In recent years, indoor cycling has transcended its niche of hardcore racers braving the winter to maintain their form, blossoming into a widely embraced fitness phenomenon. Thanks to technological leaps, this form of exercise now presents a multitude of benefits to cyclists of all ambitions.

Indoor cycling has revolutionised the way we approach fitness, blending convenience with effectiveness. Whether you're a seasoned cyclist or a fitness enthusiast, the advantages of indoor cycling are too compelling to ignore. In this article, we delve into the key benefits of indoor cycling that make it an indispensable part of any fitness routine.

FTP tests are crucial for establishing accurate training zones, forming the foundation of all training programmes. These tests help determine training zones for heart rate and power output, providing clarity on an individual's training level and intensity for maximum performance. Here are some tips to prepare you for a successful FTP test:

Indoor cycling, is super-effective in getting your heart pumping, muscles working, and calories burning. One of the essentials to a successful indoor cycling workout is finding the right amount of resistance to give you the gains you want. If you're unsure whether you're pushing hard enough, here are some signs that you may need to add more resistance to your indoor cycling routine:

While the focus of indoor cycling is often on the intensity and duration of the session itself, one crucial element that should never be overlooked is the warmup. This is the easiest way to spot the difference between an expert instructor and an ordinary one. Spending the first 10 minutes of your session warming up riders can significantly enhance their performance, reduce the risk of injury, and maximise the benefits of their workout. And why wouldn't any instructor want that?

Warm ups should be properly planned - just 'allowing riders to move their legs' for a few minutes when they arrive prior to the session isn't enough. How do you know how much resistance they have on? How do you know the cadence is effective? You don't. You're also sending a message about your own expertise if you're abdicating responsibility for the warm up to your riders. If they don't know what it's for, they'll assume you don't either.

Indoor cycling is an excellent way to lose weight, and it has numerous other benefits. Not only does it help you shed those extra pounds, but it also helps you improve your cardiovascular health, reduce insulin resistance and strengthen your muscles. But how you go about it will determine how much weight you can lose. Here are some factors to consider:

Stationary bicycles, also known as exercise bikes, studio bikes or static bikes, have been a popular piece of fitness kit for decades. They provide a low-impact cardiovascular workout that can be done in the comfort of your own home or at the gym or cycling studio. However, like any fitness equipment, there are advantages and disadvantages to using a static bike.

A time trial is basically a fast flat, but more intense, and has more shape to it:

• It imitates the training effect of a timetrial on the road.
• A timetrial is where you’re maintaining your highest power for the duration of the interval.
• Whereas a road timetrial has a fixed distance over a fixed route (eg 45km), the studio timetrial is a fixed time (eg 4minutes).
  
• Why you might want to use it: it’s great for muscular endurance and also good for building aerobic capacity, burning fat (although I wouldn’t use it in a class where you tend to get new people, because it’s intense and quite intimidating).
• How to instruct it:
  • Let riders know how long it is and the cadence
    
  • Tell them that they should be riding with (depending on the capability of your bikes) maintaining the highest level of resistance they can for the duration or the highest power output (FTP) or get them to reach a particular heartrate target, eg 84-86% and then keeping the resistance level where it is (due to cardiac drift, their heartrates will increase a little from this point as their muscles tire, but the challenge is to keep the same level of resistance right the way through).
• Where to put it in your session: usually you’ll want it in your second half or towards the end of the session as it’s a hard challenge and you wouldn’t normally want to tire them out early. You might want to tire them out if you’re wanting to build anaerobic capacity, but most riders don’t really need this.
  

Encouragement is vital. Sometimes it's easy to forget why we're doing what we're doing - but as an instructor you can help remind your riders why indoor cycling is so good for them - and why they've made a great decision to give you their time.

Yes it does. A slow metabolism means you'll burn calories slower and store more as fat. No one wants that. (Unless you're a polar bear.) A fast metabolism on the other hand essentially means you can get away with more - a cheeky glass of wine does a lot less damage to a fast metabolism than a slow one.

So, how does indoor cycling speed up metabolism? Because we use resistance, it means we're challenging the large muscles groups in the bottom and legs (glutes, hamstrings and quads) and in that recovery after your challenging indoor cycling session (see, recovery is important!) your body will repair and strengthen that muscle tissue, and the more of it you have, the more the demand for fuel. Which means your metabolism speeds up, and you don't store so much energy as fat. Complicated? It's actually more complicated than that...

