When my local gym stopped their Spin® classes I set out to find a new one.

Spin® classes are famous for their sweat, their playlists, and being pushed past what you thought you could do.

But I am the type of person who also wants to feel my effort is effective for my goals

I was pleased to come across Pedal Studio.

Nial’s classes are well structured, and each session has a theme:

Intervals, Strength. Endurance…

Intensity.

This refers to how hard the body must work to perform the activity, e.g. the work rate, effort level, or metabolic challenge.

In conditioning, intensity specifically refers to energy demand during exercise in conditioning, where higher intensity exercise requires more energy than lower intensity activities.

My previous Spin® Studio had used Power as a measure of intensity. However, Nial uses Heartrate and I asked why he preferred this at Pedal Studio.

Why We Don’t Use Power as the Primary Benchmark

While power-based training has its place, we’ve made a conscious decision not to use power as our main benchmark in class.

For many riders, power metrics can be confusing and establishing them accurately usually requires an FTP test—which typically takes around 20 minutes (even with modified protocols).

Displaying power numbers can also encourage unnecessary competitiveness, sometimes at the expense of proper training. This is especially true when riders compare themselves to others on a shared monitor.

Power can also be misleading. For example, a male rider will typically generate higher absolute power numbers than a female rider, without any consideration for power-to-weight ratio or individual physiology.

Numbers alone don’t always tell the full story.

Why We Prefer Heart Rate Zones and RPE

Instead, we guide our classes using Heart Rate ranges and Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). This approach keeps training personal, effective, and far less competitive, allowing riders to focus on effort, technique, and progress rather than comparison.

Heart Rate training scales to the individual. Two riders side by side can be doing the same class, at the same resistance, to the same song, and be in completely different zones.

That’s not a problem—it’s the point.

Heart Rate training removes comparison and puts the focus back where it belongs:

Your body, Your effort, Your progress.

 

What Are Heart Rate Zones?

Whether you’re new to indoor cycling or a seasoned rider chasing performance gains, understanding heart rate zones can completely change how much you get out of every ride.

Heart rate zones are based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Each zone corresponds to a different training effect, from recovery to peak performance.

Rather than guessing how hard you’re working, heart rate data gives you real-time feedback from your workout.

What Each Heart Rate Zone Feels Like in Class

Here’s how zones typically show up

🔵 Zone 1 – Recovery

  • You’re barely breaking a sweat.
  • You can chat easily.
  • Often used during warm-ups, cool-downs, or between hard efforts.

🟢 Zone 2 – Endurance

  • Steady, controlled, and sustainable.
  • You can talk in full sentences, but you know you’re working.
  • This zone builds aerobic fitness and fat-burning efficiency.
  • It’s the backbone of endurance training.

🟡 Zone 3 – Tempo

  • Conversation becomes short and breathy.
  • This zone improves cardiovascular strength and muscular endurance
  • Perfect for long pushes and rolling hills.

🟠 Zone 4 – Threshold

  • Challenging and uncomfortable but controlled.
  • You’re focused, breathing hard, and counting the seconds.
  • This zone improves speed, power, and your ability to hold hard efforts longer.

🔴 Zone 5 – Max Effort

  • All out.
  • You can’t talk.
  • You can barely think.
  • These short bursts improve anaerobic power and mental toughness
  • They must be brief and intentional.

Training With Purpose

One of the biggest mistakes riders make is riding too hard, too often—living in a constant Zone 3–4 gray area.

Heart rate zones help you:

  • Recover properly
  • Avoid burnout
  • Match effort to your goals
  • Train smarter, not just harder

Spin® Classes Are Perfect for Zone-Based Training

Indoor cycling is uniquely suited for heart rate training because:

  • Resistance is easy to control
  • Effort can be adjusted instantly
  • Rides naturally move through multiple intensities

Spin® classes are a powerful tool.

Heart rate zones make them precise, inclusive, and personalised helping you train smarter, recover better, and get more from every ride.

What You’ll Need to Get Started

To train by heart rate, you’ll want:

  • A chest strap or armband heart rate monitor (more accurate than wrist-based options)
  • A bike or studio system that displays heart rate zones
  • Or a linked app eg Stages Flight/ Myzone

If you don’t know your max heart rate, many studios estimate it for you—or you can use age-based formulas as a starting point (with the understanding that they’re approximations).