The best way to build a cycling routine is to ease into it. Start small.
Once you’ve chosen a comfortable and appropriate type of bicycle and have your helmet and any other gear you need, you can try following these steps.
Building Up a Cycling Routine & Habit
I would suggest, you start with taking your cycle out for a test spin. Familiarise yourself with your brakes – front and back. This will ensure that you don’t get into a stupid and unnecessary accident (like I did). Ride leisurely and pick a safe route. This could be your building complex or the park or your neighbourhood. Avoid main roads with traffic.
Once you have your route planned out, decide which days are best for you to cycle. You can choose 2 or 3 days to start with. I would suggest 2 week days – Tuesdays, Thursdays and one weekend – Sunday. Start with short rides. You can expand on times and days as you get more comfortable riding. Here is a rough outline on how you should build up on your weekly routine-
The first few weeks are about getting comfortable with cycling. Start off with 10 minute rides on your first 2 outings. Aim for 15 to 20 mins on the weekends.
Repeat this for one or 2 more weeks till you are comfortable and have built enough strength to complete your 20 minute weekend rides with ease.
For the next week, increase your weekday ride times to 15-20 mins. Cycle for 30 mins on the weekends.
Repeat this for one more week.
Now increase weekday ride times to 30 minutes and weekend to 45 minutes. On alternate weeks you can allocate one of the riding weekdays for a walk/jog.
In this manner, keep increasing your riding times till you are able to ride on the weekends for 60 minutes.
At this point you can add another riding day. Your first weekday ride can be 45 mins, 2nd can be 20 minutes, your third ride can be 45 mins again and you weekend ride should be 60 mins.
You will now find that you are able to ride faster comfortably, despite increased heart rates.
As you start riding longer and faster, it will become important for you to add pre-ride warmups.
Why do I need warm-ups before cycling?
A pre-ride warmup will increase the temperature and blood flow in your muscles. This will increase performance outcomes and reduce the risk of cramps and injuries by making your tissues pliable. Below is a quick and dynamic pre-ride warm up that you could follow.
Pre-Cycling Warm-Up Exercises
Hip Circles
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips. Shift your weight to one foot and slowly circle your hips in a clockwise direction. Complete 10 circles, then switch to the other direction and complete another 10 circles.
Arm Circles
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and extend your arms parallel to the floor. Circle your arms forward using small controlled motions, gradually making the circles bigger until you feel a stretch in your triceps. Reverse the direction of the circles after about 10 seconds.
Ankle Circles
Stand on one foot. Raise the opposite foot a few inches off of the floor. Without moving your leg, rotate your ankle in a large circle in one direction. Reverse the direction of the circles after a set of about 10-15 circles. Repeat with the other foot.
Knee Circles
Keep your feet flat on the floor. Stand straight with your feet together and your knees bent. Keep your body relaxed and face forward. Place your hands on the knees and slowly rotate them making small circles. Switch the direction of circles after a set of 10-15 circles.
Squats
Stand with feet a little wider than hip width, toes facing front. Keeping your chest up and out and the pressure even in your feet, engage your abdominals and shift your weight back into your heels as you push your hips back. Sit into a squat position while still keeping your heels and toes on the ground, chest up and shoulders back. Strive to eventually reach parallel, meaning knees are bent to a 90-degree angle. Keep your chest out and core tight as you push through your heels to stand back up to your starting position. Squeeze your glutes at the top. Perform 10–15 reps. Work up to 3 sets.
Leg Swings
Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart and hold onto a wall/ chair. First do a forward leg swing. Keep one leg stationary, slowly swing the opposite leg forward and backward in a single smooth movement. Switch sides and repeat until set of 10-20 is complete. Follow it up with a lateral leg swing. Keep your weight on the right leg and swing your left leg to the left and then across your body to the right. Repeat the movement with the right leg until the set of 10-20 is complete.3.
Hip Openers
Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart and elbows bent at a 90-degree angle. Lift your right leg and bend the knee, circling it in, up, and around. Place your right foot back in the same spot. Lift your left leg and bend the knee, circling it in, up, and around. Place your left foot back in the same spot. That’s 1 rep. Perform 10-15
This is my preferred pre-ride warm up. I like to switch it up, some days I add a new exercise, other days I do only some of the above. Different cyclists have different set of warm up exercises that they like to follow. This also depends on your level of physical fitness and/or if you have any injuries.
With your cycling routine, warm-up and all the other aspects of this activity, start slow, take your time, try out different suggestions here and see what works for your. Ultimately you must do what best works for you in your journey into cycling for fitness.
