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Build your weekly indoor training plan (even as a beginner)

Training · 6 min read

You don't need a pro-team-grade training spreadsheet to get started. You need a simple structure that fits your actual week — with work, family and everything else — and that evolves gradually. Here's a 3-to-4-session weekly skeleton that works for pretty much any amateur cyclist starting out indoors.

Day 1: easy ride (Zone 2)

A low-to-moderate intensity session, 30 to 60 minutes, at a comfortable cadence — you should be able to hold a conversation (even if a bit breathless) throughout the effort. This is the session that builds your aerobic base without wrecking you for the next few days. It's tempting to skip this kind of workout thinking it's "not worth the effort," but it's exactly what sustains your weekly volume.

Day 2: intervals or tempo

This is where real intensity comes in: 2-to-5-minute blocks at an "uncomfortable but sustainable" pace (often called tempo or threshold pace), with recovery between blocks. Starting with something simple like 4 blocks of 3 minutes hard with 2 minutes of recovery in between is already a real stimulus for improving power and endurance.

Day 3: long simulated route

The week's "fun" session: simulate a longer real route at a moderate intensity, focusing on keeping a steady pace on climbs and recovering on descents. This is where the workout stops being just physiology and becomes an experience too — and where simulating familiar routes really helps keep you engaged.

Day 4: rest or cross-training

Recovery doesn't mean "doing absolutely nothing" — it can be full rest or a different, lighter activity (walking, stretching, a bit of strength work). What matters is not stacking high-intensity effort every single day, because recovery is when your body actually absorbs the gains from training.

Adapting it to your reality

This 4-day skeleton is a starting point, not a rule. If you can only train twice a week, prioritize the easy ride and the interval session, and save the long route for the weekend when you have more time. The goal isn't to follow a perfect plan — it's to get off the couch consistently, even imperfectly. Nobody turns into a beast overnight, and it's perfectly fine to start out a rookie.