Cycling

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There are many reasons to get into cycling. It's a fun activity, a competitive sport, and an economical mode of transportation. There are also many different ways to cycle. You could get out and ride outside, you could use a stationary bike, or even join a spin class. No matter why or how you cycle though, it's a fantastic, low impact exercise for improving heart health and conditioning your legs.

The Basics

Cycling is primarily an aerobic and muscular endurance exercise used to improve heart health. Sprint cycling is markedly different and requires a large amount of leg strength and high anaerobic capacity.

The Not So Basics

Races

Signing up for and competing in a road race is a great way to get motivated. There are many different race formats, so there's an option for any fitness level. A common race is the century ride, which is a ride of either 100 km or 100 miles. Most sponsored century rides have options for lower distance routes as well.

Recumbent vs Upright

Recumbent bikes are better for beginners and those who would prefer to be more comfortable rather than maximizing their workout. Upright bikes engage the arms and core, and put more weight on the legs as you have to hold yourself up more when pedalling.

That being said, both are good options and offer the same cardiovascular benefits. The most important factor is which one you'll use most consistently, so pick the one that you can see yourself using in the long run.

Indoor Options

While outdoor riding certainly has its benefits, there are just days when it's much more convenient to train indoors. The two general options for training indoors are either a trainer or a stationary bike. Both are good options, each with their own pros and cons.

Tracking Your Performance

Tracking your performance and progress is pretty simple in most cases. For indoor riding, most stationary bikes will have a built in system that you can use. Most trainers will have an app so you can see your metrics on your phone.

Outdoor riding can be a bit trickier, as wind, hills, traffic and more can come into play. However, a bike computer or GPS can track your distance and time so you can still get a good idea of your overall performance.

The Basics

Cycling is primarily used to improve your cardio. By changing the level of intensity, duration, and/or intervals, you can target different adaptations. Longer, less intense sessions improve your aerobic capacity while shorter, more intense sessions (often done as intervals) improve your power and anaerobic capacity.

Form

Basic Positioning

Seat

Seat height is important for both safety and efficiency. Your seat should be positioned so that your knees are slightly bent at the bottom of each downpedal. Positioning the seat too low puts significantly more stress on your knees. Positioning the seat too high means you can't effectively push all the way to the bottom of the downpedal.

Handlebars

Your handlebars should be set so that you have a comfortable forward lean and can maintain a neutral spine hinging through the hips. What's comfortable really depends on your preferences. Some cyclists like to position the handlebars quite low so that they can be more aerodynamic, while others like to position them higher so they can sit more comfortably upright.

Related Exercises

Reviews

Performance Standard Ranks

The ranks assume that you are generally healthy, with no underlying health conditions or injuries and have the mobility to perform the exercise correctly. You can determine your rank by comparing your numbers to the tables below. Your rank is also tracked automatically when using our Workout Log feature.

Cardio Standards By Distance

The table shows the maximum time needed to reach each of the cardio ranks at different distances. The times on the table are based on competition data, world records, and the average time needed to attain each rank. To see personalized cardio standards for multiple exercises, check out the Cardio Standards page. You can also find your Cardio Score to see how you rank as part of our Fitness Score System.