Manon Lloyd's 20-minute indoor training workout: High power tempo with sprints
Are you ready for a quick, cycling HIIT workout? Manon, Hank and Conor are in the pain cave, taking on a short session on the bike to improve their tempo pace
GCN
The GCN team
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Join Manon, Hank and Conor for this quick 20-minute indoor training workout. After a ramped warm-up, we'll be doing a short circuit between easy riding, tempo riding and sprinting, building muscular endurance and anaerobic power.
As with all the GCN indoor training workouts, the whole thing is based on a simple 1 to 10 perceived exertion system, so you don't need a heart rate monitor, power meter or smart trainer.
You will need some kind of static bike, whether that's a spin bike or an indoor trainer, and it's a good idea to have some water and a towel close at hand, so you can stay hydrated and mop away sweat. A fan to keep you cool is a good idea too.
- Read more: GCN's ultimate guide to indoor cycling
What are the benefits of sprint training?
Tough, high-intensity training sessions like this one will build your peak power, which is great for sprinting out on the road. If you're looking to lose weight, sprint training is perfect. It burns more calories in a shorter period of time than steady-state exercise, as this study in the National Library of Medicine shows.
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Warm up on your static bike for 3 minutes
To get ready for the sprint efforts to come, we're going to do a ramped warm-up. Follow Manon's lead as we'll move quickly through the gears, from 2/10, to 4/10, and to 6/10, before dropping back to 2/10 to recover before the main session.
The main session: Rest, tempo, sprint, repeat
There are four sprint efforts in this compact 20-minute session, and we'll build into each one gradually. First with some low intensity riding, then with a minute or two at tempo, which is 7/10 effort, followed by a short 9/10 sprint. Keep an eye on the screen as this session is always changing, and remember it's only short, so keep pushing right to the end.
Cool down for a minute and half
Before you jump off your indoor trainer, spin out the legs for at least a minute and a half. Turning the legs in a really easy gear will kick-start the recovery process and give you a chance to spin out some fatigue.
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