Can indoor cycling exercise leg muscles?

We spoke with certified personal trainer and cycling instructor Joseph David (ISSA-CPT), a lifelong group fitness and cycling instructor in New York and New Jersey, to find out if cycling classes are enough to tone your legs and how to do indoor cycling Even lower body burns.

What muscles does cycling work?

Of course, cycling does exercise your leg muscles. After all, these pedals don’t move on their own! David says you can work your quads (muscles in the front of your thighs), glutes (muscles in your buttocks) and calves (muscles in the back of your calves).

“When you lift your legs away from your core, you engage your quads, and when you pedal down, you stimulate your glutes,” he says. According to the Arthritis Foundation, if you wear cycling shoes that strap on to the pedals, your hamstrings will also get more work when you pedal.

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Bonus: Indoor cycling also works your abs: “The entire class is working your core,” adds David.

“The real star here is adding resistance to the bike.” —Joseph David, ISSA-CPT

How does cycling compare to resistance training?

But while cycling can strengthen your leg muscles, if you really want to build muscle, targeted lower-body strength exercises like squats and deadlifts will have a greater effect.

according to a March 2015 Review¹ exist Acta Physiologica Hungariancycling does increase leg muscle size, but any noticeable changes occur at a slower rate than the increases noted with traditional strength training.

Additionally, indoor riding is linear; it only involves moving in one plane. According to USA Cycling, lower-body exercises like lateral lunges and lateral step-ups work your leg muscles in different planes of motion, which helps build balance strength by working different muscles in different ways.

If you really want to build leg muscles quickly, then adding a few lower-body strength training days to your workout routine will help. But remember, these workouts may make you a better cyclist over time, according to one Study in March 2021² exist Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology.

And vice versa: Cycling may also help with your strength training, David says. He says leg presses relax your hips and stimulate your glutes, which means you’ll likely be more comfortable moving through a full range of motion on lifting days.

Can cycling alone build leg strength?

you will definitely build Some Leg strength comes from just riding the bike without strength training. If this is your plan, make sure you ride with resistance. “The real star here is the increased resistance on the bike,” David said. Your muscles have to work harder to turn the pedals, adapting and getting stronger in the process. “I like to say, work hard to gain muscle.”

You may also want to pedal while sitting on the saddle rather than standing on the bike. When you stand up, David says, you use more of your body weight to push against the resistance on the pedals. Sitting can better insulate your legs, which may make them stronger over time.

If you’re eager to see results, take indoor cycling classes at least four times a week, he says. If you decide to lift weights, there will be time for individual strength training. If not, you can even ride your bike six times a week to really keep yourself consistent and on the path to improvement, he says.

If you’re really looking for a challenge and you’re already an experienced exerciser, try doing some lower-body strength training before an indoor riding class. “It really wears your legs out,” David said.

David adds that no matter how you plan to workout, you have to push your limits if you want to build muscle and strength. Your movements should feel challenging and become more difficult over time as you become more comfortable, a concept called progressive overload. “Even if [picking up weights that are] It’s a pound heavier than last time, a pound more,” he said. “Just slowly increase the resistance, keep at it, and trust that you’re already strong.”