Indoor Cycling Training Plan – UPDATED – Workouts For Indoor Cycling

Did you know that indoor cycling can help utilize your time better and promote happiness?

Gone are the days of staring at the wall and suffering for hours on end because of boredom. Indoor cycling has now become a part of most cyclist’s training. Mostly thanks to zwift and the development of smart trainers, cyclists can now join hundreds of others in virtual cycling land and race against one another or complete specific indoor cycling sessions.

If you’re making the transition to more indoor-focused workouts, now is the time to look at following an indoor cycling training plan.

But which indoor cycling training plan is best for you? Well, it depends on your goals and what you are trying to accomplish from the training.

Indoor Cycling Training Plan – What You Should Know?

Indoor cycling is a great way to utilize your time, especially if you have family and are working full time. Cycling indoors also provides a safe environment for those harder workouts, without the stress of having to look out for traffic on the open roads.

If you’re just starting with indoor training and looking for the best indoor cycling training plan, we have put together a range of workouts to help get you started. Alternatively, if you are looking for some indoor cycling workouts, keep reading through the article.

The best indoor cycling training plan or workout for you depends on what the end goal of your training is. First, depending on what time of the year you are in will depend on the intensity of the session.

If you just starting your first indoor cycling training workouts after a winter break, there is no point in starting with some V02 max sessions or even threshold workouts. This will only end up being counterproductive in the long run. Below are a couple of great workouts to add to your training.

Workouts For Indoor Cycling

1. Aerobic power (55 minutes)
20 minutes – Warm up (increasing intensity every few minutes)
5 x (4min high intensity + 2min recovery riding)
5 minutes warm down

The workout above will help you improve your maximum oxygen consumption. It is important to know that this workout is not designed to be ridden at maximum effort. The intensity should be closer to an 8/10 on the RPE scale (Rate of Perceived Exertion).

Indoor V02 workouts don’t always need to be ridden to complete exhaustion, so take that into account when doing this type of session. This indoor cycling workout ideally should be implemented into your training plan after a decent base of riding.

2. Aerobic power (48 minutes)
20 minutes – Warm up (increasing intensity every few minutes)
5 x (30 sec. very high intensity + 15 sec. recovery riding)
3 minutes recovery
5 x (30 sec. very high intensity + 15 sec. recovery riding)
3 minutes recovery
5 x (30 sec. very high intensity + 15 sec. recovery riding)
3 minutes recovery
5 x (30 sec. very high intensity + 15 sec. recovery riding)
5 minutes – Warm down

Another higher intensity session that focuses on improving your maximum oxygen consumption. This workout should be performed slightly above the intensity (9/10 RPE) of the last workout. Doing so will also provide some improvements to your anaerobic capacity.

Doing this workout 1-2 times per week will help you to see rapid improvements in your fitness within a matter of weeks.

3. Anaerobic Workout (61 minutes)
20 minutes – Warm-up (increasing intensity every few minutes)
5-6 x (60sec. maximum effort + 5-minute easy recovery)
10 minutes – Warm down

This indoor cycling workout is designed to improve your anaerobic capacity. Adding these types of high-intensity indoor workouts can help the body function better at an anaerobic environment. Anaerobic training sessions can help improve the skills needed in competition, helping to improve your sprinting, acceleration, and anaerobic efforts throughout the race. This form of training can be very exhausting and should be ideally implemented before or during the competition phase of your training.

4. Speed Workout (39 minutes)
20 minutes – Warm up (increasing intensity every few minutes)
1 minute Fast Pedaling (100+rpm without bouncing on the saddle)
1 minute – Recovery
1 minute Fast Pedaling (110+rpm without bouncing on the saddle)
1 minute – Recovery
1 minute Fast Pedaling (110+rpm without bouncing on the saddle)
1 minute – Recovery
1 minute Maximum Effort (100+rpm)
1 minute – Recovery
1 minute Maximum Effort (100+rpm)
10 minutes – Warm down

Designed to help your pedaling efficiency on the bike, this workout isn’t as hard as the others. The primary goal of this session is to increase leg speed. Make sure you stay seated and if you find you are bouncing on the saddle, reduce the cadence. In the following weeks, you can look to increase the cadence once you get more comfortable.

Tips for Indoor Cycling Beginners

If you are new to cycling and starting with your first indoor cycling training plan, there are some tips you should know before you start.

Adjust your setup – Create an enjoyable indoor training space. This might include a tv, music, pictures and some fans. Everyone is different, so create a place that motivates you to ride.

Follow the plan – If you’re following an indoor training schedule stick with it. Trust the process, as it will lead to long-term fitness improvement.

Prepare in advance – Preparing your food and kit the night before. This will eliminate stress before the workout, and allow you to just jump on and ride.

Remember consistency is what builds a fast and strong cyclist, so don’t overload yourself in the beginning and focus on getting consistent workouts in every week. Just remember to allow enough recovery into the training so you can benefit from the sessions you are doing.

Best Indoor Cycling Training Plans For Beginners

Just like our monthly coaching, SportCoaching provides custom-built indoor cycling plans for beginners and experienced cyclists. These plans can be used both on an indoor trainer and outside.

Indoor FTP Training
Below is our most popular FTP training plan that is guaranteed to improve your FTP in 16 weeks.

Indoor Threshold Training
Improving you threshold is key to becoming a successful cyclist. Try our indoor threshold program to help improve your cycling

Indoor Base Training
Our most popular early season training program that suits all types of riders and helps them prepare for the season ahead.

High Intensity Indoor Training
The plan that takes your fitness to a whole new level of fitness. Not for the light hearted, this program is the key to improvement in a short period.

Strength Training
On the bike strength training is one of the keys to improving fitness on the bike. Our bike strength plan has been used by over 100 cyclists around the world.

Indoor Trainer Cadence Training
Our most used training program to help develop a variety of cadences and to improve your efficiency on the bike.

Not matter what you choose, all plans are custom built to each person. This means that after a 60 minute consultation, our cycling coach bases the plan around your lifestyle and fitness level. So you get the benefit of online coaching without the added cost of a coach analysing the data each day.