HIIT Bike Workouts are a great way to enhance your cardio session while improving your heart health and aerobic fitness.
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, involves working at an active level and then backing off for a short recovery period. Repeat this many times. Sessions usually last 10 to 30 minutes.You can pump these sessions by doing weight work-but you can also jump on one of the best exercise bikes (Opens in a new tab) For HIIT sessions.
“HIIT bike training burns a lot of calories so fast that it can be very effective if you don’t have the time,” said Richard Lang, a former professional cyclist who founded the cycling training app Spoked. (Opens in a new tab)..
“HIIT is a mentally challenging and big stress buster,” he says. “Intensity forces you to focus and stay at the moment, and by increasing cardiovascular health it can also lower blood pressure.”
Other benefits include weight loss, increased muscle mass, increased metabolism, aerobic capacity, and an “afterburn effect.”Indeed, studies published in sports and exercise medicine and science (Opens in a new tab) The journal found that participants burned about 200 calories 14 hours after HIIT training.
Ready to try? Richard Lang has created five HIIT bike workouts specifically for Live Science.Be sure to check out the handy guides for different types of exercise bikes (Opens in a new tab) Boating and cycling (Opens in a new tab) Before you start.
But first, a quick warning – training on a HIIT bike can be very stressful, so limit your rides to three times a week. It also puts a strain on your heart, so avoid it if you have any doubts. Or talk to your health care professional first.
Goal initiatives
Use this scale from 1 to 10 based on your ability to have conversations to help you determine your desired goal effort.
- 1-2 Easy conversation
- 3 to 4-can have a conversation
- 5 to 6 can speak several sentences at once
- 7-8-Can speak several words at once
- 9-I can only speak one word at a time
- 10-I can’t speak at all
Workout 1: Sprint
A sprint-focused session that begins to bite over time. It is important to adjust the pace of each sprint, as it is the accumulation that damages the sprints. Use your warm-up time to prepare for your session. If you need more time, take some time. You need to be ready when the first 15 second sprint begins.
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence target (rpm) | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 80-100 rpm | Get ready for training slowly. |
| 7 minutes | 3 to 7 | 80-100 rpm | In the next 7 minutes, slowly increase the strength. By the end, you should be starting to sweat a little. |
| 1 minute | from 1 to 2 | 60-80 rpm | Take a deep breath and start training. You can do this. |
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence target (rpm) | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 seconds | 8 to 9 | 100 rpm | Focus on riding the same cadence (pedal speed per minute) with the same resistance during each sprint. |
| 15 seconds | from 1 to 2 | 70-80 rpm | Focus on your breathing |
Repeat the above training 8 times for a total of 4 minutes, then rest for 1 minute (cycling slowly while drinking water). It will take a total of 5 minutes including breaks. Have you finished your break? Go back to your bike and repeat everything two more times. This gives you a total of 15 minutes of training time, including the last break in each set.
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence target (rpm) | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 minutes | 3 to 4 | 80-100 rpm | Look back on how well you got on this training. |
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 60-100 rpm | Rotate your foot to wash away any remaining lactic acid bacteria (stab wounds you feel). |
Workout 2: 1 minute attack
One minute of effort within a HIIT workout feels like a normal five minutes, so you need to prepare for this workout. The first few minutes of effort may seem okay, but it will catch up with you. Be careful not to sprint too early in these efforts.
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 80-100 rpm | Get ready for training slowly. |
| 8 minutes | 3 to 7 | 80-100 rpm | Slowly increase strength in the next 8 minutes. By the end, you should be starting to sweat a little. |
| 1 minute | from 1 to 2 | 60-80 rpm | Take a deep breath and start training. You can do this. |
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 7 to 8 | 80-100 rpm | Find resistance and rhythm that match the effort level of 7-8-this will be the go-to of each effort. |
| 1 minute | from 1 to 2 | 70-80 rpm | Focus on your breathing. This one minute will go on immediately. In the last 10 seconds, start preparing for the next minute. Therefore, it slowly begins to move to the resistance target. |
Repeat the above training 7 times for a total of 14 minutes.
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 minutes | 3 to 4 | 80-100 rpm | Look back on how well you got on this training. |
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 60-100 rpm | Rotate your foot to wash away any remaining lactic acid bacteria (stab wounds you feel). |
Workout 3: Progressive Punch
Stepping down from the first 30 seconds to the second round can be difficult and can be difficult training to do this correctly. It is important to make a note of the cadence you ride. This cadence is a benchmark for getting the pace right.
