Running vs Cycling

If you are inside for your winter training you might want to try an eliptical. I have lost 60lbs using it.

I can't do anything that involves impact(due to an injury) and it has all the benifits of running without the impact.

The downside to running instead of cycling is you will be using different muscles. If you don't cycle at all during the winter you'l find it hard to start up agian in the spring. I do two spinning classes a week on the off season.

Hope this helps.

menglish6 said:

That's great. My parent's weren't so lucky. They didn't have any rowing scholarships for men where I rowed (darn title IV, and big football programs).

It seems that what everyone is attempting to say with all this is that an activity that utilizes more muscle groups is better for you. Who knows if that's the case, but I agree that running will place larger strength requirements on your body (although I'm not sure that that _necessarily_ makes for better stresses on your cardio system).

Well, I have seen lists that list the most effective training, and running is always well above cycling. The last list I saw listed x-country skiing as the top. Rowing is an indredibly difficult sport - especially as practiced by Syracuse. They work out 3 times a day. Interestingly, the first workout each day is a team run. Later there is weight lifting then finally either a rowing workout in the boat or on an ERG machine. Unlike cycling, if you [censored] out, you ruin the effort of the whole boat so it takes (as you know) incredible guts.

dot said:

I like running but I can't run a lot. Mostly I can run 3-4 hrs per week. My joints require 1 day to recover from 60 min running session. But I can ride almost every day off-road for 1-3 hrs. Off-road riding loads a lot of muscles too. So running cannot be very effective on me because of very low volume.

Have you tried running off road? It is MUCH easier on the joints. You get softer impacts and the motion is less repetative (subtle differences in the ground you land on from stride to stride make your tendons much happier).

I am a 2 time clydsedale division (200 lbs+) marathoner. I have since lost 5 more pounds, and am no longer a clydesdale, and I am beginning training for my third marathon. There is no way I would have been able to train for my first marathon if I hadn't lived right next to a crushed limestone rails2trails. Also if you can't run on trails, at least run on asphault. Concrete is the absolute worst surface you can run on, avoid it!

As for the compairison to cycling the general consensus of the exersize physiology comunity is that 4 miles of cycling is about as benificial as 1 mile of running. For most people that is about 20% more time on the bike than on foot. But do what ever works for you.

tamman2000 said:

Have you tried running off road? It is MUCH easier on the joints. You get softer impacts and the motion is less repetative (subtle differences in the ground you land on from stride to stride make your tendons much happier).

Yes, I run mostly off-road.

how about the effect on bone-density of load bearing excercise.. supposedly cycling alone would be bad in this respect.

I think the load bearing aspect counts for a lot - it's unconcious effort.

I realise that this is a cycling site but for those of you who do wish to run as part of your general fitness program - I have just read Dr.Tim Noakes excellent book about running "The Lore of Running".
It's over 700 pages of bio-mechanical, nutritional and physiological and mental
detail about running.

Noakes details some pretty interesting stuff in it - including some historical stuff about the great runner such as Nurmi, Elliot, Coe, Ovett etc.

In the book he suggests that running is the best form of exercise there is.
However, he makes great play of the fact that walking is a superb exericse as
a precursor to running/cycling/swimming.
Palvo Nurmi of Finland used to walk 20kms per day on top of his running training for example.
Nurmi states that if he did not walk each day - his running would be effected.
Ditto Emile Zatopek of Czechoslovkia : he used to hike in the mountains as part of his training.

Noakes book is very good and worth reading (it is pretty detailed though) for
all you cyclists, who like to also run.

ebola said:

how about the effect on bone-density of load bearing excercise.. supposedly cycling alone would be bad in this respect.

I think the load bearing aspect counts for a lot - it's unconcious effort.

It is vital that one does load bearing exercises - especially as one ages, but I think we were talking in terms as the best conditioner aerobically. I do twenty rep squats which gives me all the load bearing and agony that I can bear! 😄

tamman2000 said:

As for the compairison to cycling the general consensus of the exersize physiology comunity is that 4 miles of cycling is about as benificial as 1 mile of running. For most people that is about 20% more time on the bike than on foot. But do what ever works for you.

What I'm interested in is what this word "benificial" means. Benificial how? Burning calories? What measurement did they do that they were able to come up with the formula of 1 mile run = 4 miles biked? What variables are made equal by this rule of thumb?

Btw: I've heard 1 mile run = 3 miles biked, fwiw.

menglish6 said:

What I'm interested in is what this word "benificial" means. Benificial how? Burning calories? What measurement did they do that they were able to come up with the formula of 1 mile run = 4 miles biked? What variables are made equal by this rule of thumb?

