Part XII · Cycling workouts
Aerobic Ride: Easy Riding, 30 Minutes to 4 Hours
The bike's easy session. Conversational riding at a lower heart rate than on foot, with the cadence doing the choosing.
Workout at a glance
Aerobic · Endurance base, cardiac efficiency, fat oxidation
30–240 min
- 01
Ride
Breathe in and out through your nose
You could keep this up for hours
30–240 min
HR 62–76% · RPE 3/10
The lesson
- 01
Easy aerobic work on the bike
The same intent and physiology as an aerobic run or swim. It builds the engine at a conversational effort.
- 02
Expect a lower heart rate
You are seated and using less muscle, so the same effort gives a lower heart rate. Ride at 62 to 76% of maximum, not your running numbers.
- 03
Breathe through your nose
Relaxed enough to hold a full sentence, RPE 3. Speed tells you almost nothing on a bike, so breathing is your best check.
- 04
Spin at 85 to 95 rpm
The same speed at 60 rpm tires the legs, and at 90 it trains the heart and lungs. If you cannot hold it, change to an easier gear.
- 05
Keep pedalling
Freewheeling on descents and at junctions takes minutes off what you trained. Keep light pressure on the pedals downhill.
- 06
Change gear early on hills
A hill in the wrong gear pushes you to threshold. Spin and let the hill be slow.
- 07
Ride 30 minutes to 4 hours
Past two hours it counts as your long effort. Past four hours, eat and drink as you go.
Demonstration coming soon