The perfect fitness tool or necessary evil? When it comes to indoor cycling, the motivations or reasons for it are as varied as they are contradictory. Cycling indoors with an indoor trainer, independent of weather and daylight, has experienced a real boost in recent years, initially through studio and course-based spinning, and currently through the combination of so-called smart trainers and virtual training platforms like Zwift, Rouvy, MyWhoosh, or Bkool.

A brief explanation: Instead of a purely stationary exercise bike, you can also turn most bicycles into an indoor training bike. In most cases, the bike is clamped into a stable holder via the rear axle, and the chain drive is connected a resistance device. This additional device, also referred to as a "roller," includes sensors for measuring pedaling power and electronic resistance control, it is called a Smart Trainer. Connected to a PC and the internet, it allows cycling through virtual online worlds or a filmed course. The computer enables precise training evaluation in addition to controlling the braking power. The simulations are now so realistic that online races, take place, where road cyclists can qualify for a professional team from home! Both elevation gain and athlete weight, as well as drafting, affect the pedaling resistance.

Whether you like the idea of swapping your outdoor riding for a stationary bike and the forest path for your living room, indoor cycling makes you very independent of external conditions and schedules. You can bridge the dark season and start spring with pretty good endurance and overall fitness. Or, as a beginner on the bike, you can use the safer training – no traffic, no slippery leaves, no snow or ice, no twilight – to get started with cycling. Indoor cycling is also an efficient alternative training for other sports, as the simple and continuous load control allows you to cover all fitness levels and training goals, from a gentle recovery spin to intense cardio to precisely controlled professional training. If none of these appeal to you, you can simply burn a few calories in an entertaining way.

Cycling is generally considered healthy and, above all, gentle on joints, muscles, and the cardiovascular system. With indoor cycling, there is also no risk of accidents, and without any outdoor topography, you can't get lost or overestimate the length of your ride. The fact that there are no hills or mountains indoors that you must overcome is a real advantage if indoor cycling is used for weight loss or a general entry into a healthier life. Unlike other training methods or fitness tools, body weight plays almost no role on the exercise bike or spin bike. This is not only good for the heart and lungs but also for the musculoskeletal system, as injuries from overuse can occur with almost all other forms of training due to high body weight. At most, riding indoors, you risk aches or pains from the unfamiliar body position on the bike and a few pressure points on the buttocks without the correct saddle.

Indoor cycling has technical advantages even compared to outdoor cycling. But is it as much fun? This brings us back to the initial question. For those who love cycling through nature, indoor cycling and spinning are more of a necessary evil to avoid riding in the dark and bad weather. For athletes who focus on fitness rather than the experience, the practical benefits outweigh. The mental attitude towards this has a significant direct effect on motivation, as shown in the table. The fact is: For people with a busy schedule, home indoor cycling is an efficient form and an entertaining fitness session. To make the time in the saddle pass even faster and to avoid mental fatigue or keep motivation as high as possible, we have compiled some practical tips below. The aforementioned online cycling platforms like Zwift promise absolute maximum fun. For those who want to learn more about free offers like MyWhoosh or paid services like Zwift and Rouvy, there are separate articles.

Equipment
The basic requirement for indoor cycling training is, of course, a suitable bike. This can be the classic gym exercise bike, a sporty spinning bike, or a stationary ergometer with power measurement. However, the combination of an existing bike and an indoor trainer or smart trainer is becoming increasingly popular. In addition to the familiar riding position from the first pedal stroke, the familiar saddle, and space savings, these stand out for their good price/performance ratio and the optional connection to the PC. The major manufacturers of such smart trainers are Wahoo, Tacx / Garmin, Zwift, and Elite.

Tip: If you are getting a classic indoor bike, you should primarily look for a flywheel as heavy as possible, as it makes the pedaling motion more natural and thus more fun. With smart trainers with electronic resistance, this is less important. Such devices are already worthwhile if you have a suitable bike, but you can only fully exploit their potential with an online service, like Zwift, Rouvy, etc.

Cooling / Ventilation
A moving person produces about as much heat as a 400-watt oven. Without wind, this excess heat accumulates in the body and becomes an additional burden. Although you sweat, the cooling effect indoors is much lower than outdoors in still air. A light breeze multiplies the cooling effect, as does fresh air from outside. However, there can also be too much ventilation, especially if you are sensitive to drafts and cold temperatures, you should be careful when using fans or open windows. The neck, throat, and chest are particularly sensitive here. The problem is less the room temperature but rather the localized cooling.