Btw: I've heard 1 mile run = 3 miles biked, fwiw.

The stuff I have seen uses a combination of reductions in blood presure, body fat percentages, resting pulse, and increases in blood oxygenation... as measure of cardiovascular fitness.

I don't claim to understand this stuff deaply and deffer to the experts on this one...

mitosis said:

Why not combine the two. For your cardiovascular system any exercise that gets your heart rate above 55% of max is great.

Running will get it up (your heart rate) more easily than cycling. You lose weight much quicker when you run (because you are not only propelling yourself you are supporting your body weight). The combination of running and cycling will give you more even strength in the leg muscles. You won't lose your cycling fitness when it starts to get warm, because you will still be doing a few wind trainer sessions each week.

Don't listen to the anti runners about knees. I've (I cycle and do tri's) had more friends with knee problems from cycling than from running.

And don't run inside. It only takes a few k's to warm up and the air and scenery makes it more interesting.

Now, the indoor trainer. Get a fan and a TV. Tape you favourite show and watch it while you sweat. Watch sport, movies etc - just make sure you plan your training session before you start.

Extremely well said! I totally agree. Cross training has many benefits, not only for improved fitness but also to keep you interested. We live in the mountains too. Run/bike in summer and run/stairmaster (we have one at home) in winter and bike when weather permits. Ive been running for years about 20-25 miles a week along with mtn biking. I just switched over to road biking to alternate w/ running. If you do run, good shoes and soft surface helps (not on pavement if possible)🙂 .

Good luck!

limerickman said:

... In the book he suggests that running is the best form of exercise there is. However, he makes great play of the fact that walking is a superb exericse as a precursor to running/cycling/swimming...

Of course, the author may just be a tad biased. 😉

Scoffin said:

I was just wondering which one is a better cardio workout, Cycling or Running? While I'm going to try my best to continue to ride through the rough Iowa winter, I'm thinking about getting on the treadmill this winter instead of the stationary bike. Neither one excite me too much - mostly because the scenery is the same all the time - and I'm not much of a runner.

But then again, I wasn't much of a cyclist until a couple months ago.

you say your not much of a runner, personally i don't think anyone is. it takes practice and conditioning like cycling, you don't just go out and ride 100miles at 25mph do you. as like is running, my only tip is try farklet... this is where you set your self a target > maybe a street light or something you can see and each time increasing the distance with reasonable time to recover, as you get fitter you will no doubtably notice that this recovery time is decreased, and you will become somewhat more efficient at controlling fluid loss.

personally i used to use my cardiosport HRM, i'd set an heart rate and reach it slow to either a walk or a jog just to recover each tiime increasing the length of time spent within that Tz (target Zone). as long as you don't just go out with the intentions of doing sub3 times, you can't go far wrong.

but why on earth you would choose to run indoors beats the hell out of me, i loved crosscountry, which cycling and mtb allow me to continue to enjoy.

Rain, sleat, storms, snow or gail force winds. you don't notice them when your out running, one mans fight against the elements? my question used to be are you gonna let them win. find yourself somewhere realtively flat, with ease to run on careful about your footing and ensure you change you footwear every 300 miles or as soon as they become uncomfotable.

always keep an eye on the floor a few feet infront of you. speaking from experience a trip twist or fall can distroy all your hardwork and effort.

I certainly didn't intend to flame anyone earlier. :o Running is a great exercise for those with no predisposition toward joint problems. It can be done in nearly every type of weather and away from traffic (hence the safety factor) and it doesn't require one to purchase an expensive bike (of course, neither does cycling). All a person needs is comfortable clothing and two decent pair of running shoes. I say two pair because the soles can compress during a run and may require more than 24 hours to bounce back. By alternating running shoes that isn't an issue.

That being said, running is not vastly superior to any other form of rigorous aerobic exercise that involves large muscle groups. Whether a person is running, cycling, rowing, stair climbing, shoveling snow, doing a combination of squat thrusts & jumping jacks, or extremely fast paced (circuit style) supersets while weightlifting, work is work. The only difference is how much work gets done with that activity. If you want cycling to produce the same results as running then stop dawdling and lollygagging and bump up your speed! Don't be a girly man! 😄 (Thanks Arnold!)

Trust me when I say that shoveling snow is an asskicker of a workout. Anyone that doesn't believe me can visit my mom during a nice Indiana snow storm where the drifts are a couple of feet deep and shovel her huge driveway. It's harder than any running I've ever done. However, unless you live in the Antartica, it's hard to do year 'round.

I remember seeing a study that showed walking up an incline will burn more calories and whip a person into shape faster than running on the flats (of course, that would require a nearby mountain or a treadmill with an incline feature).

