Welcome to your complete bike training guide! Whether you’re just getting started or looking to build a structured routine, this guide is designed for beginners who want to get fitter, healthier, and enjoy their cycling time.
Why Train on a Bike?
Cycling is a low-impact cardiovascular activity that helps improve aerobic fitness, leg strength, and endurance. It’s also easy to adjust for any fitness level, making it perfect for beginners. Plus, it is often a whole lot of fun. So much fun that many people become addicted to it. Of course, this makes it very easy to stick with a training program.
Almost anyone can get on a bike and start trainingGetting Started
Start by choosing your bike and ensuring it’s set up properly. If you’re riding outdoors, a basic road or hybrid bike is fine. For indoor training, a stationary bike or a bike on a trainer will work well. I have a Zwift Ride bike, which is perfect for indoor training. More than one person can use it, as it is quick and easy to adjust. This is great, as Maggie and I can both use it, despite the fact that one of us is taller!
I have a Zwift Ride bike, which is perfect for indoor trainingGear Checklist:
- A comfortable and safe bike
- Or an indoor trainer
- Helmet (for outdoor rides)
- Padded shorts or seat cover
- Water bottle
- Basic repair kit (for outdoor rides)
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Weekly Structure
A good beginner plan includes 3–4 rides per week:
- Endurance Ride (1x/week): A longer, steady ride to build aerobic fitness. Aim for 45–90 minutes at a moderate pace.
- Cadence/Skill Ride (1x/week): Focus on pedaling smoothly and increasing your cadence (ideal range: 80–100 RPM).
- Strength Ride (1x/week): Use hills or increased resistance to build leg strength.
- Optional Recovery Ride (1x/week): Easy spinning for 20–40 minutes to promote blood flow and recovery.
Progressing Over Time
As you gain fitness, increase your ride duration or add another ride to your week. Don’t increase your total time or intensity by more than 10% per week to reduce the risk of injury.
Be sure to increase your training time gradually – ideally, not more than 10% per weekIntroducing Intervals
Once you’re comfortable with basic rides, interval training is a great next step. Intervals involve alternating between hard and easy efforts and are a proven way to improve fitness faster than steady rides.
Examples:
- 30s hard / 90s easy × 4–6
- 1 min hard / 2 min easy × 4–5
Keep these sessions short (20–30 minutes total) and include a warm-up and cool-down.
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Progressing to HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)
Once you’ve built a base of fitness with regular riding and some light intervals, you can consider adding structured high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Research consistently shows that HIIT can significantly boost cardiovascular fitness and insulin sensitivity, and even support fat loss — in less time than traditional endurance training.
However, due to its intensity, HIIT should be done no more than once or twice per week. A popular format at the moment is the “4/4s”:
- 4 minutes hard effort (at a pace you could only hold for a few minutes)
- 4 minutes easy recovery
- Repeat 3–5 times depending on your fitness
These sessions are tough but very effective. Always include a warm-up and cool-down, and avoid doing HIIT on consecutive days. If you have access to an indoor trainer, it is a lot easier to do this kind of very structured workout.
My Zwift bike in the middle of my office. Perfect for rainy days, and for very precisely structured workoutsRelated Post: What Is the Optimal Frequency of HIIT Training on a Bike to Increase VO₂ Max?
Measuring Intensity
During HIIT, aim for an effort of 8–9 out of 10 on the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale, or around 85–95% of your maximum heart rate if you’re tracking it. You should be breathing hard, unable to speak more than a word or two.
Sample HIIT Bike Workout
Warm-up:
- 10 minutes easy spinning
Main Set:
- 4 min hard (8–9 RPE or 85–95% max heart rate)
- 4 min easy spin
- Repeat 4 times
Cool-down:
- 10 minutes easy spinning
Cross-Training and Recovery
Cross-training (like swimming, walking, or strength training) helps balance your muscles and prevent overuse injuries. Recovery days are crucial—take at least one complete rest day per week.
Tracking Your Progress
Use a bike computer, fitness watch, or smartphone app to track:
- Distance and time
- Cadence (RPM)
- Heart rate (if possible)
- Rate of perceived exertion (1–10 scale)
How to Keep Motivated
Staying motivated is one of the keys to long-term success. Here are some ways to keep your enthusiasm high:
- Join a cycling group: A relaxed neighborhood group can provide social interaction and accountability.
Apps such as Zwift make indoor cycling fun – even addictive, for many people. The miles fly by as you immerse yourself in completing routes and earning incentives. You can even use the points you accumulate in the game to buy yourself new (virtual) bikes.
- Try Zwift or another indoor cycling app: Zwift adds a fun, game-like element to indoor cycling with virtual routes, group rides, and challenges. And for those who want to get fitter and faster, it offers a wide range of training plans and workouts, to help you progress in a structured way. Many people find they cycle longer distances indoors just because they’re having so much fun exploring the scenery or competing with others or with their own previous times. This is certainly true for me. I am addicted to Zwifting. Luckily, it is a healthy addiction. Of course, to do this, you do need to have a training bike setup that includes a power meter. Zwift offers structured training plans and workouts that make it relatively easy to take your cycling to the next level.
Apps like Zwift and Rouvy will help you to stay motivated. Also, they offer a range of training plans and structured workouts to help you progress with your cycling fitness, skills, and speed
- Try Rouvy. This is another indoor cycling app, and it takes a different approach than that of Zwift. Instead of being a game, it aims to create a virtual reality ride . They have created this with high resolution videos of some 1,500 routes around the world. And there are new rides every Monday, so you need never get bored. You can choose from popular bike routes around the world, and enjoy seeing countries you may never see in real life. Or, if you are planning a bike tour or race, you may be able to find it on Rouvy and practice it in advance. Like Zwift, Rouvy will control your training bike to make sure that the intensity of your pedaling matches what it would need to be in the real world. Like Zwift, Rouvy offers structured training plans.
- Set mini-goals: Weekly or monthly distance or consistency goals can help keep you focused.
- Mix it up: Change your route, music, or riding partner to keep things fresh.
Final Tips
- Stay consistent, but listen to your body.
- Increase your weekly training gradually.
- Hydrate and fuel properly before and after rides.
- Make it fun! Explore new routes or ride with friends.
Cycling is a journey — enjoy the ride!
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