With so many indoor cycling workouts available, it’s natural to wonder whether some should be avoided as you get older. The short answer? Not really - but there are key considerations to ensure you get the most out of your training, maintain performance, and, most importantly, enjoy your time on the bike.

You’ve decided to give indoor cycling a go – excellent choice! Whether you’re looking to boost your fitness, shed a few pounds, or simply enjoy a new way to move your body, indoor cycling is a fantastic option. It’s low-impact, high-energy, and suitable for all fitness levels. But if you’re new to it, you might feel a bit unsure where to start. Don’t worry; I’ve got you covered with this guide to help you clip in (or step on) and spin your way to success.

One crucial aspect that should never be overlooked in the fitness world is the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Diversity in fitness not only promotes a sense of belonging but also brings a wealth of experiences and perspectives to the table. It's about recognising that every individual is unique and embracing those differences. When we celebrate diversity, we create a fitness community that is representative of the world we live in.

Ah the kinetic symphony of cycling – the rhythmic pedalling, the meticulous tuning of resistance, and the seamless choreography of a well-planned session. However, a crucial component that often plays second fiddle in our high-energy regime is recovery. It's not just a period of inactivity or a break from the rigours of training; it's an active component in enhancing performance.

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:

As with all rider health conditions, medical advice is strongly recommend and this article in no way is intended to replace the advice of a registered health professional.Plantar fasciitis is a common foot condition characterized by inflammation and pain in the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot, connecting the heel bone to the toes. This condition typically causes stabbing or sharp heel pain, particularly with the first steps in the morning or after periods of rest.
The exact cause of plantar fasciitis is not always clear, but it is often attributed to:

An often underemphasised, yet crucial aspect of training regimes is active recovery. Understanding the physiology behind active recovery can significantly enhance your coaching strategies, leading to improved performance and well-being of your cyclists.

Embarking on a journey to shed excess body fat can be challenging, especially if you've set big goals and want big results. Indoor cycling's popularity is partly due to its potential for intense cardiovascular workouts, promising a solution for fast and effective body fat reduction.

Preparing for an Ironman triathlon is a daunting task, requiring a tremendous amount of physical and mental preparation. One of the key components of any Ironman training plan is endurance training, which includes cardio workouts like running and cycling. You do need to train both as both are elements in the event. But also, both running and cycling are excellent ways to improve endurance, however, when it comes to endurance training before an Ironman triathlon, cycling (and especially indoor cycling) has several advantages over running (although again, you are going to need to do both). Ironman is not something you can just wing.

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:

If you're a regular indoor cyclist or an instructor, you know that comfort and performance are crucial for an enjoyable experience on the bike. While you may have the basics covered with cycling shoes and appropriate clothing, there's one item you may want to think about: padded bike shorts. These shorts can make a significant difference in your comfort, performance, and overall experience during indoor cycling classes. Let's have a look at how you can benefit:

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the central nervous system, causing motor symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, and difficulty with movement. It is a chronic and progressive condition that affects millions of people worldwide. While there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, there are several treatments available that can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. One of these treatments is indoor cycling.
Indoor cycling is a low-impact aerobic exercise that involves pedalling on a stationary bike. It has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its numerous health benefits, including improved cardiovascular fitness, increased muscle strength and endurance, and weight loss. However, can it help with Parkinson's disease?

In a study published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, researchers found that cycling can improve motor function, balance, and quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease. The study included 128 participants with Parkinson's disease who were randomly assigned to either a cycling group or a control group. Those in the cycling group participated in 30-minute cycling sessions three times a week for eight weeks. The results showed that the cycling group had significant improvements in motor function and balance compared to the control group.

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:

Indoor cycling is an effective and convenient way to burn bags of calories, stay fit and healthy. However, spending extended periods of time on a stationary bike can also lead to discomfort - down there. Saddle soreness is pain, chafing, or irritation in the buttocks or perineal area caused by prolonged pressure on the bike seat. But don't worry! There are strategies you can implement to prevent saddle soreness and enjoy your indoor cycling sessions in comfort.

