Indoor Cycling Apps You Need To Try: Cycling is one of the finest exercises for maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. You may do many things to keep a fit and healthy lifestyle. Cycling is a kind of exercise with many advantages for both physical and mental health, whether inside or outside. It can aid in weight loss, build muscles, and increase cardiovascular fitness. The mental health benefits of regular riding have also been linked to mood improvement and stress reduction. Cycling is an excellent method to maintain good physical and mental health while being active. Cycling daily is one of the best ways to lower your risk of acquiring health issues linked to extended sitting. It is a low-impact kind of exercise that is gentler on joints than exercises like jogging, and it may also increase flexibility and balance. Here are a few benefits of cycling for your health.
1 – Cycling is distinct from other forms of exercise in that it includes fewer repetitive motions. You train out because you need strong legs, arms, and back muscles for flexibility and movement.
2 – Cycling is a good method to lose weight and become in shape. You might feel healthier overall by helping to build muscle and strength. Cycling will also assist in lowering your body fat percentage, making it simpler to control your weight.
3 – Cycling may be done at a very mild level, to begin with, if you’re recovering from an injury or illness. Then, you can progressively build it up to a demanding level.
4 – Cycling can improve your strength, stamina, and level of aerobic fitness. It benefits people of all ages. In addition, cycling is both affordable and healthy for the body.
We all know that obesity is one of the biggest health problems of our time; therefore, it’s a great method to keep physically healthy. In this guide, we’ll cover all the reasons why cycling is good for our health and fitness, as well as some of the best indoor cycling apps for at-home exercise. So let’s get started to learn more!
What Are Indoor Cycling Apps?
Users of indoor stationary cycles may participate in virtual cycling classes or workouts thanks to indoor cycling app software. These apps often include a variety of cycling workouts and classes that may be tailored to the user’s fitness level and goals and are instructed by virtual teachers. Other features included in some indoor cycling apps include virtual rides through real-world destinations, music integration, and the capacity to track and monitor progress. Indoor cycling apps are accessible through a subscription service or on a one-time basis and may be used on various devices, including smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs.
Indoor Cycling Apps Benefits
Learn more about these options to pick the app that best meets your needs. The following are some benefits of using indoor cycling apps.
Convenience – Indoor cycling apps eliminate the need for users to drive to a gym or cycling studio by allowing them to participate in virtual cycling classes or workouts from their homes.
Variety – Indoor cycling apps often include a variety of cycling workouts and classes, such as interval training, hill climbs, and endurance rides, enabling users to switch up their workout routines and try new ride styles.
Customization – Many indoor cycling apps allow users to tailor their workouts based on their fitness level and time, making tracking progress and setting new goals simple.
Motivation – Virtual instructors in indoor cycling apps can inspire and motivate users to push themselves during workouts to achieve their fitness goals.
Tracking & Monitoring – Indoor cycling apps frequently provide tools to track and monitor their progress, including distance traveled, calories burnt, and heart rate. Users may use this to establish and accomplish fitness goals.
Affordability – Indoor cycling classes can be a cost-effective alternative to a gym membership or cycling studio classes. Many apps allow users to subscribe to their services or to pay a one-time fee for specific classes.
Indoor Cycling App Will Help You Become A Faster Cyclist – Most people will find that if they have a coach and a power meter and are participating in rigorous organized training, indoor training is one of the best ways to train for speed.
Everyone serious about their goals, whether cyclists or triathletes, will eventually find themselves riding indoors. Nowadays, using the treadmill may be both entertaining and beneficial because of the number of apps that are accessible. We’ve listed many indoor cycling apps and described each one’s functionality.
The Best Indoor Cycling Apps You Need To Try
We’ve compiled a list of Indoor Cycling Apps to help you find the one that’s right for you.
1. Zwift
If you want to compete against your buddies in real-time on virtual group rides or races, Zwift is ideal if you want basic programmed exercise components. With friendly competition, casual group rides, and organized training programs, Zwift is building a community of athletes with similar interests. In addition, athletes worldwide may compete in detailed, 3D-generated environments by connecting their existing equipment. (e.g., trainers, heart rate monitors, power meters, etc.). With start times every two to four hours, Zwift provides group rides, races, structured training for groups, and open free riding. The app is simple to download and use on both iPhones and Android cellphones. In addition, Zwift offers a variety of subscription subscriptions beyond the trial time.
2. Rouvy
While Zwift has a virtual environment, Rouvy does not. It successfully employs augmented reality to superimpose avatars on top of the real video. Rouvy offers one of the most affordable membership options. The app has everything to offer and is free. You may use this to participate in races and group events with real riders worldwide and ride with virtual companions. The membership lets you access a library of over 4,000 workouts, interactive video instructions, and a custom workout builder.
3. Wahoo SYSTM
Following Wahoo’s purchase of RGT Cycling, Wahoo X now includes Wahoo RGT and a brand-new online training platform from the fitness technology firm Wahoo SYSTM. Customers may use the “intuitive training plan builder” feature of the Wahoo SYSTM app to design workout routines specific to their goals and fitness level. In addition to indoor and outdoor riding, it also considers any cross-training you could perform off the bike. The app offers excellent workouts and training plans made by expert instructors. It has features for athletes who compete in many sports and all-encompassing strength, yoga, and mental training. At the moment, Android and iPhone users may download the app. After the 14-day free trial period, Wahoo SYSTM offers monthly subscription packages.