Tip: In winter, it is usually enough to open the window; in warm seasons, a fan is helpful, but it should not be placed directly on the cyclist, but far enough away that only a diffuse airflow hit the body. And even if it initially feels good, the airflow should not be directed at the head or chest but mainly at the legs. In extreme heat, for example, during hard intervals, short splashes of water on the head can provide temporary relief.

Sweat Management
No matter how well you ventilate, whether you ride with or without a fan, and at what fitness level you complete a training session, sweat will flow during your workout. This is perfectly fine for the body, but not for the bike, the indoor trainer, and the room/apartment. During long sessions and especially at high intensities, up to two liters of sweat can end up in the air of the room, in the towel, and on the floor. Tiles and PVC handle this well, carpets less so, and wooden floors can swell and bleach from the salt in the sweat. Sweat is also not good for the bike. Where sweat cannot be easily wiped away or where it even collects, such as in the heads of screws or in the gaps of bearings, sweat leads to corrosion or, when dried, to more friction due to the crystals.

Tip: A fitness mat under the ergometer or bike and indoor trainer protects the floor; alternatively, a large bath towel helps. A small towel thrown over the handlebars catches the sweat from the head and shoulders, and at the same time, grips and handlebar tape do not get soaked. Tip: If your hands fall asleep during indoor cycling, ergonomic grips and padding under the handlebar tape are as valuable indoors as outdoors. Always wipe down the bike after the training session, especially focusing on bolts and bearings.

Setting Up the Ergometer
An ergometer is set up no differently than your regular outdoor bike. Basically, the saddle on the indoor trainer or spinn bike is even more important than on your outdoor bike. Because you sit for long periods without getting out of the saddle uphill, without rolling while standing on the pedals, or without shifting weight through curves or speed changes, a saddle on the ergometer requires more comfort despite the same body position. Ergonomic saddles like those from Ergon offer the greatest potential for pain-free cycling indoors, both for the seasoned road cyclists and beginners.

Tip: We have prepared another article for correctly setting up ergometers, tip: the Ergon Fitting Box as a help. Warning: Often, overly wide and soft saddles are installed on exercise bikes. If you have problems with your feet, knees, hips, buttocks, or lower back despite the correct seating position, it could be due to the saddle.

Motivation
Some endurance athletes find indoor training monotonous. Beginners, in particular, have trouble motivating themselves over long periods without external stimuli. Besides entertainment, mindset plays a role here. Without pedaling breaks, ergometer training is more efficient than outdoor training. Realizing this is a reason to stay motivated. Tip: Let someone in the household know when you are planning your indoor session. This person will hold you accountable and motivate you to keep stay on your fitness plan!

Tip: Another good tip is to mentally divide the session. Don’t think about the total duration during the indoor session or interval but focus on the end of the next section, interval, or regular time segment. Six such subsections of ten minutes each feel easier to get through than a whole hour.

Entertainment
Entertainment can be motivating or distracting. TV programs, movies, audio books, podcasts, or phone calls that you run in parallel with your workout serve as distractions. The goal of any distraction is to make you less aware of the training time. This method works best for long endurance workouts with low intensity. Or you can go the opposite direction and boost your morale with emotional content like music, sports broadcasts, or motivational soundtracks.

Tip: Use keywords or specific actions to dictate your workout. For example, during a sports broadcast, you pick an athlete. When they are in the picture, leading, or attacking, you also push. Certain film sequences or every fourth song on the playlist can also serve as markers for intervals.

Noise Development
Whether a stationary ergometer or a bike with a smart trainer, use generates vibrations that spread through the floor in the house. Modern devices are quieter, older ones generally louder, and the construction of the room floor or floor covering is also related to the volume that reaches roommates and neighbors. Carpets and foam or rubber mats help dampen the sound and also catch any excess sweat. In addition to workout mats, gymnastics mats have proven themselves, and there are also inexpensive alternatives in most toy departments.

Tip: Some innovative athletes have already screwed a sufficiently large wooden board onto tennis balls to dampen vibrations. The bike is then fixed on the board, and the balls are between the board and the floor. With some movement of the bike underneath, indoor cycling feels even more realistic.

Clothing
Two points are important when choosing the right outfit for indoor training: seating comfort and body temperature regulation. Long pants and natural fibers, like cotton, are not ideal. Cycling shorts with a high-quality seat pad and a functional moisture wicking undershirt made of synthetic fiber are top choices. A synthetic undershirt is even better than training without a top, as the sweat stays on the body until it evaporates and thus cools. Sweat does not run down the body, which wastes body fluid. The increased load on the saddle during indoor cycling is also something to pay close attention to. Not only is an ergonomic saddle without overly thick padding important but also shorts with a comfortable pad or chamois. This not only cushions but also protects against friction.

