What Muscles Do You Work When Doing Indoor Cycling or Spinning? Which Body Parts Get the Most Benefit?

Indoor cycling for fitness and strength building

What muscles are we training when doing indoor cycling?

Depending on the sport you practice, certain areas of the body will be called upon more than others, but what about when you ride an exercise bike? Will you tone and refine your figure on a stationary or exercise bike? Below you’ll find a list of muscles and muscle groups strengthened and sculpted by the exercise bike!

Upper limbs (shoulders, arms and forearms)

The exercise bike or stationary bike requires very little effort from the upper limbs.

Trunk and pelvis (Chest, stomach and back)

• Abdominals: These are made up of several layers of muscle (rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, transverse) whose function is to flex and rotate the trunk.

Lower limbs (glutes, thighs and calves)

• Quadriceps: Located at the front of the thigh, the quadriceps is made up of 4 muscles (vastus femoris or rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius). These muscles facilitate flexion of the thigh over the hip, as well as extension of the leg over the thigh.
• Hamstring muscles: Located on the back of the thigh, there are four hamstring muscles (biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semitendinosus). They ensure leg flexion and thigh extension.
• Calf muscles: also known as the sural triceps, the calf muscles comprise 3 muscle fascicles, including the soleus and gastrocnemius. These muscles help extend the foot down the leg

The exercise bike mainly strengthens the lower limbs. The flexion and extension movements involved in pedaling strengthen the calves, thighs (hamstrings, quadriceps), glutes, lumbar muscles and abdominals.

Quality Nutrition for Muscle Health

To maximize sports results and meet the needs of your muscle tissues, it is essential to combine quality nutrition with your sports practice. A diet rich in nutritious calories, containing a variety of macronutrients and micronutrients, provides the necessary energy for your body. Understanding energy balance and following effective advice on how to lose weight and keep it off sustainably is fundamental.