What does this mean? It means you need to enjoy a really good session, and then take the time to relax and allow your muscles to recover in between sessions for best results.

Well spotted - you'll not be storing as much energy as fat in the first place, but also you'll be burning more fat as you go along with indoor cycling. This is because our sessions are carefully designed for effectiveness - we use heartrate zones so that each workout is tailored to you, and to promote the hyper fat-burning effect of indoor cycling. What do you need to do? Follow your instructor's direction and maintain the correct heartrate zone (in some cases this may be lower than you expected).

You know all that stuff your instructor is telling you about technique? Is not so they can fill an awkward silence. Applying proper technique means your workout becomes even more effective as you're challenging your muscles further rather than relying on your bodyweight to turn the pedals, burning more fat and boosting your metabolism. If you ride out on the road, you'll notice a difference if you've used your indoor cycling sessions to focus on technique as you'll be stronger up the hills, faster on the flat, and you'll be the one getting to the cafe first.

Indoor cycling's low impact nature protects the joints while still providing an excellent workout. Low impact means you can enjoy it, without worrying about the wear and tear on your joints. And if you do have joint problems stopping you from high impact stuff like running, you'll find that not only are your joints protected by the cycling movement, but also, because of the resistance, you'll be strengthening the muscles around the joints, and reducing the risk of problems in the future. That means you can do more of it - and get even better results!

That means it gets harder as you get fitter. There's always more resistance to add, and that recovery rate of yours - well it'll get faster, and you'll need to work harder to keep your heartrate up. Doesn't matter how incredibly fit and amazing you get - your workout will always be as hard as you make it.

Indoor cycling instructor? Click below for free CPD resources. Your venue can also receive information on how we can help improve customer registration, retention, engagement and profitability.

You'd think that'd be so easy everyone would be doing it, right? Well when we recently updated our entry level 2 day indoor cycling instructor course, we include a bit on litigation (because if you need your insurance, you're too late!) and as part of this we research court cases being brought against cycling studios and gyms, and we look for patterns in the reasons for the litigation, and who is being blamed. In more than 95% of recent cases (in the last five years) it's due to instructor error - instructors have either given poor instruction or have had riders doing unsafe moves.

Incidentally the remaining 5% of cases is due to either the studio being too dark for riders to see what they're doing, or equipment being poorly maintained or with sharp prominences.

What does this mean for you as an indoor cycling instructor?
It means that there's a lot you can do to reduce the risk of injury for your riders, and litigation both for yourself and your venue. Here's how:

There are three points at which each rider should be asked about injuries, health issues or concerns:

1. Physical Activity Readiness Questionaire (PARQ) - this should be completed when the rider registers with the venue. This might be an online form, or a hard copy form that they complete at reception before they undertake their first class.
   
2. Before the session - when riders arrive and are setting themselves up on their bikes, make sure to go round the class and introduce yourself if necessary, find out names, potential risks (health issues, injuries etc) and their experience level - do they need any help with setup? Using the bike's features? Using any studio tech? Do they need extra instruction?
   
3. At the beginning of the class - once you're on the instructor bike and you're kicking off the class, ask riders for a quick confirmation "Is everyone OK and happy to ride? No injuries? Issues? Excuses?" When you're satisfied everything's OK, carry on with the class.
   

Why three times? Because you need to know who's getting on the bike and what they are going to need as well as what limitations they have which might mean you need to modify the class or give separate instructions to them. But also, in the terms of your insurance, you will be expected to check for injuries before your cllients begin their session with you. This is a normal part of the policy. With the third point, you're also  creating witnesses in the case of a dispute.

All new riders need a bike setup - this is the perfect opportunity to answer any questions they have and help them feel comfortable. A suitable bike setup will reduce aches and improve comfort. Riders will be able to ride more efficiently, using more of the larger muscle groups as they pedal. This improves the calorie burn and the training effect.
Consider jotting your riders' bike settings on record cards which they can refer to at their next session and have a go at setting themselves up. Think about data protection though and make sure you destroy old cards.

