The Health Benefits of Indoor Cycling
Written by Demar Jackson
Indoor Cycling is the most underrated medicine for the modern body, and it’s not just a cardio workout, it’s a full spectrum of wellness intervention. As a whole, different modalities will yield different results for different people and body types. Not everyone is built the same, and that’s the beauty of it. However, unlike other formats, beginners can still perform in their very first cycling class, minimize risk of injury, and appreciate the mental wellness components as well. Indoor cycling strengthens the heart, sharpens the mind, and restores the nervous system better than most traditional workouts.
Indoor cycling is great for your heart. Cycling maintains above 70% of your maximum heart rate without joint strain, boosting cardiovascular health and endurance while protecting knees and hips. Additionally, if you are into analyzing your VO2 max (maximal oxygen uptake during exercise), studies have shown a ~15% improvement in VO2 max after 8 weeks of consistent indoor cycling. Lastly, your heart would love this because you are in a controlled environment ensuring consistency to improve in the above. There’s no worry about weather, going up or down hills, traffic, traffic lights, etc.
A health benefit that is the most common outside of heart health, is burning calories during and after class. A typical 45-minute indoor cycling class burns anywhere from 400 to 700 calories, depending on resistance, intensity, and body composition. The blend of steady-state and high-intensity intervals maximizes total energy expenditure, far beyond just running on a treadmill. The more resistance you add, the more muscle fibers you recruit, transforming any ride into more power focused.
On a mental wellness perspective, indoor cycling can help regulate stress through rhythmic movement. The repetitive motion of pedaling activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). The rhythmic coordination between movement and breath function as a form of active meditation, giving the mind a single focus during class. Additionally, classes will help give cognitive clarity, sharpening focus and function of the brain. Aerobic exercises like cycling increases blood flow to the brain improving memory, attention space, and executive function.
The benefit that people don’t usually consider but becomes one of their favorite parts about indoor cycling, is the community connection aspect. When riders are riding in sync, it becomes less of a competition, and more of a collaboration and celebrating each other’s achievements and milestones. Riding along friends consistency helps builds accountability within yourself, but within sticking to a routine with a group instead of training alone. The social wellness aspect of any group fitness class, especially an indoor cycling class, is considered a valuable benefit when searching for work-life balance.
Lastly, cycling keeps your body moving longer. Since indoor cycling is a low-impact, high-resistance workout, this stimulates bone density and muscular endurance without chronic inflammation. This form of exercise can be performed safely while promoting muscular endurance, well into your 60’s and 70’s.
Indoor cycling isn’t simply exercise, it’s also preventative healthcare disguised as community fitness. It bridges mental clarity, emotional release, and physical longevity into one rhythmic experience. This is the kind of medicine you don’t need a prescription for, just a pair of cycling shoes.
