Upper- And Lower-body Cycle Exercise Routine

Cycling is a cardiovascular exercise. Lower-body cycling is often known as indoor cycling. Upper-body cycling is called kranking or ergometer training. Both exercise types increase your heart and breathing rates to improve your heart health, burn calories and aid in weight loss. The format of either an upper- or lower-body cycling class is similar.

Flat Roads

Your cycling class includes flat-road pedaling. Your resistance level is low, so your hands or feet move the flywheel easily. You want enough tension on the wheel so that it is not out of control, but this class component is designed to increase your endurance. You should be able to pedal at a fast pace to keep your heart rate elevated without tiring your muscles with resistance. Incorporate flat roads into your first five-minute warmup or as a recovery interval after a sprint or hill.

Sprint

Sprints are also performed on flat roads but require that you pedal as fast as you can for a determined length of time. For example, sprint for 30 seconds and pedal at top speed, then follow this with a flat-road recovery interval for 30 seconds. The sprint increases your heart rate to a high intensity, and then you recover with a moderate speed before you sprint again. Perform one or two five-minute sprint intervals during your workout.

Climb

Hill climbs demand more strength than endurance when cycling. Increase the resistance so that your hands or feet slow down the pedal pace. The resistance should feel as if you are cycling through mud. Use your strength to push the pedal and move the wheel as you climb. Every 30 to 60 seconds, increase the resistance as if you were ascending a hill. When you close in on the top, your resistance should be at the most difficult level. Each hill can be three or five minutes. Include two or three hills into your workout session.

Standing

Stand on the floor when arm cycling or stand in the pedals on your indoor bike. The standing position increases the number of calories you burn and increases your heart-rate response. Perform runs as you maintain a constant speed for three to five minutes. Perform sprints in which you speed up and slow down your pedal. Include climbs from a standing position as you continuously increase the resistance on your wheel.