This is not an uncommon indoor cycling problem at all - particularly if you're doing a good job at reaching riders who wouldn't normally consider indoor cycling but who could get a great deal out of it. So if you have this type of rider in your class, take this as a great compliment!

Why do riders struggle to come out of the saddle?
There are several potential problems a rider might be experiencing; here are the main ones, and they're often interrelated:

• lack of confidence
• incorrect bike setup
• poor core strength
• back problems or pain
• balance problems
• incorrect resistance

Lack of confidence
This is a very common problem. Many new riders have low confidence and a negative body image, and this is a major reason why new riders may come once and then not come back. There are two main ways to treat this problem:

• reassurance
• building confidence

Always using positive language, using riders' names, and designing and delivering sessions that are both realistic and effective for riders will help reassure them that they're in the right place. 
Avoid running classes that are run like a choreography where it looks odd if a rider is not doing the same thing as everyone else. This is a surefire way of reinforcing a rider's low confidence if they're not able to do everything that other riders can do. The beauty of indoor cycling is that you don't need to have rhythm, to be able to feel and match a beat, you don't need to be fit to get started, and you can go at your own pace and adjust your resistance yourself and no one needs to know.  It's good for riders to be reassured that others don't know what they're doing. They can then enjoy exercising in a group, enjoy the camaraderie but not feel like they're being judged. 
You can build confidence by offering options. Every option you offer needs to be a positive one - enable your riders to win every time. Think about how you would feel if you were new to indoor cycling, you though everyone was fitter than you, you'd not been on a bike since you were a kid, and you were pretty confident you were the heaviest one there? Chances are that unless you've been that person, you can't know exactly how that feels - but you can imagine, and as an instructor it's important to have empathy and make the way easier for those who might be struggling. 
For my first ever indoor cycling session, I stayed in the saddle for the whole time. When everyone else was up out of the saddle and loving life, I was plodding along at the back hoping no one noticed. I was worried that if I came out of the saddle I would feel unsteady and maybe fall off. I hated the session from start to finish and vowed never to do another indoor cycling session ever again. Life had other plans, obviously - but how many others have had a similar experience? And it's not always going to be the riders you expect. I was young, a healthy weight and reasonably fit. I just had low confidence and was terrified of falling off and being laughed at by the fit people. You can't spot that, and no rider is going to tell you that that's how they feel. 
What would have helped would have been if the instructor noticed that I seemed incapable of doing what everyone else was doing, and just gave some simple, yet positive, options to the whole class so I didn't feel singled out. If he'd have said that we were all welcome to ride in the saddle but just add a little more resistance and that this would work our glutes harder, I would have not felt like such a loser. 

Incorrect bike setup
Check the rider's bike setup. If the saddle is set too low (and it often is if the new rider has set up themselves on the bike) this will make it much harder to come out of the saddle in the first place as they're having to push much harder with their legs to get up. 

Poor core strength
This is a prevalent problem for many new riders. The good news is that core strength does build quickly. To help them do this, a tweak to the bike setup will help - try raising their handlebars slightly so that when they're out of the saddle they're more upright than leaning forward - this will help them to stabilise. You can alter the bike setup as they get stronger and more confident.
The best way to build core strength (and also confidence and self-esteem) is with tiny challenges. Create easy wins. Can your rider come out of the saddle for TWO seconds? Work on the smallest increment possible. Once they've got the hang of two seconds, you can go for longer, but only increase bit by bit and make sure they win each time. Those with lots of confidence are happy to take on big challenges as they're confident they can get there, but those lacking in confidence will need tiny challenges so the reinforcement of repeatedly 'winning' can help to build their confidence. Once the rider has managed 5 seconds out of the saddle, when you have a standing climb ask them to join in for the first 5 and for the last 5 so they're starting and finishing with the others. 