In the interests of safety and effectiveness, this is essential. Riders need to know what you're asking them to do, as well as how. For a bonus point, you can also tell them why it's good for them!
There are five main points you'll need to give them for each challenge:

1. What is it? Explain what it is: "We're going to do a seated climb."
   
2. How is it done? Give tips on technique "Add some resistance and slide your behind further to the back of the saddle, hands should still be light on the handlebars and no excess movement in your upper body."
   
3. How long is the interval? "We're here for 30 seconds."
   
4. How fast should they pedal? "Your cadence should be about 70-80rpm..."
   
5. What should it feel like? "...and you're going to feel that extra effort immediately in your quads. Thirty seconds should feel like it's going to be a challenge."
   

You'll have heard of Rate of Perceived Exertion, and this is to do with the cardiovascular system. Use this as well, but don't forget that it's only when we describe how the resistance should feel to the muscles that riders will have a reasonable idea of what you're asking of them.
Be kind, and don't forget to cue them in and cue them out.

Cadence is a biggie when it comes to rider injuries. Safe cadence also requires safe resistance. What we need to particularly guard against is crazy high cadence with insufficient resistance . Not only is this totally ineffective, but it increases the risk of the rider losing control of the pedals. (Remember, the bike has a
fixed wheel.)
So, stick to a safe cadence range. We don't recommend going lower than 60rpm. Obviously it's possible to pedal slower than this, but what tends to happen at this point is that riders either don't have sufficient resistance to be pedalling effectively, or they have so much on they're unable to pedal any faster and are overloading their joints.
We don't recommend going higher than 120rpm. But in fact, when we're instructing, we tend to encourage riders to add more resistance if they're reaching 120rpm, which will then  bring their cadence down. Yes, it's possible to pedal that fast with riders who are experienced and have good coordination. However, you'll frequently see terrible technique starting to creep in when you reach this point, which decreases effectiveness, so I'd recommend avoiding going past this point with any riders, however experienced.  Always give a cadence guide and let riders know how it should feel as well. Bouncing bottoms in the saddle are a dead giveaway - as are bikes that start squeaking when they're being pedalled fast with no resistance! It's OK to say "If I can hear your bike, you need to add on!"

We have a list of banned moves. We strongly recommend that venues do this too, either by using ours or creating their own. We ban a move either because it's ineffective and therefore pointless, or because it's downright dangerous.
Examples include:

• Riding hands-free. Yes, this includes when messing about with tiny little hand held weights. There is no benefit to using weights when on a bike, and there is a risk of falling off. It'll be even more complicated if the rider is clipped in as well.
• Unsafe cadence (as mentioned above)
• 'Standing trot' - here you're out of the saddle, resistance is light, body is very upright, and only fingertip contact with handlebars. Again, ineffective and increased risk of falling off.
• Tap backs - when you hove out of the saddle and push your backside over the back of the saddle whilst over extending the arms. Ineffective and puts strain on the back.
• Jumps - standing out of the saddle for a specified number of beats and then back to the saddle for the same. Usually in 4s or 8s. Occasionally at its most pointless with 2s. This is mainly ineffective, by definition half of the time the ride is not going to be riding with an effective left of resistance. It's unsafe when the resistance is too slight, and when the rider is not well-coordinated enough to be able to keep to the beats and follow the instructions.
• Glides - this is where the rider is in an approximate standing position but seeks to lock out all upper body movement, usually with too much resistance. This overloads the joints.
  

Our entry level course goes through the entire list of banned moves which are unsafe and ineffective.

How do riders know they're getting fitter? Remember that a lot of your riders are not in your class purely for enjoyment - they want and need results. What will you do? We recommend using power training so they can see measurable results. If we go by how we feel, this is too subjective and we'll get demotivated quickly. On the other hand, if we can point to actual quantifiable improvements, we're more likely to stay motivated as we can see our effort paying off. Ask us about our power training courses.

Using heartrate training in classes is safer. Riders can get to know better how their bodies respond to activity, they know when they need to take it easier than usual, and when they can start pushing harder. They'll be able to detect when they might be overtraining, and they'll be able to stay within safe parameters as each session becomes tailored to them. Not only all this, but we've spotted instances of riders having anomalies which after medical investigation showed conditions being diagnosed such as atrial fibrillation and also blockages of arteries which led to surgery. 

So there we go - seven ways you can make your classes safer and more effective. Want help or advice on instructor practice or MyZone heartrate training? Get in touch - we're here to help you.

