The cadence or revolutions per minute that you are pedaling is important in a Cycling Workout. In this article, we explain the major differences between a low cadence and a high cadence.
The Low Cadence
When in a low cadence you are pedaling from a high gear and pedaling slower. You are pushing more resistance and your body needs to recruit a lot of strength from your leg muscles. Your muscles must develop enough power to maintain a desired pace. This type of cadence solicits a large number of muscle fibers and fatigues the muscle more quickly. For those who are seeking to increase their leg strength or improve their sprints and acceleration, the low cadence is an appropriate workout.
A variation is the intervals workout. This workout consists in performing a low-cadence, high-resistance for 5 minutes and then recovering using a high cadence gear. The effect of the intervals workout on your legs is similar to that of a weightlifting workout. It will also help you produce the power required for sprints and acceleration.
The Higher Cadence
In a higher cadence gear, you are pedaling much faster with less resistance. In this case the energy needed to keep your pace is not coming as much from your legs but transferred to your heart and lungs. Your heart and lungs do not fatigue in the same way. Thus, in a higher cadence, you will be able to stay longer on the bike without feeling too much pain in your legs. With proper training the high-cadence is much more effective in maintaining a faster pace. Racers keep a high pedaling cadence. They have not developed a very muscular shape, but their aerobic machine (heart and lungs) can generate an impressive amount of power throughout their race for 2-4 hours.
The higher cadence is also very effective in climbing, you simply have to gear down to maintain your pace.
In summary, for those you are seeking to acquire strength and build muscle volume, a workout based on a low pedaling cadence would be best. A high cadence will benefit those who are building a cardiovascular workout and increasing endurance.
In the next post, I will outline 2 sample workouts. The first for high cadence training and the other for low cadence workout.
Denis is a cycling amateur and developed a passion for Cycling Workout and Cycling Training after many years of cycling. Writes articles to help mostly beginners and intermidiate cyclist searching to advance in their personal program.
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