Warm-Up Exercises Before Cycling: A Simple Routine for Beginners

After years of coaching cyclists of all ages and abilities, I've found many riders think a proper warm-up involves twenty minutes of stretching and hopping around a car park before they even get on the bike. In reality, the opposite is usually true. A simple routine you'll actually do before every ride is far more valuable than an elaborate one you only remember occasionally.

Whether you're heading out for a weekend club run, commuting to work or starting a virtual ride on ROUVY, this simple two-stage warm-up described below will help you feel smoother, more comfortable and ready to enjoy the ride from the very first pedal stroke.

Why warming up matters

Above: A good warm-up means your legs are ready to work from the very first pedal stroke.

Warm-ups aren't just for elite riders waiting on the start line of a race. They're just as valuable before an easy café ride, your daily commute or a structured indoor session.

Instead of your legs feeling wooden for the first few kilometres, pedalling becomes smoother, breathing feels more controlled and everything simply clicks into place much sooner.

I encourage riders to stop thinking about warming up as one long routine and instead split it into two simple stages.

First, off the bike, you prepare your body by loosening your joints and activating the muscles you'll rely on once you start pedalling. Then, once you're on the bike, you prepare your engine by gradually bringing your heart rate, breathing and legs up to working speed. Together they set you up for a much better ride and those sluggish opening kilometres usually disappear.

How to warm up before cycling

Step 1: Prepare your body

Before you even swing a leg over the bike, spend five to ten minutes getting your body ready to move. Focus on dynamic movements, where your body stays in motion. Exercises like leg swings, walking lunges and hip openers gently take your joints through their natural range of movement while activating the muscles you'll soon be using on the bike.

For many of us, that's especially important because we've probably spent most of the day sitting. Whether it's behind a desk, driving between meetings or relaxing on the sofa, long periods of sitting can leave the hips feeling tight, the upper body a little stiff and the glutes – some of the most important muscles in cycling – less active than they should be.

A few minutes of movement beforehand is often enough to switch everything back on again.

Move smoothly from one exercise to the next without rushing. You don't need to work up a sweat or feel out of breath. Think of it as gently waking your body up rather than giving it another workout.

Don't skip the glutes

If there's one exercise I'd encourage every cyclist to include, it's the glute bridge.

Your glutes are some of the biggest and most powerful muscles involved in producing a smooth, efficient pedal stroke. The problem is that after sitting for hours at work or travelling in the car, they can become a little lazy. When that happens, other muscles often try to compensate, which can leave your lower back, hamstrings or knees doing more work than they need to.

Above: How to do a glute bridge

A few sets of glute bridges before you ride can make a noticeable difference. They help wake the glutes up, engage your core, improve muscle recruitment and make it easier to produce power through the pedals from the very start of your ride.

Once you've finished your off-bike routine, don't leave it too long before getting on the bike. If you spend the next fifteen minutes chatting or making another cup of coffee, your body starts to cool down again and many of the benefits begin to fade.

Dynamic stretching vs. static stretching: Which is better for a warm-up before riding?

Dynamic movements prepare your body better than static stretching before a ride.

Static stretching, where you hold a stretch for 20 to 60 seconds, still has its place, but it's generally better suited to after your ride when your muscles are already warm. A simple way to remember it is this: Before the ride, prepare for movement. After the ride, work on flexibility.

For most cyclists, five to ten minutes of mobility and activation before riding will do far more than standing still and holding a series of long stretches.

TIP: If flexibility is an area you'd like to improve, Yoga for Cyclists explains how regular mobility work can complement your training.

Step 2: Prepare your engine

Once you've prepared your body off the bike, it's time to prepare your engine. This is the part many beginners either skip completely or rush through. They clip in, ride out of the driveway and, within a minute or two, they're already climbing a hill or trying to keep up with their mates. Your body isn't ready for that yet.

Even though your muscles are now awake, your heart, lungs and cardiovascular system still need time to catch up. A gradual on-bike warm-up allows everything to work together before you ask for harder efforts.

By the time you begin the main part of your ride, you should feel warm, relaxed and ready to work – not out of breath before you've even started.

Adjust your warm-up to match the ride

Not every ride needs exactly the same warm-up. An easy recovery spin places very different demands on your body compared with a race simulation or a tough interval session. The trick is matching your preparation to the work ahead.

• Recovery ride: 5 minutes off the bike, followed by 10–15 minutes of easy spinning.
• Endurance ride: Full off-bike routine plus 15 minutes of progressive riding.
• Intervals or hills: Full routine, 15–20 minute on-bike warm-up and two short openers before starting the main set.
• Cold weather: Add another 5 minutes of easy riding before increasing the pace.

For an easy café ride, you don't need perfection. Before a hard workout, however, those extra few minutes are well worth the investment.

Common warm-up mistakes beginners make

Like most aspects of cycling, warming up doesn't have to be perfect. It simply needs to become a habit. Over the years, I've noticed the same mistakes cropping up time and again, and fortunately they're all easy to fix.

1. Skipping the off-bike routine

Many riders assume they can just start pedalling and warm up as they go. While that might be enough for a gentle spin, it's not ideal if you've spent the day sitting at a desk or in the car. Spending just five minutes preparing your hips, glutes and core helps your body feel more comfortable and responsive from the very start of the ride.

2. Starting too hard

This is probably the biggest mistake beginners make. The first few minutes of your ride shouldn't feel like a fitness test. Even professional riders build gradually into their sessions because they know they'll perform better once their body is fully prepared. There's no prize for being the fastest rider away from the café.

3. Forgetting the glutes

Most cyclists think about stretching their hamstrings or calves but completely overlook glute activation. In my experience, waking the glutes up before riding often delivers more noticeable benefits than spending several minutes stretching muscles that aren't actually limiting your performance.

4. Making it too complicated

Social media has a habit of making everything look more difficult than it really is. Resistance bands or balance boards have their place, but most beginner cyclists don't need any of that. A simple routine you'll actually do before every ride is far more effective than a complicated one you rarely use. Consistency beats complexity every single time.

Warming up for indoor cycling

Above: Start every ROUVY ride with a gradual warm-up before increasing the pace.

For indoor riding, warming up matters just as much as it does outdoors. Whether you're an experienced rider or just getting started with indoor training, the basics are the same.

• Start with 5–10 minutes of off-bike mobility and activation work before climbing onto the bike.
• Then use the first 15–20 minutes to ride comfortably in Zone 1 and Zone 2 before beginning the main session.

On ROUVY, you can also find workouts designed specifically for warm-ups, or create your own custom workout.

One of the easiest ways to make warming up a habit is to stop treating it as something separate from your ride. It might add a few minutes to the start of your ride, but you'll soon notice the difference. You'll feel smoother, more comfortable and far more ready to enjoy the road – or virtual road – ahead.