Back problems or pain
When the rider registers for class, you should have access to their PARQ and should know what issues they have decided to share with you. You'll still need to check with them. Backs are complicated. If they have an upper back, neck or shoulder issue, they might feel more comfortable with higher handlebars. Always check with new riders and explicitly ask about neck, back and shoulder issues. If you and they are reassured that they are safe and happy to ride, great. If you think they need to be referred back to their doctor or nurse before they undertake a class, as a responsible instructor you should do this. 

Balance problems
These can be long or short term. An inner ear infection can last for a few weeks but can cause havoc with balance. Dyspraxia or neurological issues such as Parkinsons can mean balance is permanently impaired. Whichever it is - it's going to require patience, and options. In some cases the balance problem might be permanent and they will need permanent options in order to be able to take a class. As they come more often they'll be more in touch with what they can do, and will feel more and more comfortable sometimes doing something that the others are not doing. Reassure them that this is absolutely fine. Everyone is different, and you want each rider to get a great workout and have a good time. 

Incorrect resistance
New rider logic dictates that the resistance and the cadence must be high. If the resistance is too high, the rider is going to struggle to turn the pedals in or out of the seat. If the resistance is too low, the rider is going to be unsteady out of the saddle as the pedals fall away towards the bottom of the pedalstroke. Describe the intensity with each challenge, let them know how it should feel. 

Try these suggestions - quality indoor cycling changes lives, and when you're dealing with these sorts of problems you're part of a tremendous solution. 

Was this useful? Check out the Indoor Cycling instructors' Handbook which contains all sorts of help with planning sessions, delivering classes and class management.
​If you're an instructor already, check out our CPD courses too. 

Got a studio or gym? Find out more about how we can help you to deliver the best indoor cycling in your area.

Every year, gyms and indoor cycling studios see people they've never seen before... Famously there tends to be an idealistic rush at the beginning of the year, and then a tailing off as the newcomers lose interest. But at all other times of the year too, there are newcomers who are obviously motivated - otherwise they wouldn't be there! So, how do you keep them? How do you ensure that they're getting results and staying motivated?

Here's how.

Help them make realistic and attainable goals
Check that they know how to set goals - an open-ended "I must go to the gym more" is not going to be as effective as "I'm going to go to the gym so I fit into that dress" - do you see the difference? The first is just changing behaviour with no specific goal (and therefore no incentive), the second is changing behaviour with a goal - and when it's reached? Set an even better goal!
Check it's realistic - realistic goal, realistic timescale, realistic with regard to resources available and the person's motivation to get there. Bigger goals do tend to be more likely to be achieved, probably because it requires deliberate effort to get there. Just make sure it's realistic, even if it's a biggie. If it's big - break it up into smaller milestones.

Plan
Every goal needs a plan. You've probably heard the cliche "if you fail plan, you plan to fail". It's true. Sometimes a goal might seem realistic, until you start to plan how you're going to get there, and then it's clear you're going to need to reset the goal.
Make sure the plan is realistic. A big goal is fine as long as getting there is realistic. Once you have your plan - go back and tweak it periodically. If you're getting closer to your goal (or even if you're not) you're going to need to make changes.

Reward
Plan rewards for the journey. Remember those milestones? You need to celebrate every single one.
Obviously for health-related goals, you're not going to want to suggest anything that involves calories! But something that's enjoyable and maybe a little luxurious should hit the spot.
If you're using the goal and challenge feature in MyZone, even just the satisfaction of winning the challenge is a reward in itself. MyZone is great for gamifying workouts.

Track
A decent goal is a measurable one - and you're going to need to measure! How are you going to measure it? And make sure you shcedule time to do this - or for the client to do this if you're providing support online

Support and accountability
If you're using MyZone you'll be able to provide support via the messaging feature and leaving encouragement on workout feeds.
Think about getting active on Facebook and other channels by setting up groups that people can engage with - and encourage each other.
People do well in groups. Accountability is a powerful way of maintaining motivation - perhaps provide an offer if a client brings a friend - that could be a win for all three of you.
rather than in-person.

Keep your riders accountable, give them great support and great sessions - and help them celebrate their victories - no matter how small. Educate them to