Are Studio SWEAT onDemand workouts good for outdoor riders?

Are you an outdoor cyclist hitting the roads, but looking to up your game indoors? If so, you may be wondering if adding Studio SWEAT onDemand Spin® at-home workouts to your training routine will yield results. Cat Kom and Trainer Jess are here to tell you why they may or may not be what you’re looking for.

You know how they say the “Jack of All Trades is the Master of None”? Well that goes for fitness training service too. While there are virtual indoor cycling programs that are specific to training for outdoor road riding, that’s not the specialty at Studio SWEAT and Studio SWEAT onDemand. Rather, our focus is on the fitness enthusiast – those looking for increasing endurance, building strength, reducing fat, getting stronger, and just getting fit and happy. Because of that, most of our cycling classes don’t precisely simulate an outdoor ride.

What’s the difference?

Well, to start, the terminology is different. For example, in class, to get onto a hill, we’d say “gear up.” When you’re riding outside and hit a hill, you’d actually gear down to a lighter gear.

The cadences used are different. For a typical road ride, you’ll spend more time in the saddle, and your cadences used will often be in the higher ranges, around 85-110 RPMs. In our classes, we range between speeds of 60-110 RPMs, with a variety of drills aimed at fat-loss, leg-toning, threshold cardio training, and more.

Oh, in case you’re wondering what the difference is between Spinning® and Indoor Cycling – Spinning® is a trademarked term for the activity of indoor cycling. Mad Dogg athletics owns the trademark because they were the masterminds behind this incredible workout many moons ago! So basically think about Spinning® being to Indoor Cycling what Kleenex® is to tissue paper. 

Back to the main question here… does that mean skip Spinning® if you’re a road warrior? Of course not.

Why Spin® then?

Spinning® is a great cross-training workout. You can build stamina and leg strength that will benefit your road rides.

You’re already a runner or swimmer? We’ve got a crew at Studio SWEAT who have tackled sprint-triathlons with very little cycling training per se. But they’ve crushed that portion of the tri.

If mountain biking is more your outdoor style, Cat shares that Spinning® will really move you to a new level – crushing climbs, pushing up that hill, and powering through accelerations.

Are there options for indoor training?

Try getting a “trainer” for your outdoor bike. This will help you with training specific to outdoor road biking that you can’t get from an indoor cycling bike.

While most of our trainers aren’t going to give you an outdoor simulation, in your class search, filter by trainer and select Trainer Mike (or click HERE). He’s got a lot of road bike experience, and in fact, switched to indoor riding when he felt his outdoor rides were getting more dangerous. Mike’s classes definitely have more of an outdoor cycling vibe and style, usually at a higher cadence, longer endurance rides, and outdoor jump drills where you hop out of the saddle and accelerate (you can even yell “on your left!” to make the ride even more realistic).

Whatever your end-goal for your indoor riding, we bet you WILL get a great workout when you check out our online and in-app workouts at Studio SWEAT onDemand! Try it, compliments of us if you haven’t already by getting your free trial now!