Intense interval blast: Hank's 15-minute indoor cycling workout
A short blast of 30-second sprints for burning calories and building muscle as quickly as possible
James Howell-Jones
Junior Writer
Get your legs spinning (and burning) with these 30-second sprints! Hank guides you through two main sets of intervals: one gentler, and the other pushing you to work at your limits. This session only takes 15 minutes, so if you want a quick blast of exercise, this is for you. Just because it's short doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy, though. After a warm-up, we’ll start with four medium-intensity efforts, then finish with four leg-burning 9/10 sprints.
As always with GCN's workouts, we’ll base it off perceived effort between 1 and 10, so you don't need a power meter. Just make sure you’ve got some water, a towel and, of course, a turbo trainer or exercise bike.
Explore GCN's best indoor cycling workouts
The benefits of HIIT sprint training for weight loss
High-intensity training sessions aren't easy, so why we do put ourselves through them? Well, sessions like this one burn more calories in a shorter period of time than steady-state exercises, so if you want to squeeze calorie-burning exercise into a busy schedule, HIIT training is the way to go.
A study by the University of South Wales, Australia, found that high-intensity can be effective for those wanting to lose weight. In part, that's because high-intensity efforts use a lot of energy, but it's also because these sessions initiate afterburn. Basically, your muscles keep burning calories after you've finished the session, so the calorie-burn effect lasts hours, even if the session takes minutes.
Read more: GCN's ultimate guide to indoor cycling
Will you get any benefits from a sub-30-minute cycling workout
In an ideal world, training for over 30 minutes is best, but life gets in the way. Thankfully, shorter sessions can still be really effective for time-strapped cyclists. In fact, some research has shown that regular shorter sessions rather than more sporadic longer ones are a more effective way to train.
If it comes down to a choice between doing a quick session like this or nothing at all, then of course, even the shortest of sessions is so much better than being completely inactive.
Indoor cycling workout details
- GCN instructor: James 'Hank' Lowsley-Williams
- Indoor workout duration: 15 minutes
- Indoor training type: High-intensity sprint intervals
- Fitness difficulty: The 9/10 sprint efforts will be seriously tough, but there are only four of them
- Benefits of this indoor cycling workout: Weight loss and fitness gains for time-strapped cyclists
Warm up for four minutes
To prepare for the efforts to come, follow Hank on this ramped warm-up. Start with a gentle 2/10 spin, then build up the intensity, first to 4/10 and then to 6/10. Come back down to 2/10 for a minute to recover, and you're ready to start the session.
The main session: steady intervals, then sprint intervals
Now for the main session, which starts steadily with four 5/10 efforts, with recovery between each. Then, it's onto the tough second half: four 9/10 efforts, with a short recovery in between each of them.
Cool down for at least a minute and a half
After those sprint efforts, it's essential to spin out your legs. Keep turning the pedals for at least a minute and a half to keep the blood pumping. It'll jump-start your recovery, so you'll feel fresher the next time you get on your bike.