Ultimate Guide to Studio Cycling at Home
Love it or hate it, studio cycling remains one of the most popular gym classes! Studio-style exercise bikes are also very popular in the home gym space, and it’s never been easier to bring the studio, home. In today’s blog, Fitshop will take you through a number of our studio bikes and equipment with a training guide from our experts to get you from the shop to the saddle!
Which Bike is Right?
The first step is choosing the bike that’s right for you. This decision depends on which features you value in your exercise bike, which will, of course, affect the price point.
Entry Level
If you’re dipping your toes into studio cycling or working on a budget, the Schwinn 700IC is a great choice for your first studio bike. The 700IC comes with an 18kg flywheel, LCD console, and SPD foot pedals for cycling shoes. However, if you’re looking for a more robust machine, the Taurus IC70 Smart Indoor Bike is an awesome beast. With app connectivity to Zwift, Kinomaps and more, integrated heart rate sensors, and smooth magnetic resistance, it is the best choice, at an accessible price point, for jumping into studio cycling.
Enthusiast Level
Whether you are a dedicated cyclist or a gym class hero, you may be looking for something higher-spec than the entry-level options. The Peloton Bike is one of the world’s most popular exercise bikes, and for good reason! With a 21.5” HD touchscreen, 17.2kg flywheel, and motorised magnetic resistance, the Peloton Bike is a choice you can rely on.
Commercial Level
Ready to go in at the deep end with a commercial-grade studio bike? The Life Fitness IC5 is the perfect option. With a sleek design and powered by ICG technology for an interactive and engaging workout, the IC5 is ideal for gyms, studios, and home gyms. It’s packed with features and design to provide the ultimate studio experience.
Accessories
Whilst optional, there are a number of accessories that can aid your indoor cycling experience. The Taurus Cycling Shoes clip into SPD pedals to keep you comfortable, safe and secure during your sessions, which is key when performing many of the manoeuvres of exercise classes on the bike. Another accessory to mention is the BodyMax Equipment Mat, which can help protect your flooring from wear and damage caused by repetitive use of the bike.
Pedal to the Metal
Studio cycling is a challenging and engaging way to train. Above all else, studio cycling is fun! If you’ve never been to a class before, or even if you have, the amount of positions and techniques can seem daunting at first. Further complexity comes from different instructors having different styles of teaching and leading classes. During my ten years of instruction, I always favoured rock and metal music in my classes, but many prefer dance music. Some instructors like to do exercises on and off the bike, whereas others keep the session completely in the saddle.
Let’s go through some techniques to get you started:
Sprint Tracks
A great way to get warmed up in a session is with some controlled sprints! I like to find a song with a fast chorus to encourage maximum effort. When sprinting on the bike, you want to take the resistance down low to explode at high speed. However, you want to avoid rocking on the bike as this can lead to discomfort and potential injury. If you feel yourself doing this, add a small amount of resistance to balance out the bike and return to a smooth rhythm. When digging deep into the sprints, consider changing your grips to the drop bars if your bike has them. Use the verses of the song for active recovery and the fast chorus to maximise your speed. For an extra challenge, find a song with a double chorus at the end to really turn the intensity up at the end!
Track suggestion: This Addiction – Alkaline Trio, Satellite – Rise Against
Climb Tracks
When you want to feel the burn, climb tracks can push your quads to the max. Climbs are slow and steady and can be done from the saddle or stood up on the pedals to work different muscles in your lower body. Moving between standing and sitting can help relieve the discomfort that builds in your legs.
A good climb track should have a low BPM but be progressive and allow for short stints of recovery. Start your track with normal resistance; during the chorus, whack the resistance up as high as you can handle and stand on the pedals. As the second verse starts, bring the resistance back down, but higher than the first verse and repeat till the end of the song. Tracks like these are very challenging, and I recommend a lighter track or even a sprint track directly after to shift the lactic acid and get some relief!
Track suggestion: Coming Undone – Korn, Warriors – Imagine Dragons
Jump Tracks
Jump tracks involve moving in and out of the saddle throughout the song. Increasing the pace of the “jumps” is a great challenge to your quads and core as you lift out of the saddle. Shifting your grips from the handlebar grip to the vertical grips whilst you stand is also suggested. Choosing music for these workouts should have a consistent tempo and beat that helps signal when to move in and out of the saddle. Songs with clear breaks between their bars are really good for this.
Track suggestions: I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE – Mȧneskin, Renegades of Funk – Rage Against the Machine
Freezes
Freezes are a core control exercise that involves standing out of the saddle and keeping the torso and hips as still as possible while continuing to pedal. While working the core, this also places greater emphasis on the upper leg as you control your power through the exercise. Freezes work well during song interludes and guitar solos. However, lo-fi tracks and songs with a consistent rhythm throughout the song are also great options.
Track suggestions: I Am Machine – Three Days Grace, Feeling This – blink-182
Hovers
Similar to freezes, hovers involve being out of the saddle while maintaining an isometric hold (similar to a plank), with your bottom hovering above the seat while you pedal. Not only does this work the abs and upper legs, but it also puts greater emphasis on the hip flexors. For music suggestions, I recommend similar tracks to freezes. However, one of the variations I used to put in my classes combined hovers and freezes. Flower by Moby became a viral sensation in the fitness space, and we can apply the “Bring Sally up/ Bring Sally down” to freezes (“up”) and hovers (“down”); it’s a great challenge and not for the faint-hearted!
Track suggestions: Flower – Moby, Bubbles – Biffy Clyro
As with all workouts, be sure to add a cool-down track. During the cool-down, it is important to keep the revolutions high but relaxed. Feel free to mix, match and customise your workout to your own design. Many tracks have space for combining techniques and styles, so play around with your playlists and see what challenges you can come up with.
We at Fitshop hope you have found this blog on studio cycling useful and informative in choosing a new studio bike and in giving you training ideas to accompany it! Teaching studio cycling was one of the highlights of my time in the fitness industry, and I hope you enjoy it too! Let me know some of your favourite tracks to train to in the comments!
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