Indoor cycling instructor? Click below for free CPD resources. Your venue can also receive information on how we can help improve customer registration, retention, engagement and profitability.

Let's start with the one that isn't!

If your rider's behind is a bit sore, it's not time to skip the workout
It's not unusual for rookie riders to feel a bit 'tender' after their first (or second) indoor cycling session. Although it doesn't happen to everyone, it is normal, and you can reassure riders of this. What's the best thing to do? It's best not to wait until the ache has gone before getting back on the bike. Give it 48 hours and then get back on - remember when you started out? It didn't take long for you to get used to it, and not to feel any discomfort at all. This is reassuring for new riders to hear - and also that the best thing is to come back in a couple of days and do another workout. Advise a padded seat cover or padded shorts if desired - but not both as this can compound the problem.

The whole point of a workout is that we get results, get fitter, burn fat, and have a good time. Smashing your riders to bits just isn't necessary (and is likely to be counterproductive, leading to increased risk of injury and overtraining - with diminishing returns as you'd be overworking already tired muscles). Recovery is an underrated and often ignored part of the workout - but it's essential. Your body needs time to repair and replenish muscles - if you don't give your body time to do this, you won't see the results you've worked for.

Going back too soon after a challenging and intense workout is out then. How do you know when 'today' is too soon?

1. Struggling to mobilise
If you struggle to bounce out of bed as you usually do, or if climbing stairs, or sitting on the loo is considerably more of a challenge than normal, you need to rest your muscles.

You don't need to be completely immobile, some gentle dynamic stretching or light exercise of unaffected muscles is absolutely fine. If you're feeling it in your quads, then you can still do some work with your upper body if you need to, or go for a steady walk on the flat just to keep yourself moving.

2. No better after exercise
If you tried the gentle exercise tack, and you're still in discomfort - you'll need to take it steadier for a bit longer. If you're still within the 48 hours after your tough workout, it's likely you just need to rest for a bit longer. After 48 hours the discomfort improve. If it hasn't improved after 48 hours, you should seek medical attention - because that's not right!

3. "Weird" pain
If the pain is in one particular part of the muscle, you may have an injury. Rest, recuperate, and see how you are the next day. Generalised discomfort throughout the whole muscle or group of muscles is normal, a particular point of pain isn't.
If you need pain relief to cope with it,  you'll need time to recover. Bear in mind though that ibuprofen and Deep Heat only masks the pain, it doesn't take away the cause of the pain. As with the point above, if it doesn't get better, seek medical advice.

4. If you have swollen muscles and your urine is a lot darker than usual
Yep, in the rare event that this happens, you'll need to see a doctor and provide a urine sample. Swollen, painful muscles and strangely dark urine are both symptoms of rhabdomyolysis - this occurs when the body starts breaking down muscle tissue and releases creatine kinase and myoglobin into the blood stream. These large protein molecules can cause kidney damage (hence the funny wee). This condition can happen as a result of 'crush' injuries as well as overly intense workouts with less than adequate instruction/supervision. If you think this is you, seek medical attention immediately. (It's rare, but as an indoor cycling instructor, you need to know that this is a possibility - and has happened. Keep yourself up to date with CPD and ensure you're always keeping your sessions safe and effective.)

Indoor cycling instructor? Click below for free CPD resources. Your venue can also receive information on how we can help improve customer registration, retention, engagement and profitability.

The way the stationary bike works is by a fixed wheel, which essentially means that when the pedals are turning so does the flywheel. Conversely, if the flywheel is turning, so will the pedals. And this right here is the crux of why it's important that instructors understand the implications, but also that they tell riders what they need to know in order to stay safe.

There are several instances every year of cycling studios and their instructors being sued because of injuries occurring during an indoor cycling session. We've had a look through what the causes are - and I'd say over 95% of them were completely avoidable and due to either a lack of knowledge on the instructor's part, or poor instructing (twp reasons why the Indoor Cycling Institute exists). And the rest? Really weird stuff that happens when you store hand-held weights on the back of the bike or dark studios where people can't see what's going on, that type of thing.

Warming up
The warming up pace should be leisurely, but riders should be in control of the pedals and feel the bike's resistance as they go. At all times,coach riders with how the resistance should feel (especially if the bikes have no metrics).

Sprinting
Most injuries (and litigation) occur as a result of a rider sprinting incorrectly. Make sure you coch correct resistance, technique and cadence. Click here for more about sprinting.

