There are several things you can do to maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle. Cycling, indoor or outdoor, is a form of exercise that offers numerous benefits for both physical and mental health. It can help improve cardiovascular fitness, strengthen muscles, and aid in weight loss. Regular cycling has also shown stress-reducing and mood-boosting effects on mental health. Cycling is a great way to keep moving and ensure sound physical and mental health. Cycling regularly is one of the best strategies to lower your chance of developing health problems associated with prolonged sitting. It can also improve flexibility and balance and is a low-impact form of exercise that is easier on joints than activities like running. The following are a few health advantages of cycling:
Most exercise requires you to do a lot of repetitive movements, and cycling is different. You do the workout because you need your leg, arm, and back muscles for movement and flexibility. Cycling is a useful way to get in shape and lose weight. It helps to build muscle and strength, which means you can also feel healthier overall. Cycling will also help lower your body fat levels, making your weight easier to manage. If you’re healing from an accident or illness, Cycling can be done at a very moderate level to start, and you can build it up to strenuous levels gradually. Cycling can help you gain more strength, endurance, and aerobic fitness. It is helpful for people of every age. Cycling is inexpensive and safe for the body.
It is a terrific way to stay physically healthy, and we all know that obesity is one of the largest health issues of our time. In this guide, we will learn everything about why Cycling affects our health and fitness and some of the best Indoor cycling apps to get fit at home. So, let’s dive in to know more!
What are Indoor Cycling apps?
Indoor cycling apps are software applications that allow users to participate in virtual cycling classes or workouts on their own indoor stationary bikes. These apps typically offer a variety of cycling workouts and classes that are led by virtual instructors and can be customized to the user’s fitness level and goals. Some indoor cycling apps also offer features such as virtual rides through real-world locations, music integration, and the ability to track and monitor progress. Indoor cycling apps can be used on a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs, and can be accessed through a subscription service or on a one-time basis.
Benefits of Indoor cycling apps
Learn more about these options to pick which app best suits your needs. Here are some of the advantages of having indoor cycling apps: Every triathlete or cyclist who is serious about their goals will ultimately find themselves riding indoors. Thanks to the abundance of apps available nowadays, using the treadmill can be both enjoyable and productive. We’ve provided a list of indoor cycling apps and an explanation of how each one works.
Zwift
Zwift is ideal if you want basic scheduled workout elements and want to compete against your friends in real time on virtual group rides or races.
Features:
Zwift is creating a community of like-minded athletes, including friendly competition, informal group rides, and scheduled training programs. Through their existing equipment’s simple connection, athletes from around the world can compete in rich, 3D-generated worlds (e.g., trainers, power meters, heart rate monitors, etc.). Zwift offers group rides, races, scheduled training for groups, and open free riding, with start times every two to four hours. The app can be easily downloaded and used for Android smartphones and iPhones.
Following the trial time, Zwift provides a variety of subscription plans.
Wahoo SYSTM
Following Wahoo’s acquisition of RGT Cycling, a new online training platform from the fitness technology company, Wahoo SYSTM, was incorporated inside Wahoo X along with Wahoo RGT.
Features:
The Wahoo SYSTM app offers an “intuitive training plan builder” that customers may utilize to create training regimens unique to their goals and fitness level. It also considers any off-bike cross-training you might undertake in addition to indoor and outdoor riding. The app provides top-notch workouts and training schedules created by elite coaches. It has provisions for athletes competing in several sports plus all-in-one strength, yoga, and mental training. The app is currently available on Android and iPhone.
Wahoo SYSTM has a free trial of 14 days and monthly subscription plans after the trial ends.
TrainerRoad
TrainerRoad, one of the finest indoor cycling apps, is compatible with your iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac PC.
Features:
The app has a user-friendly interface learning that adapts to your development, plus custom workout programs that focus on your objectives. It establishes a connection with your ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart devices to assess your power, speed, and other parameters. It then uses this information to adjust the workouts to your fitness level. You only need a speed sensor and a compatible trainer to train using a power meter. The most recent features allow users to virtually ride with Group Workouts, an individual Plan Builder, and Outside Workouts.
You have 30 days to request a refund if you’re not happy with TrainerRoad’s offering.
RGT Cycling
Wahoo has acquired RGT Cycling, also known as Road Grand Tours Cycling, and changed its name to Wahoo RGT.
