Optimizing Nutrition for Indoor Cycling Workouts

By Chris Carmichael,
CTS Founder and Chief Endurance Officer

Indoor cycling is great for packing a lot of effective training into a short period of time. You don’t need to get dressed in multiple layers or navigate to safe roads for interval training. You can just get on, warm up, and open the throttle. But effective interval training requires fuel, and there are special considerations for hydration and nutrition for indoor cycling.

Eat light before a heavy workout

You really don’t want to start a hard workout feeling full. Eating your last substantial meal about 2 hours before an indoor workout typically provides enough digestion time to feel good. Remember that of the three macronutrients, high-fat foods take the longest to digest. Protein is in the middle, and carbohydrate is the fastest. A turkey sandwich with some vegetables would be an example of a carbohydrate- and protein-rich choice that’s lower in fat. A bacon cheeseburger would be the opposite.

Have a pre-workout snack

If you train in the afternoon or evening, you likely had your last substantial meal 2-3 hours before training. You’ll want a small pre-workout snack so you’re alert and have enough blood sugar to avoid feeling depleted halfway through. Between 30 and 60 minutes before the workout, have a banana or an apple with some peanut butter. Personally, I like eating a banana, 3-4 Medjool dates, or sports nutrition bar about 30 minutes before an indoor workout.

Early-morning nutrition for indoor cycling workouts

The key for early morning workouts is that you have full muscle glycogen stores, so you don’t need a full breakfast. A small snack and glass of orange juice will keep you from feeling hungry and provide some blood sugar to perk you up. The banana, dates, or bar mentioned above are also good early-morning choices for nutrition during indoor cycling.

What about training fasted? There may be times you’ll want to use the ‘Sleep High, Train Low’ method for manipulating carbohydrate availability. The way it works is to train hard enough late in the day to significantly deplete glycogen stores. Then, eat little or no carbohydrate before going to bed. Finally, wake up for a workout with less muscle glycogen available than usual. The idea is to improve fat utilization. As coaches Renee Eastman and Adam Pulford discussed in podcast episodes 168, 169, and 170, however, this type of carbohydrate manipulation probably isn’t all that necessary for improving fat oxidation or durability. You’re 90% of the way there just by keeping intensity low if fat oxidation is your goal. If you are waking up to do a high-intensity (HIIT) workout, though, you want high carbohydrate availability so you can produce high power. ‘Sleep High, Train Low’ is better saved for long morning endurance rides.

Caffeine – it works

Caffeine is one of the only supplements that perform reliably as an ergogenic aid. When you consume a reasonable amount (for you), it improves cognition, alertness, and focus. Generally accepted recommendations are to consume 3-9mg/kg to experience an ergogenic effect. A 2018 study discussed the inter-individual variation on this effect, which many people have learned through personal experience. More isn’t necessarily better, and too much will definitely be a bad experience. For many people, a shot of espresso or a cup of coffee or tea is a standard part of their pre-workout routine, particularly before early-morning workouts. You can certainly have a highly effective workout without caffeine, but if you like it and tolerate it well, then it can be helpful.

Water or electrolyte drink during workouts

High intensity indoor workouts tend to be short, difficult (duh), and hot. You’re likely to be on the bike for 60-75 minutes, and if you start with full muscle glycogen stores you have enough fuel on board for a high-quality workout. Not only do you not really need exogenous calories, you’re probably not going to be motivated to eat anything because of the intensity.

You’re going to sweat a lot, perhaps more than a liter per hour. Fluid replenishment is the priority over calories, and water and electrolyte drinks are the best choices. Carbohydrate-rich sports drinks have a place in longer indoor workouts, but water is tops for short and hard sessions.

Hydrate after workout

Even knowing that hydration is the priority during indoor cycling, it’s almost certain that you’ll sweat out more than you take in. This is especially true for HIIT workouts, because you may only take small sips so you don’t feel nauseated during subsequent intervals. Aim to consume between 120-150% of the weight you lose during your training session in the four hours after it. Remember that water in the foods you eat counts toward this amount.

Don’t overeat

A hard hour on the trainer does not warrant a trip to the all-you-can-eat pancake hut. If you have a power meter, you’ll probably see you did about 1000 kilojoules of work, maybe 1200 for some. You don’t need a 3,000 calorie mega burrito to replenish your carbohydrate stores. Your post-workout meal should be about the same size as what you’d eat if you didn’t work out, and include carbohydrate, some protein, and fat. Don’t stress about the exact proportions, but it is a good idea to consume protein throughout the day, rather than in a big dose right after training.

Save the shakes, unless…

Post-workout recovery shakes and drinks are good for riders who are doing more than one workout in a day, riders who are doing a hard session in the evening and another one in the morning, or after long rides (indoors or out). If this is the case, consider a shake or recovery drink that delivers both carbohydrate and protein, not just protein. Your goals are to replenish fluid, muscle and liver glycogen, and provide protein for muscle repair and adaptation.

If you are going to have 24-ish hours before your next hard workout, your meals should be sufficient to fuel recovery and adaptation. Why not have the recovery shake as an insurance policy, to cover the bases? You can, but it’s likely going to contribute to caloric overcompensation because you’re still going to eat your post-workout meals and meals throughout the day. If your daily nutrition is sufficient for meeting your energy and macronutrient demands (and it should be if you’re eating appropriately), then it’s better to utilize recovery shakes in very specific circumstances.

As with everything related to nutrition, there is a lot of variability between what works best for individuals. These are good starting guidelines to get you in the ballpark, but don’t be afraid to experiment with more or less or different foods before workouts, different drinks during, and various ingredients and foods after. Push it far enough to really find something that doesn’t work, and that will help define your sweet spot for fueling indoor cycling workouts.