5 Steps to Your First Indoor Cycling Workout

Stand next to the bike — the seat should be at hip height. Sit on the bike and place your foot at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Your knee should have a slight bend (about 25-30 degrees), not be fully locked out. Handlebars should be at or slightly above seat height for beginners — this keeps you upright and reduces lower back strain.

A seat that's too low causes knee pain at the front of the kneecap. A seat that's too high makes your hips rock side to side. Take 2 minutes to get this right — it prevents weeks of discomfort.

Start at zero resistance and pedal for 30 seconds to feel the flywheel moving freely. Gradually increase resistance until you feel moderate pushback — you should be able to maintain 60-80 RPM with effort but without straining. This is your baseline resistance. Mark it mentally or with tape on the dial. You'll use this as your starting point for every workout.

Zero resistance at high cadence is dangerous — your feet can slip off the pedals or the momentum can hyperextend your knees. Always ride with enough resistance that you control the pedals, they don't control you.

Pedal at 60-70 RPM with light resistance for 5 minutes. Focus on smooth, circular pedal strokes — push down, scrape back, lift up, push forward. Your breathing should be easy enough to hold a conversation. This warm-up brings blood to your legs and prepares your joints for harder work.

Don't skip the warm-up to save time. Cold muscles and joints under load is how overuse injuries start. Five minutes of easy spinning prevents weeks of knee or hip complaints.

Increase resistance to your baseline level and pedal at 70-80 RPM for 4 minutes. You should be breathing hard but controlled. Then reduce resistance and pedal easy for 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times. This 18-minute block is the core of your workout. The work intervals build cardiovascular fitness, the recovery intervals let you sustain the session.

If you can't complete the 4-minute work interval, reduce the resistance. If the recovery feels too easy, shorten it to 90 seconds. Adjust the intensity to your level — the structure matters more than the exact resistance.

Reduce resistance to near-zero and pedal slowly for 3-4 minutes until your heart rate drops. Then dismount and stretch your quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, and calves — 30 seconds per leg, per muscle. Indoor cycling shortens your hip flexors over time. Stretching after every ride prevents the chronic tightness that leads to lower back pain.

Don't just stop pedaling and walk away. The cool-down is how your cardiovascular system returns to resting state safely. Stopping abruptly after hard effort can cause lightheadedness.