Indoor Cycling Tips

By Kimberly Dawn Neumman

Wear the right clothes. Wear the right clothes. Start an indoor cycling class in running shorts or heavy sweats and you'll likely end up chafed or uncomfortable. Opt for bike shorts -- regular or padded -- for a comfier ride.

Bring water! Indoor cycling can be a sweat fest so replenishing fluids before, during and after is a must!

Always keep resistance on the bike. No freewheeling --it's dangerous and doesn't allow for full workout benefits. "In fact, if you have enough resistance on the bike, chances are you're going to get a better workout rather than the light, super-fast cadences some people favor," says Roberts. The only time resistance may be removed is during the end-of-class cool down period.

Learn to count RPMs. Place right hand above right thigh and every time the leg comes up and hits, count (try 15 seconds and multiply by four to get an RPM reading). For a flat/moderate pace aim for 60-100 RPM. For a hill/high-resistance ride, aim for 70-90 RPM.

Know the zone. Indoor cycling can really spike a person's heart rate so it's important to keep an eye on exertion level. Roberts recommends knowing your "zone." It's okay to spend time in all of the zones, but not too much time in Zone 4 (which can become anaerobic). Without a heart rate monitor, riders can gauge their exertion by the zone descriptions.

Zone 1 -- 50-65% maximum effort. Feels easy.

Zone 2 -- 65-75% maximum effort. Challenging but comfortable.

Zone 3 -- 75%-85% maximum effort. Challenging and uncomfortable. Mouth breathing in necessary.

Zone 4 -- 85-90% maximum effort. Hard! Breathing is more like panting, rapid and shallow.

Don't get carried away. The group atmosphere can drive people to push themselves, which is awesome. However, it's important to stay within an appropriate fitness range. "It's motivating to be in a room of people working really hard, but beginners need to be careful not to get caught up in the competition just yet," says Roberts. But by all means, enjoy the ride!

STEP ONE: Need to Know: Indoor Cycling
PREVIOUS: Getting Started: Indoor Cycling Basics