Features:
A Wahoo X membership grants you access to the premium edition and allows you to enjoy Wahoo SYSTM material. Previously, RGT integrated the two apps—which were made to run the game on a big screen before being played on a phone—into one. The app will now build a virtual circuit for you to ride on in the game if you are a premium member and can upload your own GPX files. As a result, you can now easily connect your smart trainer to an Android smartphone, Mac PC, or iPhone running RGT Cycling. According to the platform, this should cure any connectivity issues some users were having and make it simpler to fix any errors.
Except for providing virtual riding on actual roads, it is a rival to Zwift. Wahoo RGT is still available in a free version.
Rouvy
Rouvy uses augmented reality to effectively superimpose avatars on top of the real footage and is similar to Zwift but without the virtual landscape. One of the most economical membership alternatives is provided by Rouvy.
Features:
The app offers a little bit of everything but is free of charge. You can do this to ride with virtual partners and participate in races and group rides with actual riders from across the world. A library of over 4,000 workouts with interactive video tutorials and a custom workout builder are also available with the membership.
Download: Android | IOS.
CycleGo
Sierra Chica has been creating iOS and Android apps for more than ten years. One of their most recent projects was made in Unity. The company changed its name to Sierra Chica Software a few years ago when it also decided to develop fitness apps. They introduced CycleGo in 2018, and it quickly became popular among indoor cycling apps.
Features:
Use the CycleGo app to exercise and slim down at home or in the gym. You can use the bike virtual trainers and running coach to achieve your goals, whether you have a spin bike (stationary bike) or a treadmill. The cycle is the indoor cycling and running app you need to attain your objectives by stepping up your treadmill and indoor cycling routines.
Download: iOS | Android.
Motosumo
In 2015, a group of engineers, astrophysicists, and one top athlete from Denmark formed Motosumo. They developed the first app in the world that uses the smartphones’ in-built motion sensors to produce real-time fitness metrics on indoor cycles, such as cadence, distance, and calories burned. Your cadence, speed, distance traveled, and calories burned are all tracked by the Motosumo app using the sensors in your smartphone. This implies that you can instantly transform any bike into a smart bike. Download: iOS | Android
Kinomap
With more than 425 km of video courses from around the world, Kinomap adjusts your smart trainer’s resistance according to the terrain shown in the film. Kinomap provides interval training in two different configurations: a power meter or a smart trainer with fixed resistance. Anywhere in the world, you can train alone or join sessions with other people. The app provides a free trial of 14 days Download: iOS | Android
Garmin
You can select the “Indoor Cycling” activity from the home screen on your Garmin app to begin tracking your indoor cycling session. In the Garmin app, you may analyze your ride and monitor your improvement over time by clicking “save” after your ride. The only third-party apps on the market that work with the Garmin Varia radar are Cadence and Ride with GPS, enabling cyclists to observe approaching automobiles in real time as they ride. Download: iOS | Android
How to choose the perfect Indoor cycling app for your needs?
When cycling outside, every one of us looks for a particular kind of experience, so when our cycling shifts indoors, we should anticipate the same. Here are a few things to be considered while choosing your indoor cycling app:
Are smart trainers required for indoor cycling apps?
Power is used by all training programs to set intervals or to control how quickly you go through a virtual environment. These programs can calculate power in one of three ways- using a smart trainer, a power meter, or virtual power. The first two go without saying; “smart” power meters and turbo trainers connect to your device through Bluetooth or ANT+ (you might need an ANT+ dongle for the latter), and the app can determine how many watts you’re exerting. Because each trainer has a different power curve, we may estimate a trainer’s power based on speed and cadence by using this resistance curve. Virtual power has various limitations; the accuracy depends on whether your potential app has tested a particular trainer. Although virtual power won’t be as precise as the finely calibrated strain gauges of a power meter or smart trainer, it will be close enough to get you started with a training app.
Final Thoughts
With several new indoor cycling apps coming up in the market these days, Cycling can be done every day, especially if you use your bike for transportation or ride slowly. Please make sure to give yourself at least one day of rest each week if you’re a biker who enjoys riding for fitness. Longer recovery times are needed after challenging or long rides. To ensure they get the most out of their efforts, people who exercise need to take a break. You may also look at some of the best exercise bikes.
