BikeErg Workouts to Get You Ready to Ride

April has arrived in Vermont and that means one thing – outdoor biking season is almost here! While a few brave souls have already gotten their first outdoor rides under their belts, it will be weeks until the last of the snow melts, the muddy back roads and trails begin to dry, and temperatures finally start to warm up for good. In the meantime, we have you covered to get your legs prepared for summer days in the saddle. Find BikeErg workouts to get you ready for a long season of outdoor cycling, as well as a few strength training movements to build power and for injury prevention. 

Steady State Endurance Rides 
If you are dreaming of epic gravel, road, and mountain bike rides this summer, now is the time to start preparing for them. Steady state endurance rides on the BikeErg will help you do that.  

The Workout
30 mins to 120 mins depending on your weekly volume goals. 

Aiming for zone 2 Heart Rate (HR), or a conversational pace. 

Damper between 3-6, or able to maintain 70-90 RPM. 

Incorporate more endurance rides to help build weekly volume in your training, and to build a strong cardiovascular fitness base come spring and summer. 

ErgData link: Steady state endurance ride 

Hill Simulators 
Do you wince thinking of how winded you feel on the first few rides of the season as you crest each hill? Use this workout to get you ready to tackle even some of the longest and gnarliest of hills come outdoor riding season.  

The Workout
10 minutes easy warm up. 

3 x 10 minutes, increasing the damper every 2 minutes in the 10 minute “hill” segments. Start at damper setting 4 and work your way up. 

Take 2 minutes easy and go back to damper setting 4 between each 10 minute “hill” segment. 

You should be breathing heavy and working hard, just like you would at the top of a big climb. Take a 5-minute cool down and pedal easy. 

ErgData link: Hill Simulator Workout 

Zone 4 Intervals 
Ready to crush your Strava segment PR this summer? These zone 4 intervals will help you do just that. Zone 4, or anerobic threshold, should be performed at 80-90% of your maximum heart rate beats per minute (bpm). Not sure what that is for you? Check out this blog to help you determine what your heart rate zones are, and how to use this on all Concept2 machines. Zone 4 intervals help you get more efficient at going fast, and ultimately, further! 

The Workout
Warm up your legs and pedal easy for 10 minutes.  

10 x 1,000m intervals in zone 4 with 90 seconds rest between each effort. 

Increase the damper for each interval (5-6) and decrease for the rest (3-4). 

Take a 5-minute cool down and pedal easy. 

With the help of ErgData and target heart rate zone, get into zone 4 quickly, but do not push too hard so that you will not be able to finish all the intervals or go into zone 5 heart rates.  

ErgData link: Zone 4 Intervals 

Sprint Intervals 
Sprints do not just help your speed, they also help improve your endurance, build your VO2 max, and help build your fast twitch muscle fibers. Sprints are a great way to improve your cardiovascular fitness, without taking up too much time. 

The Workout 
Pedal easy for 15-20 minutes to start. For sprints, it is important to be sufficiently warmed up before you begin. 

10 x 30 seconds all out with 60 seconds rest. 

As you continue to adapt, decrease the rest or increase the amount of intervals. 

Pedal easy for 5 minutes to cool down. 

ErgData link: Sprint Intervals 

30 Minute Test 
Do this workout to gauge your fitness and help determine your pacing for workouts to come. Keep coming back to this workout to track your cardiovascular fitness and mental toughness. 

The Workout 
5 minutes easy warm up. 

30 minutes in zone 3-4. Use the Ergdata Target HR to help guide your effort. 

Damper set to where you can hold 80-90 rpm, with room to increase cadence. 

Once done, pedal easy for 5 minutes to cool down. 

Tip: If you know your Functional Threshold Power (FTP), start this workout at 92-95%, and build up as you go. If you do not know your FTP use other long rides to guesstimate a pace you think you can hold. Every 5 minutes, see if you can push the pace a little more. 

Since this is a rankable workout in the Concept2 Online Logbook, it is an easy one to compare to previous attempts, and you can see where you stand by gender and age. We included all ages in the charts below for men (left) and women (right). Check out the 30 min Rankings to see where you land in your age group. 

ErgData link: 30 Minute Test 

Bonus: How Low Can You Go? 
Expect for this workout to be about 20-40 minutes in length, depending on how far you can get. Expect this to go from quite easy to very hard. This is a great workout for when you have low motivation because it starts off easy, and then the mental focus of hitting each target (or as close as possible), helps make this one fun. 

The Workout 
Warm up easy for 5 minutes then dive into :40 work :20 Rest descending pace ladder for as long as you can hold on. Start with a pace you could comfortably hold for a steady state workout. Then, drop your pace by 1 second at each interval. E.g., r. 2:00/1000m, 1:59/1000m, 1:58/1000m etc... See image below for example as well. 

ErgData link: :40 seconds on/ :20 seconds rest 

Depending on the day and the mental push needed, this may be 20 minutes long, or over 30. Focus on the average pace during this workout, aiming to finish as close to the goal mark as possible.  

Strength Movements to Keep You Pedaling All Season Long 
These movements help you become efficient, strong, and resilient on and off the BikeErg. Strength training can help skyrocket the endurance you have built up from cycling. It will also improve your posture, lower the risk of injury, and help you conserve energy out on the road. We have a linked videos for each movement, so be sure to check those out for proper technique and form. These movements help you do more of what you love – cycling!  

Single Leg Romanian Deadlift Use these to improve hamstring and glute strength, as well as balance and stability. Cycling is extremely quad dominant, so this move helps limit muscle imbalances and increases athleticism on and off the bike. 

Box Jumps Box jumps and plyometrics are great for helping with explosiveness. Use these to help your jumping and playfulness on the bike. 

Dead Bugs Improve your stability and core with dead bugs for better bike handling and staying strong even when the terrain might get tough. 

Single Leg Glute Bridge Use these to strengthen your glutes, as well as help limit muscle imbalances to prevent knee and back pain while cycling. 

Kettlebell Goblet Squat Focus on staying upright and being explosive and fast with coming up after the squat. This movement can also be performed with a dumbbell, but using a kettlebell is best for increasing your grip strength for bike handling. 

Bonus Move: Turkish Get Ups Use these to add functional strength, stability, and mobility to your routine. This movement hits your shoulders, core, glutes, quads, and hamstrings.