How to do the cycling

Cycling gives you a large amount of aerobic work for very little impact, which is why it is the usual answer for people whose knees or shins have had enough of running. The trade-off is that position matters more than it does on foot.

Type: Cardio
Level: Beginner
Equipment: Bike and Stationary bike
Works: Quadriceps and Glutes
Also worked: Hamstrings, Calves, and Abdominals
Also called: Indoor Cycling, Stationary Bike, and Road Cycling

Before you start

Set saddle height so your knee has a slight bend — around 25 to 35 degrees — at the bottom of the pedal stroke.
Set the saddle fore and aft so your forward knee sits roughly over the pedal axle with the cranks horizontal.
Set bar height so you are not locking your elbows or rounding your back to reach.

How to do it

Spin at a cadence of roughly 80 to 95 revolutions a minute rather than grinding a big gear.
Push through the whole pedal stroke instead of stamping down at the top.
Keep your upper body quiet — if you are rocking in the saddle, the gear is too hard or the saddle too high.
Change gear before the hill, not on it.

Cues that help

Spin, don't grind. Cadence protects your knees.
Relax your grip and your shoulders — tension there costs you nothing but comfort.
Ride most of your time at an effort you could hold for an hour.

Common mistakes

A saddle that is too low

The single most common fit error, and the one most likely to give you knee pain at the front. Raise it a few millimetres at a time.

Riding every session hard

Indoor classes make this easy to do. Aerobic fitness is built mostly at moderate efforts held for a long time.

Comparing indoor and outdoor distance

An hour on a trainer and an hour on the road are different distances at the same effort. Track them separately or compare by time.

How to progress it

Add time before intensity. Build a long ride out over several weeks, keep two or three shorter easy rides around it, and add one interval session only once the volume is stable.

How to track it

Log distance and duration, and use the equipment field to separate outdoor rides from a stationary bike. Those two records mean different things and they should not share a trend line.

Log your cycling

Opens the cardio form with Cycle already filled in. Free account, no card.

Log a cycling See what gets tracked

Cycling questions

Is a stationary bike as good as riding outside?

For aerobic fitness, yes, and it is more consistent because there is no traffic or wind. Outside adds bike-handling skill and, for most people, more enjoyment.

How long should a ride be?

For general fitness, 30 to 60 minutes at a moderate effort, three or four times a week, is plenty.

What cadence should I aim for?

80 to 95 revolutions a minute suits most riders. Below about 70 you are putting a lot of force through the knee for every stroke.