4. RGT Cycling
RGT Cycling, formerly Road Grand Tours Cycling, has been bought by Wahoo and is now known as Wahoo RGT. You may view Wahoo SYSTM material and use a Wahoo X membership to access the premium edition. Previously, RGT combined the two apps—made to run the game on a large screen before being played on a phone. If you have a premium membership and can upload your GPX files, the app will now build a virtual course to ride in the game. You may now quickly link your smart trainer to an Android phone, Mac computer, or iPhone running RGT Cycling. The platform claims that this should solve any connectivity problems some users were experiencing and make it easier to correct any mistakes. It is a competitor of Zwift, excluding the fact that it offers virtual riding on real roads. There’s still a free version of Wahoo RGT.
5. TrainerRoad
One of the best indoor cycling apps, TrainerRoad, works with iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac computers. The app features a user-friendly UI that learns from your progress and offers personalized fitness programs tailored to your goals and objectives. It connects to your ANT+ and/or Bluetooth Smart devices to determine your power, speed, and other factors. It then adjusts the workouts based on your fitness level using this information. For example, you only need a suitable trainer and a speed sensor to train with a power meter. In addition, users may simulate rides using the latest modern features using Group Workouts, a personal Plan Builder, and Outside Workouts. If you’re unhappy with TrainerRoad’s offering, you have 30 days to request a refund.
6. CycleGo
Sierra Chica has been producing iOS and Android apps for more than ten years. They recently made use of Unity for one of their projects. A few years ago, the business decided to also create fitness apps, changing its name to Sierra Chica Software. In 2018, they released CycleGo, and it quickly gained popularity among indoor cycling apps. To exercise and lose weight at home or the gym, use the CycleGo app. Whether you have a spin bike (stationary bike) or a treadmill, you may use virtual bike trainers and running coaches to achieve your goals. By intensifying your treadmill and indoor cycling routines, The Cycle is the indoor cycling and running app you need to reach your objectives.
7. Kinomap
With more than 425 miles of video courses from around the world, Kinomap adjusts the resistance on your smart trainer to match the terrain depicted in the movie. With a power meter or a smart trainer with a fixed resistance, Kinomap offers interval training in two alternative setups. You may train alone or join sessions with other people wherever you are in the world. The app offers a 14-day free trial.
8. Motosumo
Motosumo was founded in 2015 by a group of engineers, astrophysicists, and a star athlete from Denmark. In order to provide real-time fitness stats on indoor cycles, such as cadence, distance, and calories burnt, they created the first app in the world that uses the smartphones’ built-in motion sensors. The Motosumo app uses the sensors on your smartphone to track your cadence, speed, distance traveled, and calories burnt. This suggests that any bike can be easily converted into a smart bike.
9. Garmin
Choose the “Indoor Cycling” activity from the Garmin app’s home screen to start monitoring your indoor cycling workout. Then, by selecting “save” after each ride in the Garmin app, you can review your ride and monitor your progress over time. In addition, cadence and Ride with GPS are the only third-party apps compatible with the Garmin Varia radar, allowing cyclists to see oncoming cars in real time while they ride.
How To Pick The Perfect Indoor Cycling App For Your Needs?
Each of us seeks a certain experience when cycling outside, so we should expect the same when we switch to cycling indoors. The following are a few things to consider while selecting your indoor cycling app.
Maintaining A Competitive Mindset – If you want to truly immerse yourself in an indoor cycling experience that closely matches the real thing, an augmented reality software like Rouvy or Tacx could be ideal. If these factors are essential to you, their popularity and intense competition could make them just as immersive. However, virtual reality (3D-produced) options like Zwift and CycleGo might have a higher level of realism. Therefore, it is ideal to research the market before purchasing an app.
Financial Limitations – Cost is a crucial factor to take into account. After all, pricey indoor cycling experiences typically cost very much money. Additionally, employing each company’s pricey indoor training cycles optimizes the performance of certain programs like Zwift or TrainerRoad. So to get the most out of your experience, it might be important to maximize your expenditure.
Are Smart Trainers Required For Indoor Cycling Apps?
All training programs employ the power to define intervals or regulate how quickly you navigate a virtual world. These programs can use one of three methods—using a smart trainer, a power meter, or virtual power—to determine power. The first two are self-explanatory; “smart” power meters and turbo trainers pair with your device through Bluetooth or ANT+ (you may need an ANT+ adapter for the latter), and the app can calculate how many watts you’re expanding.
We may use this resistance curve to estimate a trainer’s power depending on speed and cadence because each trainer has a unique power curve. Virtual power has several restrictions; whether or not your possible app has tested a certain trainer will determine how accurate it is. Nevertheless, virtual power will be near enough to get you started with a training app, even if it won’t be as accurate as the precisely calibrated strain gauges of a power meter or smart trainer.
Consider The Following:
The Bottom Line:
Cycling may be done daily thanks to the influx of new indoor cycling apps on the market, especially whether you commute by bike or ride slowly. However, if you ride a bike for fitness, please allow yourself at least one day off each week. After difficult or lengthy rides, longer recuperation times are required. Likewise, exercise people need to take a break to ensure they get the most out of their efforts.