motivated and on track. The best workouts are the ones you actually complete!”