Also, if one is using a Borg Scale (http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/borgscale.htm) to guage their effort level for running vs. cycling then their argument doesn't really hold any water. Perceptions are very misleading. How one feels about an exercise or activity may or may not accuratly reflect it's training value.

I would also like to debunk this one. I think I read someone state that the human body will lose weight faster while running because it somehow intrinsically knows it will be better off by dropping weight thus making it more efficient. Poppycock! Using that logic, then the converse would also hold true and a swimmer would store more bodyfat because their body would somehow know that the extra bodyfat would make them more buoyant. That's a good one! What the human body does know is how much work is achieved, whether it's running, cycling, rowing or shoveling my mom's driveway!

Doctor Morbius said:

Of course, the author may just be a tad biased. 😉

Ok, so you got me there... I am a little biased. 🙄

GA

i could do with an holiday! i don't mind shovelling snow, i personally love it, its soft texture underfoot, the way ice hangs from branches, the gentle cooling touch of snow on your face, and the glisten of ice on the water.

i think that there is no better time of year than winter time here in the uk! well on the understanding its snowing and not raining\slush plus its probably better on the joints than in the summer time.

So if theres an holiday available to get me away from english weather, especially snow.

but as for biast

my eldest son i started playing rugby, soon he will begin swimming, then i hope to have him riding bikes, since he came watching me at the velodrome a few weeks ago and said it looks like great fun, and wanted to try. i aint biast, he aint gonna start running until he is at leaste 11yrs. and hopefully he will want to encorporate them all, well not the rugby thats just to toughen him up and improve his confidence before the real fun begins, hopefully the above will improve his fitness enough to run well.... but i really wouldn't mind growing a tri athlete.😄 but at the end of the day its all fun and his choice is his.

I would also like to debunk this one. I think I read someone state that the human body will lose weight faster while running because it somehow intrinsically knows it will be better off by dropping weight thus making it more efficient. Poppycock! Using that logic, then the converse would also hold true and a swimmer would store more bodyfat because their body would somehow know that the extra bodyfat would make them more buoyant. That's a good one! What the human body does know is how much work is achieved, whether it's running, cycling, rowing or shoveling my mom's driveway![/QUOTE]
Ok, this is NOT intended to upset either but.. there are actually a few exercise physiology professors and studies that do state that people who swim can achieve a very high fitness level but they may also have a more difficult time losing fat than runners/walking/cycling etc. We were taught this in ex. phys. in school. Maybe things have changed cause it has been a few years. I dont know and I am definately no expert on swimming. - other than scuba diving which doesnt count!

Scoffin said:

I was just wondering which one is a better cardio workout, Cycling or Running? While I'm going to try my best to continue to ride through the rough Iowa winter, I'm thinking about getting on the treadmill this winter instead of the stationary bike. Neither one excite me too much - mostly because the scenery is the same all the time - and I'm not much of a runner.

But then again, I wasn't much of a cyclist until a couple months ago.

I really like cross country skiing myself, easy on the joints, very aerobic, all over workout. Can be done indoors on a NordicTrac if you must but it really is quite peaceful and serene outdoors with only the shhhhhh-shhhhhh sound of your skiis.

Mr_Potatohead said:

I really like cross country skiing myself, easy on the joints, very aerobic, all over workout. Can be done indoors on a NordicTrac if you must but it really is quite peaceful and serene outdoors with only the shhhhhh-shhhhhh sound of your skiis.

not something i have ever had the pleasure in doing, guess it ain't very dissimilar to running in the snow, i love the way it crunches under foot croou croou croou thats probably the best sound ever.

plus down hill in the snow thats funny, cause it dont matter if you fall off its a soft landing, plus slicing through snow drifts thats awsome. since your attacking the top of the hill with speed and you don't really know where the end is... boy have i had some crashes doing that but its all part of the fun.

If a cyclist is riding at his ATR and then starts exerting his arm muscles what happens? His heart rate rises. This is why exercises that use the arms along with the legs are considered more aerobic.

Agreed, 150 bpm has the same effect aerobically whether running or cycling.
However the heart rate would likely be higher for an exercise that uses the arms.

ed073 said:

Running sucks.

It's like sticking a knife in the toaster.

🙂

I do a lot of riding on multi-use paths, and encounter a lot of hikers, runners, and cyclists.

I was reflecting the other day that I have never seen a happy-looking runner. I maek a point of greeting other path users with a "good morning" or "good afternoon" as appropriate. I almost always get a cheery reply from hikers, and cyclists. Even the occasional equestrian.

The runners always grunt and look like they are in pain (or constipated).

Matt