7 Best Stationary Bike Workouts To Fit Your Goals

Stationary Bike Workouts

Stationary bike workouts improve heart health and muscle strength. They are suitable for different fitness levels and health goals.

Getting Started

Whether a biking newbie or an avid cyclist, experience the spin benefits first-hand with one of seven expert-designed cycling workouts. Just make sure you grab a timer to clock all the intervals.

• All levels welcome
• Cardio and strength for higher levels
• Intro to hill and speed intervals
• Cycle fartlek
• 25-minute intermediate intervals
• Power intervals
• Advanced conditioning

Cycling Terms To Know

For these workouts, you should be familiar with terminology, including:

• Resistance: Adding weight against the wheel, making it easier or harder to pedal
• Revolutions per minute (RPM): How many times you can turn a leg in one minute
• Rate of perceived effort (RPE): A way for you to measure the intensity of physical activity for yourself

1. All Levels Welcome

This 53-minute, beginner-friendly stationary bike workout is primarily aerobic. It incorporates short, challenging intervals to build fitness and burn calories, Kate Ligler, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, a MINDBODY wellness specialist and designer of the workout, told Health.

How to do the workout:

• Gauge the intensity of your work and rest periods based on your RPE.
• Finish with a three-minute cooldown.
• Start with an easy 10-minute warm-up.
• Move into three to five rounds of six-minute work sets that get progressively more intense.

You’ll use a scale of 1 (very easy) to 10 (maximum effort) for RPEs and work at a pace that works for your fitness level. That’s why you won’t see RPMs listed here—listen to your body and get a feel for the bike.

Keep these modifications in mind:

• Beginners: Stick with three rounds of the main work block to get a 45-minute workout.
• Advanced exercisers: Do all five to bring it up to an hour.

2. Intro to Hill and Speed Intervals

This 44-minute workout is perfect for beginner-to-intermediate riders, said Lauren Kanski, NASM-CPT, a New York City-based trainer. You’ll take your heart rate through different zones as you work on three intervals of various work-to-rest ratios.

How to do the workout:

• Start with a 5-minute warm-up.
• Cycle through a 15-minute interval with a 10-minute, 30-second on-and-off segment and a five-minute recovery period.
• On the next 15-minute interval, alternate between three-minute climbs and two-minute recovery periods.
• Do a final eight-minute, 30-second on-and-off segment with high resistance and speed.
• Finish with a five-minute cooldown.

The result: boosted fitness and tons of torched calories—all while going easy on the joints. Instead of focusing on exact speed or RPM, aim to hit your all-out effort on the work intervals.

3. 25-Minute Intermediate Intervals

This 25-minute routine is structured according to effort level. While you don’t need to be a cycling pro to do this workout, it’s best to have some experience on a bike—especially doing intervals. That way, you’ll understand what different effort levels feel like for you, according to Jess Cifelli, master instructor at CYCLEBAR.

How to do the workout:

• Start with a five-minute warm-up.
• Complete the first interval, around 10 minutes, switching from cycling seated to cycling while standing throughout.
• Do two 15-second bursts of seated cycling. Repeat this interval for five sets, followed by two minutes each of low-effort and high-effort riding.
• Move to the next interval of alternate maximum- and low-effort riding while standing. Repeat for five sets, followed by one minute of medium-effort riding.
• Do 30-second alternate maximum- and low-effort riding while seated. Repeat for five three sets.
• Finish with a five-minute cooldown.

Here’s how to gauge your effort levels as you take this workout for a spin:

• Low: This effort requires light resistance; you should be able to converse with the person next to you.
• Medium: Crank up the resistance a bit; you should still be able to carry on a conversation, but it shouldn’t feel effortless.
• High: You shouldn’t be able to continue a conversation any longer, but you can handle the work; standing up in the saddle is usually ideal.
• Maximum: You can’t speak at this intensity and also can’t imagine working longer than 30 seconds.

4. Advanced Conditioning

This 60-minute routine is for experienced cyclists confident in working at near-maximum intensity. After a gentle warm-up with a series of mobility drills designed by Meghan Hayden, NCSF-CPT, a founding trainer at Performix House in New York City, you’ll jump right in with short, intense bursts.

How to do the workout:

• Start with a five-minute warm-up.
• Dismount the bike and do a circuit training session that includes exercises from downward dog poses to quadruped circles.
• Return to the bike and repeat 20-second work periods and 40-second rest intervals for seven sets before you hit your three-minute recovery. Each modest rest period will help you recover between sprints and build your anaerobic fitness.
• After you recover, move into a 20-minute moderate-intensity ride to help you work your endurance.
• Finish with a five-minute cooldown.

Treat that recovery time as meditation and focus on your breathing—you have a lot to gain with this workout.