Conor Dunne's 30-minute training workout: New Year spin to get you back into the groove
A HIIT session to get you back into the swing of things after the Christmas break
Pete Trifunovic
Digital Content Creator
GCN's Conor Dunne is joined by Manon and Hank to help you start the New Year right with a high-intensity interval indoor training session, designed to get you back in shape after potentially a week or two off the bike. Aimed to kickstart your journey to achieving those 2024 goals, or perhaps GCN's 30 in 30 challenge, this intense session will start things off just right.
As always with GCN training sessions, the 30-minute activity is working off a perceived exertion scale from 1 to 10. You might've been treated to a fancy new power meter or heart rate monitor for Christmas, but you don't need any high-tech equipment to join in with this session.
All you need is a bike set up on an indoor trainer, with perhaps a bottle of water at hand and a towel for when the tempo gets turned up!
- Read more: Smart trainer vs indoor trainer vs spin bike
What are the benefits of HIIT training when you've spent some time off the bike?
HIIT workouts are the ideal way to burn calories in a short space of time, something many of us are looking to do following the festive period when we might have got out of our usual rhythm. Research shows that interval training burns more fat than just your standard low-intensity training sessions. What's more, HIIT sessions break down your muscles meaning that the body keeps on burning calories well into the recovery period.
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Warm up gradually on your indoor bike
To get yourself ready for the high-intensity efforts later on in the session, we're going to do a steady five-minute warm-up. We'll mix between 1/10 and 4/10 efforts for between 30 seconds and a minute.
The main session: mixed intensity intervals
It's now time for the main event. Conor will take you through a mixture of five different intervals, with some 7/10 'tempo' efforts and the occasional 9/10 sprint effort. He'll finish off with 30 seconds at an all-out 10/10 effort.
Cool down on your indoor bike
Now you've tackled those hard efforts, it's time to warm down. Take two minutes riding at a very gentle pace. This will give you the chance to catch your breath and kick-start your recovery process.
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