Tip: A headband is very practical. It serves less for cooling and more to keep sweat out of the eyes. Frequently wiping the skin with the towel also unnecessarily costs body fluid. Sometimes, despite good shorts and an adequate saddle, chafing occurs. Here, a chamois cream can help, especially for endurance and beginning riders. This is a paste that is simultaneously a lubricant, skin cream, and care for the shorts seat pad. Some cool and disinfect at the same time.

Food and Drink
What you consume during an indoor workout depends on the workout content and duration. The most important thing is the amount of fluids you consume. Water is the first choice for many, and adding sports mix motivates you to drink regularly even when you are not thirsty. The minimum is half a liter per hour of training time; at high intensity, when the legs are really burning, or with a workout time over 90 minutes, three-quarters to a whole liter per hour is not unrealistic. It is better to drink small sips often and early than to wait until you feel thirsty and then take in large amounts. Whether you consume calories through a carbohydrate drink or additional food during indoor cycling depends on how long and hard your workout is. Beginners do not need extra energy for workouts up to about 40 minutes. For athletes with a higher fitness level, this goes up to 90 minutes. Only those who train longer or with hard intervals can keep the calorie stores sufficiently full with a nutrition bar, a banana, or a gel.

Tip: Since you are not in traffic, you can get on the indoor bike long after the last meal with a clear conscience. Due to the resulting sugar deficiency, you feel tired faster and often become unfocused, but this has no consequences in the home workout room. For this, you also create a considerable calorie deficit with little intensity. In this case, no additional energy should be consumed, only water and carbohydrate-free sports drinks.

Location
The toughest opponent in sports is your brain. You must always minimize any possible excuse(s) to skip a workout. This includes elaborate equipment setup, long distances or workout times, and unpleasant workout environments. The ideal location for indoor cycling is the middle of the living room, but this doesn't even work in single households. Rule of thumb: The more central the location and the easier the setup and takedown, the more you will use the equipment. In bare utility rooms or basements, the indoor bike tends to just sit in the corner.

Tip: Prepare the bike and equipment in the morning prior to the workout. If the indoor trainer is ready for your workout, including clothes, shoes, towel, and PC or TV, the motivation to skip the workout decreases.

Training Programs
Competitive athletes design their training program on the indoor trainer exclusively based on their competitive goals. For example, this can include workouts like a 2.5-hour steady endurance training session. Tempo changes and segmenting the training time add spice to the workout. Those who train on a platform like Zwift or Rouvy can choose from hundreds of pre-made programs rated by other users. The software or app that comes with the smart trainers generally also has such pre-made programs on board. If you want to create your own and don't have a personal trainer, don't forget a warm-up of at least 10 minutes as well as a long cool down. This makes the next workout much more pleasant. There are no universal intervals; a road cyclist sets completely different heart rate values and times than a beginner or touring cyclist.

Tip: What works well for almost everyone is a one-quarter to three-quarters distribution or exercise. This means: After the warm-up, there follows an intensive interval phase were holding a conversation without the need to catch your breath no longer possible. When you stop the interval, you have three times the time to recover before the next identical interval load. Three to five intervals make for solid training. Those who want to systematically increase their performance must train according to heart rate or, even better, power output. A performance test is invaluable when it comes to setting heart rate and power zones.

Training Control
Above, we often mentioned effort and intensities. Even if you might think everyone feels best how intense the current effort is during training, heart rate still serves as a control medium and unit of measurement for communication with a trainer or doctor in sports. There are formulas and tables on the internet to determine individually suitable training zones, but they are not generalizable based on fitness and health. A rough of training zones: 

• Light endurance training: 120 to 130 beats per minute, breathing through the nose is sufficient 
• Intensive endurance training: 150 to 160 beats per minute, continuous talking or simulated chewing gum is just possible without shortness of breath 
• Tempo training: >175 beats per minute, exhaustion after 90 seconds to 6 minutes 

While competitive athletes strictly follow heart rate or power values, fitness athletes can train themselves less systematically.

Tip: Music streaming or video platforms on the internet have dozens of playlists designed for interval training, both in terms of timing and music selection. When the music becomes noticeably more dynamic, you increase the resistance and/or pedal faster.

Online Training Portals
As mentioned above, the virtual realities of online training portals like Zwift offer maximum motivation, distraction, and training control. However, due to the need for a smart trainer, the entry costs are around $400 to $1,200. Additionally, most training portals providers charge monthly fees for full access. Access costs between $10 and $20 per month, with industry leader Zwift at $20. However, there are also a few free services like MyWoosh.

Tip: Here you can find an article on paid apps for indoor training. Here you can find an article on free apps for indoor training.