Outdoor Cycling
Riding a bike outdoors on roads, paths or trails. It trains the quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings and builds endurance with little impact on the joints. Choose it for long steady cardio or hard efforts on hills, and log the time and distance of each ride.
Updated
Primary muscles: quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings. Supporting muscles: calves. Equipment: bodyweight.
Muscles worked
Primary
Secondary
Equipment
How to do it
- Set the saddle so your knee stays slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke.
- Check the tires and brakes, and put on a helmet.
- Spin in an easy gear for the first few minutes.
- Look well ahead and keep a light grip, with your fingers near the brake levers.
- Shift gears to hold a smooth cadence of about 70 to 90 revolutions per minute.
- Shift to an easier gear before a climb.
- Spin in an easy gear for the last few minutes.
Watch for
- Grinding a heavy gear at a slow cadence, which loads the knees.
- A saddle too low (the knee stays well bent at the bottom of the stroke) or too high (the hips rock side to side).
- Locked elbows and a tight grip, which pass every bump to the neck.
Breathing
Breathe deep and steady; on an easy ride you can speak in full sentences.
Tip
Repeat a route now and then on a calm day: the same distance in less time shows your progress.
Track this exercise in the SmartReps app
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