Indoor Cycling by Science

There you sit, spinning your mental wheels, trying to create a successful indoor cycling workout . . . again. What if you had an easy-to-follow template that would empower you to design effective, fun classes and get results week after week, ride after ride?

Thanks to Len Kravitz, PhD, professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico and veteran IDEA presenter—and the various studies he cites—you can take advantage of science-supported protocols to create outstanding workouts. These workouts are based on a session Kravitz presented at the 2020 IDEA® World Virtual Convention that included his list of “10 Great Programs That Burn a Lot of Calories.” Each program, or “formula,” is derived from research on metabolism, fat burning and calorie use.

Of the 10 formulas he cited, five can easily be adapted to cardio indoor cycling classes, using the four-step system described here. Be inspired, as I was, to use his formula to marry science and application. You’ll then have a four-step system and ideas to use without reinventing the (fly)wheel.

Step One: Pick a Formula

Start with any of the five formulas (see “5 Indoor Cycling Formulas,” below). Kravitz uses the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion (RPE) to identify intensity (6–20 = low to high). If you cue intensity via Borg RPE, then directly carry over the ranges that correlate RPE to your preferred intensity scale. For example, I cue my classes based on four intensity levels: easy, moderate, hard, very hard/anaerobic. Therefore, an RPE of 16 would correlate to “hard” in the system I use, while 11–13 is “moderate.”

Step Two: Create a Grid

Create a blank workout spreadsheet or grid by hand or in Excel, Google Sheets or any format you choose, according to the template or formula you select. Indicate whether you’re in a work or recovery mode, and assign the appropriate timing (minutes or seconds) to each bout. Determine the number of bouts that will match your ride duration and then factor in your warmup and cooldown to get to your total class time: 45, 50 or 60 minutes.

See also: Set the Pace!

Step Three: Label Sections

In this short-and-sweet step, all you have to do is decide whether you’ll meet the stipulated intensity levels via sitting, standing, flats or climbs. Be creative and, of course, consider your playlist options (left). Label each bout accordingly.

Step Four: Build a Playlist

Fill in the blanks with songs that match your bout times and style. Some of these formulas rely more on duration and RPE than rpm, which affects your cuing and expands your song options. That means that, rather than having to find music based on beats per minute that drive rpm, you select a combination of the duration, genre and mood that you deem best. Voilá! You are good to go with an effective, research-based plan.

Examples in Action

Below are three ways to apply the formulas.

4:4 Variable-intensity interval training (VIIT) (two versions)

The work bouts of one 4:4 (VIIT) adaptation are all flats, with each bout seeing an increase in rpm, equivalent to the miles-per-hour increases Kravitz lists (see “5 Indoor Cycling Formulas,” below).

A second 4:4 VIIT workout adheres to the same science-based formula but is divided into two sections: stage one climbs; riders stand for each 4-minute work bout and sit for each 4-minute recovery. Stage two repeats the intensity pattern, this time on flats with higher rpm, while still following the progressive speed aspect. This is the same formula with alternate work and recovery bouts every 4 minutes, amping intensity via speed/rpm increases. These are two workouts ready to go!

4:4 High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

The 4:4 HIIT workout relies on 4-minute songs for each bout. Find appropriate music that exactly matches the duration, if you can; this will free you from having to use a timer or stopwatch to make the transition—you can focus on the participants the entire time since the music essentially “cues” the transitions and bouts. Of course, for the formulas that have 90-second and shorter bouts, you’ll track timing to cue starts and stops, as few songs are 30, 60 or 90 seconds.

As you can see from these examples, you can use and reuse the formulas with ease and confidence. Your participants get structured variety, and you get the satisfaction of offering results-oriented indoor cycling workouts that combine the best of science and your creativity. The next time you need a reliable spark to get you started, you’re all set.

See also: Cycling Class Connection

Thanks to Len Kravitz, PhD, for his permission to base these ideas on his session.