Indoor cycling has gained enormous membership in recent years and is becoming increasingly popular among cyclists, both professionals and amateurs. Various apps allow you to compete with the world's best cyclists at home. It's also a great way to prepare for the cycling season, especially for those with competitive ambitions. It allows you to do a lot of effective training in a short period of time. For example, interval training doesn't require you to wear multiple layers of clothing or venture out on dangerous roads. But to be effective, whether it's interval training or a classic workout lasting several hours (depending on the program or goal), they need energy and indoor cycling requires special attention to hydration and nutrition. Here are a few tips to make your training easier and more efficient.

Before an intense workout eat enough carbohydrates

You really don't want to start a high-intensity workout with low or empty glycogen stores. If you eat your last meal about three hours before an indoor workout, you will usually have enough time to digest the food. Keep in mind that of the three macronutrients, foods high in fat require the longest to digest. Protein is in the middle and carbohydrates are the fastest. Choose foods that you already know won't upset your stomach.

Eat a pre-workout snack

If you train in the afternoon or evening, you probably ate your last heavy meal several hours before training. You should have a small snack before exercise to keep you alert and have enough blood sugar so you don't feel exhausted halfway through. It's best to have an energy bar or energy chew about 30 minutes before training so that it doesn't sit in your stomach and it is digested quickly.

Early morning nutrition for indoor cycling

The key to training early in the morning is to keep your muscles glycogen stores full, so you don't need a heavy breakfast. It would just make you sick. A small snack such as an energy bar or energy chew is also a good early morning meal when cycling indoors.

What about training in a fasted state? It may happen that someone wanst to improve fat utilization where the body uses more fat as a primary fuel source  and keep the glycogen stores full as long as possible. In this case, you need to eat low carb or no carbohydrates before going to bed. Then you end up waking up for a workout with less glycogen available than usual. However, when you wake up to do a high-intensity workout (HIIT), you want high carbohydrate availability so you can perform at a high level. Then we recommend taking carbohydrates in the form of a gel, bar or chew.

Caffeine

Caffeine is one of the few dietary supplements that works reliably as an ergogenic (performance-enhancing) aid. If you consume an appropriate amount (for you), it improves cognition, attention and concentration. For many people, a shot of espresso or a cup of coffee is part of their standard pre-workout routine, especially before early morning workouts. You can certainly have a highly effective workout without caffeine, but if you like it and tolerate it well, it can be helpful. You just need to be careful not to consume too much caffeine, as this will cause your heart rate to rise too high. That's why  energy gels from the best-known brands only contain enough caffeine so that you have more energy and concentration without being too stimulated.

Water or electrolyte drink during exercise

High-intensity indoor workouts tend to be short, difficult, and hot. You'll probably be on the bike for 60 to 75 minutes, and if you start with full muscle glycogen stores, you'll have enough fuel for the start of the workout. However, you need additional carbohydrates during exercise and enough water. Since some individuals will sweat a lot, so they will need even more than a liter per hour. Fluid replenishment is a priority and water and electrolyte drinks (isotonics) are the best choices. Carbohydrate-rich sports drinks should not be missing during longer indoor training sessions, as well as gels, bars or chews.

Don't eat too much...

A strenuous hour on the trainer doesn't justify a binge eating afterwards. You don't need a lot of carbohydrates to replenish your glycogen stores. Your post-workout meal should contain carbohydrates, some protein and little fat. Don't worry about the exact proportions, but it's a good idea to consume protein throughout the day rather than consuming a large portion right after a workout. But make sure that you consume 60 to 120 g of carbohydrates (depending on length and intensity) during training, in the form of isotonic drinks, gels, bars and chews.

...but also not too little

Recovery shakes and post-workout drinks are good for riders who do more than one workout per day, riders who do a hard workout in the evening and another workout in the morning, or after long rides (indoor or outdoor). So-called recovery drinks are best suited for this purpose. They have become very popular in recent years because they accelerate recovery and replenish glycogen stores. We recommend taking them after every training session or competition.

These are good starting guidelines to get you on the right track, but don't be afraid to experiment. You can consume more or less food or different foods before your workout, different drinks, gels, bars or chews during the training, and different foods after the training. Go far enough to really find something that works for you, and that will help you improve your performance at indoor cycling and later in the season too.