Climbing

The one indoor cycling manoeuvre which causes the most injuries (and litigation) appears to be 'sprinting'. But effective sprinting is safe - what we've found it that sprinting is frequently coached wrongly or badly, putting riders at risk of injury.

Sprinting is not having riders pedalling as fast as they can. We've seen examples of instructors asking riders to match an unsafe foot speed (regardless of the ability, fitness, and coordination of the rider), getting riders to compete against each other to see who can go the furthest (using the bike's distance metric) or having riders competing to pedal the fastest.

The above practices (and others) promote riders pedalling with insufficient resistance; with the fixed flywheel construction of the stationary bike, this means they are more likely to lose control of the bike, putting them at risk of horrible injury.

What happens as Sagan decides to attack?

1. He adds on gears
This is similar to us adding on resistance - but on a road bike, when you add gears, it means every push of the pedal will get your nearer to the finish line. Instantly he's making it harder to pedal.

2. He positions himself
Moving his seat closer to the nose of the saddle, he's shifting his weight forward on the bike. This means he can power down on the pedals more efficiently because he's shifting further ahead of the crankarms which means he can recruit more power from those big muscle groups.

3. He picks up the pace
Then he's ready to fire. Added to the steps he's already taken, when he increases the cadence and fires forward.

First of all, it means there's a definite order. Although Greipel employed these steps in a second, he'd be adding cadence onto resistance, not the other way round. For him, that would mean he's wasting energy with a faster cadence at a lower resistance, but in the studio where we have a fixed wheel setup and no actual finish line, it's more about safety. We keep our riders safe by always ensuring that they have sufficient resistance for their ability, their level of fitness, and the cadence they're pedalling.

Coaching different positions on the bike is great not just for seasoned veterans, but also for new riders who will welcome their bodyweight being shifted to a different part of their undercarriage! We'll be recruiting muscles differently when we shift to a different position.

In the clip, Sagan looks like he's pedalling at about 100-110rpm (approx). That's a vast difference from some of the unsafe craziness that occurs in studios. Why doesn't he pedal faster? Because he's pedalling against an immense resistance and he knows his most efficient cadence when sprinting. As a general rule of thumb in the studio, if your rider can manage 120rpm, that rider needs to add resistance.

What would happen if Peter Sagan did a dangerous 'studio sprint' in this situation? Well what would happen would be he'd pick up the pace and reduce the resistance (we've seen that happen) so essentially his power output would drop, as his cadence increased. He would be overtaken. His legs would be flapping wildly as he pedals in his 'granny' gear while his opponents would quickly flock past him snatching glory from him well before the finish line. He'd probably lose his place on the team for the next season, and therefore miss out on lots of lucrative sponsorship deals too. See, it's just not worth it!

You'll have seen it,  the rider a the back of your indoor cycling class who starts looking a bit green. What do you do?

Well, in the first place, I'd appreciate the fact that a) you managed to spot it, and b)  your venue has enabled  you to keep an eye on your riders by not making it too dark in the studio.

This state is generally more usually a problem for newer riders who haven't worked out their pacing yet. Also riders who are coming in from elsewhere who have cut their teeth in the 'inevitable death' school of indoor cycling may look a little peaky too. But you'll also get riders who are just not on their usual form and maybe push just that little too hard. So by all means keep an eye on your newbies, but make sure no one else escapes your gimlet gaze either.

1. First of all, ask your riders to slow their pedalling and then reduce their power. Remember the fixed wheel and that you want your riders to stay in control of the pedals.
2. Encourage riders to breathe from the diaphragm (so they're moving their abdomen, not their shoulders). This is efficient as it enables lungs to expel more carbon dioxide (which builds up during intense effort) as well as supplying oxygen to muscles.
3. Riders can further recover off the bike if they prefer. Ensure they have their balance first. Here's a reminder of what's likely to happen otherwise:

Indoor cycling instructor? Click below for free CPD resources. Your venue can also receive information on how we can help improve customer registration, retention, engagement and profitability.

Studio cycling is efficient exercise. Because of this, your riders will get results faster, and therefore not need to spend so much time exercising (even though it's fun) - so they can spend more time doing other things. Make sure you plan your sessions effectively, have a rationale for each feature you add (or don't add!) and when you're managing your class, remember to coach technique for added effectiveness.