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 80-100 rpm | Get ready for training slowly. |
| 6 minutes | 3 to 7 | 80-100 rpm | Slowly increase strength over the next 6 minutes. By the end, you should be starting to sweat a little. |
| 1 minute | from 1 to 2 | 60-80 rpm | Take a deep breath and start training. You can do this. |
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 9 to 10 | 80-100 rpm | A full gas effort where you hold the pace for a full 30 seconds. You don’t want to die in the last 10 seconds, so push all the way to the line. |
| 30 seconds | 7 to 8 | 80-100 rpm | Aim to ride the same resistance as the first 30 seconds of effort, but adjust the cadence. For example, run the first 30 seconds (9-10 effort) at 100 rpm and the next 30 seconds (7-8 effort) at 90-95 rpm. |
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 70-100 rpm | Rotate your feet nicely and easily. |
Repeat the above training 4 times for a total of 16 minutes
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
| 3 minutes | 3 to 4 | 80-100 rpm | Look back on how well you got on this training. |
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 60-100 rpm | Rotate your foot to wash away any remaining lactic acid bacteria (stab wounds you feel). |
Workout 4: Go down the stairs
As you progress through your workout, your efforts will be shorter, but your recovery will be shorter in the meantime. You don’t want to let go of resistance or rhythm in the last 30 seconds because you are looking for consistency in your efforts.
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 80-100 rpm | Get ready for training slowly. |
| 7 minutes | 3 to 7 | 80-100 rpm | In the next 7 minutes, slowly increase the strength. By the end, you should be starting to sweat a little. |
| 1 minute | from 1 to 2 | 60-80 rpm | Take a deep breath and start training. You can do this. |
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 minutes | 9 to 10 | 80-100 rpm | For the rest of your efforts, aim to ride the same cadence and resistance you chose for this 4-minute effort. |
| 3 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 70-100 rpm | Very easy. Don’t make recovery difficult. This allows you to dig deeper into your efforts. |
| 3 minutes | 9 to 10 | 80-100 rpm | Pacing is important because you don’t want to lose your cadence with the resistance you’re riding. |
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 70-100 rpm | Focus on breathing, keep your effort level low, and be mentally prepared for your next effort. |
| 2 minutes | 9 to 10 | 80-100 rpm | The end is coming into view. If you have extra energy, you can start these efforts more aggressively. |
| 1 minute | from 1 to 2 | 70-100 rpm | Focus on breathing, keep your effort level low, and be mentally prepared for your next effort. |
| 1 minute | 9 to 10 | 80-100 rpm | The final effort of training, digging deeper. You have this |
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 minutes | 3 to 4 | 80-100 rpm | Look back on how well you got on this training. |
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 60-100 rpm | Rotate your foot to wash away any remaining lactic acid bacteria (stab wounds you feel). |
Workout 5: Various Sprints
These sprints are trying to test you. Start with long sprints and shorten them throughout your workout. It is important to ensure that the time between sprints is restored. Make sure you are ready to go again in the last 5 seconds of recovery before the next sprint.
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 80-100 rpm | Get ready for training slowly. |
| 7 minutes | 3 to 7 | 80-100 rpm | In the next 7 minutes, slowly increase the strength. By the end, you should be starting to sweat a little. |
| 1 minute | from 1 to 2 | 60-100 rpm | Take a deep breath and start training. You can do this. |
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 8 to 9 | 90 rpm + | You’re riding a 5×30 second sprint, so you need to be aware of your pace. We are looking for 5 consistent 30 second sprints. |
| 30 seconds | 1 tp 2 | 60 rpm + | Rotate your legs to prepare for the next sprint. |
Repeat x 5 (5 minutes). This is one set.Complete 10×30 seconds of work before proceeding below
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 seconds | 8 to 9 | 90 rpm + | These sprints can be more aggressive than a 30 second effort. Again, you want consistency. |
| 40 seconds | from 1 to 2 | 60 rpm + | Rotate your legs to prepare for the next sprint. |
Repeat the above 5 times (5 minutes in total)
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
| 10 seconds | 9 to 10 | 90+ rpm | The last set of sprints. Kick hard and wait. |
| 50 seconds | from 1 to 2 | 60+ rpm | Rotate your legs to prepare for the next sprint. |
Repeat the above training 5 times for a total of 5 minutes.
| interval | Goal initiatives | Cadence | What to think |
| 3 minutes | 3 to 4 | 80-100 rpm | Look back on how well you got on this training. |
| 2 minutes | from 1 to 2 | 60-80 rpm | Rotate your foot to wash away any remaining lactic acid bacteria (stab wounds you feel). |
