cero

WORKOUT TIMERS

Cycling interval timer

Indoor cycling and spin intervals, from short sprints to 4-minute efforts, with heart rate if you want it

Many of the best-known interval studies were done on exercise bikes, from the original Tabata study to modern sprint interval training 1,2,3. A bike makes intervals easy to repeat: you can push hard without impact and stop the moment the interval ends.

Indoor cycling intervals.
SessionWorkRestRounds
30/3030 s30 s10 to 15
40/2040 s20 s8 to 12
Sprints30 s all-out4 min easy4 to 6
4×44 min3 min4

How to set it up in Cero

  1. Create a new simple timer, and set high intensity, low intensity and sets.
  2. Add a warm-up of 5 to 10 minutes of easy spinning, and a cool down.
  3. Give your intervals their own music: a fast track for work, something calmer for rest.
  4. Turn on Adaptive HR to rest until your heart rate is ready, with a Bluetooth heart-rate monitor or your Apple Watch.

What the research found

Key study

Six sessions of short sprints matched hours of steady riding

  • Training study
  • Active young men
  • 2 weeks

Riders did 4 to 6 all-out 30-second sprints with 4 minutes of easy pedaling between them, three times a week. After two weeks their muscles’ capacity to use oxygen and their time-trial performance had improved as much as in a group that rode steadily for 90 to 120 minutes per session, for about a quarter of the training time.

Source 2

Sources

  1. Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, et al. Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996;28(10):1327-1330. doi.org/10.1097/00005768-199610000-00018
  2. Gibala MJ, Little JP, van Essen M, et al. Short-term sprint interval versus traditional endurance training: similar initial adaptations in human skeletal muscle and exercise performance. J Physiol. 2006;575(3):901-911. doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2006.112094
  3. Gillen JB, Martin BJ, MacInnis MJ, et al. Twelve Weeks of Sprint Interval Training Improves Indices of Cardiometabolic Health Similar to Traditional Endurance Training despite a Five-Fold Lower Exercise Volume and Time Commitment. PLoS One. 2016;11(4):e0154075. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154075
  4. Helgerud J, Høydal K, Wang E, et al. Aerobic High-Intensity Intervals Improve VO2max More Than Moderate Training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(4):665-671. doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e3180304570

YOUR NEXT SESSION STARTS HERE

Bring the effort.
We’ll keep the time.

Cero is free to download for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

Download Cero
Cero’s simple timer on iPhone 18 Pro, with the green wave about half full during a high-intensity interval

Cero is a timer, not a medical device. If you’re new to hard exercise, are pregnant or have a health condition, check with your doctor first, and stop if you feel unwell.