Exercising outside can become less appealing when it’s cool outside or the weather is rainy. A home exercise bike is a convenient and easy way to get fitter without having to stray out into the cold or damp. But how do you know what workouts to do, and what can you realistically achieve? In this quick guide to indoor cycling for beginners we’ll share our favourite one-month training programme to help get you up to speed.

If you prefer to work out inside but don’t want to go to the gym, an exercise bike is a good option. There are lots of different types available for different budgets, so try some out to see what suits you best. If you find it difficult to motivate yourself to exercise, you could plan your cycling sessions around favourite TV programmes so you have something to keep you interested as you pedal.

If you haven’t cycled or exercised much before, our best advice on indoor cycling for beginners is to start slowly and build up your speed and stamina. This will be much more satisfying than if you go all out on your first session and are left feeling exhausted and unfit. A good place to start is with our weekly planner below. If you follow our one-month indoor cycling for beginners regimen, you can tick off each cycling session as you complete it. As time goes on and you build up your fitness, you will be able to challenge yourself more.

Before you get started, here are our best indoor cycling tips for beginners to get you pedalling to a slimmer future:

  • It is important that you do not set the resistance too high when you start out. You want to get a good workout, but cycling should not actually hurt, even for a beginner. If you are in continual pain, it is a sign that your resistance is set too high for your fitness level.
  • As a general guide, a good speed for beginners is 20kmh-30kmh. Apply an even amount of pressure on the pedals throughout the entire revolution and try not to just push down on the pedals.
  • Wear comfortable workout clothes and supportive trainers, and keep some water to hand to drink during your session.
  • Remember to begin each session with a warm-up – try marching on the spot for two minutes. You will need to stretch out your quads and hamstrings before and after your workout to avoid muscle soreness. To end your cycling workout, finish with two minutes of slow-cycling with very little resistance.

Indoor Cycling For Beginners: 1-month plan

1st Session 2nd Session 3rd Session
Week One

Begin with 3 minutes of cycling at 20kmh-30kmh and then slow down to 3 minutes of slow/easy cycling. Do this twice, giving you a total time of 12 minutes.

Repeat, but add an extra session to give you a total cycle of 18 minutes.

Try 4 minutes cycling at 20kmh-30kmh and then 2 minutes of slow/easy cycling. Do this 3 times for a total cycle of 18 minutes.
Week Two

4 minutes of cycling at 20kmh-30kmh and then slow down to 3 minutes of slow/easy cycling. Do this twice, giving you a total time of 14 minutes.

Repeat, but add an extra session to give you a total cycle of 21 minutes.

Try 5 minutes cycling at 20kmh-30kmh and then 2 minutes of slow/easy cycling. Do this 3 times for a total cycle of 21 minutes.
Week Three

5 minutes of cycling at 20kmh-30kmh and then slow down to 2 minutes of slow/easy cycling. Do this twice, giving you a total time of 14 minutes.

Repeat, but add an extra session to give you a total cycle of 21 minutes.

5 minutes cycling at 20kmh-30kmh and then 2 minutes of slow/easy cycling. Do this 3 times for a total cycle of 21 minutes.
Week Four

6 minutes of cycling at 20kmh-30kmh and then slow down to 1 minute of slow/easy cycling. Do this twice, giving you a total time of 14 minutes.

Repeat, but add an extra session to give you a total cycle of 21 minutes.

6 minutes cycling at 20kmh-30kmh and then 1 minute of slow/easy cycling. Do this 3 times for a total cycle of 21 minutes.

Add a 4th session: Cycle continuously for 15 minutes at 20kmh-30kmh

Beyond Week Four

Reduce your slow cycle times as you feel able and build up gradually, setting yourself the goal of cycling continuously for 30 minutes. As you feel the workout getting easier, you could increase your cycling speed.

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