{"id":258307,"date":"2025-11-02T20:59:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T20:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/258307\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T20:59:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T20:59:09","slug":"6-things-youre-probably-getting-wrong-about-indoor-cycling-according-to-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/258307\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Things You\u2019re Probably Getting Wrong About Indoor Cycling, According to Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I started teaching indoor cycling<\/a> in the early 2000s, my playlists, mostly composed of songs I downloaded from Napster, were on CDs. While I\u2019m thrilled that technology has advanced (Spotify! Smartphones!), sadly, the myths surrounding cycling class remain unchanged. <\/p>\n

Myth # 1: Indoor Cycling is Only For Hardcore Fitness Fanatics<\/p>\n

Indoor cycling is, in fact, the perfect workout for beginners. It\u2019s non-impact, requires little to no hand-eye coordination, and lets you go at your own pace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndoor cycling is actually one of the best activities for exercisers of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels,\u201d says national award-winning fitness instructor Shannon Fable<\/a>. Each bike has a resistance dial that you can easily and quickly adjust to make your workout \u201cinfinitely harder or infinitely easier,\u201d depending on your fitness and\/or energy levels.<\/p>\n

Because all ability levels are welcome, explains Marisa Michael, certified cycling instructor and author of Bike Shorts: Your Complete Guide to Indoor Cycling<\/a>, you get to experience camaraderie with people you wouldn\u2019t necessarily ride with outdoors. It\u2019s true; my Monday lunchtime class regulars have included a former Olympian, a rabbi, a retired aerobics instructor, and a new mom.<\/p>\n

Myth # 2: The Workout Will Leave You Exhausted<\/p>\n

Your instructor should create a class that allows you to vary your effort, including easy spinning between hard intervals. Working at your maximum capacity for the entire class is a recipe for burnout.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting a good workout is not dependent on being breathless the entire time,\u201d Fable says. \u201cEach drill should have a clear goal (what you will be doing), feeling (what you should be feeling) and time (how long it will last).\u201d Once you\u2019re clear on these three aspects, you can use the resistance dial to achieve your desired effort level. If you\u2019re concerned about keeping up, let your instructor know beforehand. If the instructor doesn\u2019t suggest modifications, such as shortening hard efforts or dialing back the intensity, there\u2019s nothing wrong with doing so on your own.<\/p>\n

Your biggest competition is actually yourself \u2014 if you choose to compete at all. To measure your own progress, note whether your metrics (such as heart rate, distance, speed and wattage) are changing and whether you feel the workout is getting easier.<\/p>\n

Myth # 3: You’re Competing Against the Rest of the Class<\/p>\n

What if your studio uses a leader board? This technology displays every rider\u2019s stats for the whole class to see. While it can be motivating for some, it can be a major turnoff for others.<\/p>\n

Fable recommends taking the leader board \u201cwith a grain of salt.\u201d Many leader boards measure heart rate or power output (wattage) to determine your place, but these metrics alone aren\u2019t always meaningful. \u201cJust because you can get your heart rate higher than the person next to you does not mean that you are \u2018winning.\u2019 \u201d Also, power measurements may be misleading if they fail to consider your size. Fable gives the example of a 115-pound woman versus a 215-pound man. \u201cRegardless of her effort level or fitness level, [she\u2019ll] very rarely overpower a 215-pound man due to muscle mass. . . . If you determined the leader board based on power-to-mass ratio, she\u2019d be in the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you want to keep your data to yourself, \u201cyour privacy should be respected,\u201d says Michael. She advises asking the instructor to hide it or opting out on your app or online account if the system allows it.<\/p>\n

Myth # 4: Indoor Cycling is a Pain in the Butt (and the Back and Knees)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s normal to leave your first few classes with a sore derriere, but that should subside after three to five classes, according to Fable. At that point, coming to class a minimum of once a week is usually sufficient to keep the discomfort at bay.<\/p>\n

That said, most regulars invest in padded bike shorts to maximize comfort. A gel seat cover<\/a> can also be a quick fix. If all else fails, you can always pedal out of the saddle. \u201cPlease don\u2019t let an instructor tell you standing is the \u2018advanced\u2019 move and only to do it if you\u2019re comfortable,\u201d Fable warns. \u201cIt\u2019s actually a perfectly safe move and easy for anyone to do with the right resistance and leg speed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nothing enhances your overall comfort and reduces your risk of injury like a proper bike fit. Arrive early for your first class so your instructor can help adjust your bike. Once your settings are dialed in, jot them down in your phone or snap a photo to avoid going back to square one at your next workout. Michael says a good instructor will notice the saddle height and fore-aft position, the position and angle of your knee throughout the pedal stroke, and the handlebar height and fore-aft position. Barring any preexisting conditions, \u201cIf these things are correct, you should not feel any knee or back pain.\u201d (If you do have issues such as arthritis or back pain, always check with your doctor before attending a class.)<\/p>\n

Myth #5: The Bike is the Place for Cross-Training and Complicated Choreography<\/p>\n

Even with the perfect bike fit, says Jennifer Sage, former master Spinning instructor and founder of the Indoor Cycling Association<\/a>, riders should be wary of \u201cnontraditional\u201d choreography (anything you wouldn\u2019t do on a bike outdoors). This includes performing pushups, crunches or weightlifting on the bike, cycling at a very high cadence with little or no resistance, pedaling backward and tap-backs (where you pedal while standing, centering your body over the pedals and then lean forward and send your hips back, hovering just over the saddle). At worst, some of these techniques present immediate danger. Sage recalls incidents involving sliced calves and crushed ankles after riders lost control of fast-moving pedals, and an on-bike pushup that resulted in chipped teeth. At best, Sage says, these moves are \u201ca massive waste of time\u201d and reduce the effectiveness of the workout. If they\u2019re part of your instructor\u2019s repertoire, and you enjoy them, proceed with caution. But if you experience aches and pains, Sage says, these techniques may be the culprit.<\/p>\n

Myth # 6: You Need Clipless Pedals for Indoor Cycling<\/p>\n

While wearing bike shoes that clip directly into the pedals<\/a> allows you to transfer your effort more efficiently to the bike, it\u2019s absolutely not a requirement. There\u2019s nothing wrong with wearing sneakers, especially if you have yet to make cycling class a habit. The stiffer the sole, the better. \u201cCycling shoes are not a prerequisite for a great workout,\u201d says Fable.<\/p>\n

That said, you\u2019ll get a lot more out of your workout with cycling shoes. Their extremely stiff soles facilitate an efficient power transfer from your foot to the pedals. That stiffness also protects your feet from injuries such as plantar fasciitis, according to Michael. Fable recommends investing in cycling shoes if you plan to attend classes consistently two to three times a week.<\/p>\n

Ever since its inception in the early \u201990s, indoor cycling has been a fun, safe workout that\u2019s designed to meet you wherever you are. As we usher in a new decade, let\u2019s allow the myths that have plagued this workout to go the way of the CD player.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When I started teaching indoor cycling in the early 2000s, my playlists, mostly composed of songs I downloaded…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258308,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[152130,64,63,784,152135,18186,152134,152131,97886,152133,152132,85,124193],"class_list":["post-258307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-aerobics-instructor","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cycling","tag-cycling-class","tag-cycling-shoes","tag-fable","tag-fitness-instructor","tag-indoor-cycling","tag-jennifer-sage","tag-marisa-michael","tag-sports","tag-workout-for-beginners"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}