Cycling vs Running

[man_vrs_mountain]

i run and bike though i dont know what a "good" bike workout feels like usually because im so tired from running the last previous weeks. as far as workout running is way better but moutain biking (on mountains and dirt biking and quad riding areas) also gives you quite the workout, it takes a LONG time on a` road bike to get the equivalent workout that it is running. running is alot harder on the body though.

[DavidHiers]

A friend of mine was told to bike more to help knee alignment. Her doc said that running/walking tends to train the muscles of the outer knee, while cycling tends to train the muscles of the inner knee.

 

I use a recumbent stationary bike.

[ken4ord]

Spinning class is not cycling.

 

 

It is still a good cycling type workout, lot's of fun with the right instructor.

[snugtop]

Runners are hotter. Cyclists are lycra-clad weanies.

[John Frieh]

[snugtop]

 

or.....

[bDubyaH]

if you hate yourself go with #1

for pure enjoyment go with #2

i'm dating someone very similar to #3...which is pure enjoyment

so i'm going with #2 to double my pleasure

[Jeebus]

All things being equal among world class athletes cross country skiers have the highest VO2 max, followed by bicyclists, followed by distance runners.

 

If you are running long distances (50 miles a week) you probably spend quite a bit of time logging those miles (at least 5 hours if you are very good). during that time a bicyclist can keep up really high intensity for 1 hour five times a week and achieve the same results. plus its easier on the joints.

 

no easy comparison here...all depends on how intensely you do whatever form of exercise you choose.

[Blake]

All things being equal among world class athletes cross country skiers have the highest VO2 max, followed by bicyclists, followed by distance runners.

 

If you are running long distances (50 miles a week) you probably spend quite a bit of time logging those miles (at least 5 hours if you are very good). during that time a bicyclist can keep up really high intensity for 1 hour five times a week and achieve the same results. plus its easier on the joints.

 

no easy comparison here...all depends on how intensely you do whatever form of exercise you choose.

 

That's fucking B.S.

 

 

Rowers had the highest V02 max on average of olympic athletes as surveyed for the 2000 summer and 2002 winter games. If you look at v02 max as a function of body mass, then rowers are a close second to XC skiers, as rowers tend to be bigger people.

[Macson]

When I run I am pretty much wiped after 45 minutes. To me running is a really hard workout. I have no problem keeping my heart rate up, and my legs always feel like I just did a weight workout.

 

When I cycle I feel like I can keep my heart rate higher for longer (I wear a HRM for both when training). I can bike for well over 2 hours at high intensity and not feel nearly as beaten up.

 

That said, I usually run for my workouts. I don't have the 2 hours plus needed to feel like I got a workout. Probably, I'm an idiot since the numbers say I can get the same amount of "work" done as measured by the calories counted on the HRM by riding the bike for the same amount of time I would run, and I'd feel better to boot.

 

Do I really need to feel like I've worked hard to get the benefits? Or should I trust the numbers?

[ketch]

Mac, I think that you can trust the numbers it is the same amount of work. BUT, when you run you are at a somewhat fixed cadence and the output variation is felt directly. When you bike you keep a cadence and just shift gears so that you always work at an eficient place. If you climb the same hill in too tall of a gear and push your way up or too low and just spin it is the same amount of work only you feel it differant.

 

That said I bike for training and run for warmups or if time is limited. If it is a training ride I sometimes work the gears to create more work and variation.

[texplorer]

I choose to run and still have viable sperm.

[bDubyaH]

I choose to run and still have viable sperm.

 

ppffftt. exercise and birth control all rolled into one...how can you beat that?

[Jeebus]

That's fucking B.S.

 

 

Rowers had the highest V02 max on average of olympic athletes as surveyed for the 2000 summer and 2002 winter games. If you look at v02 max as a function of body mass, then rowers are a close second to XC skiers, as rowers tend to be bigger people.

 

and how does any of this fit into the comparison between running and cycling?

[Jeebus]

Macson and Ketch,

 

you make good points. The numbers can be relied upon because science never lies

actually walking is supposed to be just as good for keeping you free from heart disease as running but our purpose is climbing...for climbing, any exercise that keeps you in the 50-80% VO2max range for at least half an hour five times a week is good.

Running is not the most efficient form of exercise. Efficiency does not have to come with pain.

[Ricardo_Montalban]

Running downhill is REALLY bad for your joints however - run up, walk down.

that's why you should always smoke your joints before running on hills.

[jon]

Actually she is a triathlete, so she is also a cyclist... a very hot cyclist.

 

The question was is biking or running better for climbing preparation. The answer for most people is cycling. The reason is that most people cannot run at a low enough percentage of the their lactic threshold to see the necessary cardiac and oxidative tissue adaptions necessary to improve aerobic fitness, in fact most people will have physiological changes that are counter to what they are trying to accomplish.

[cj001f]

I choose to run and still have viable sperm.

That sounds like a drawback to running.

[Gaper_Jeffy]

The answer for most people is cycling. The reason is that most people cannot run at a low enough percentage of the their lactic threshold to see the necessary cardiac and oxidative tissue adaptions necessary to improve aerobic fitness, in fact most people will have physiological changes that are counter to what they are trying to accomplish.

 

What is your basis for stating this, and what are the "physiological changes" that are counter to what you're tyring to accomplish? I only understand the arguments that cycling is less injury prone then running.

[bDubyaH]

How do people feel bike training compares to running in relation to alpine climbing preparation?

i think running is better, although hard mt. biking would be a close second. road biking works different muscles, so while your cardio is in good shape your muscles with be sore as hell

I am interested in substituting biking for running as I've long felt, with no hard evidence, that running is the best form of training but have been injured so many times -sprained ankles, knee issues, etc. - that I am rethinking this approach.

cycling is definitely less abusive, although i have been injured while training for races. make sure the bike is fitted properly if you are going to ride for lots of miles

 

Theoretically shouldn't biking get me the same cardio stress (VO2 max) as running but without the stress?

don't know, but you can certainly train for cardio zones on a bike and it is easier to maintain them while cycling. should do a max heart rate test for cycling and running, they are often different for different activities

 

And of course incorporating lots of hiking i was hoping to severly decrease my running routine with no noticable loss in fitness for alpine climbing.

this worked well for me

[iain]

I like running because it puts you in the mental battlecage much like climbing does. When you stop working hard while running, you stop. It's easy to cheat yourself on the bike (at least for me), coasting here and there, dropping a gear, etc. Running builds up the mental discipline of dealing with pain, fatigue, and even boredom, a lot of which are encountered on approaches to climbs and parts of the climbs themselves. I definitely think you can develop a mental edge running in the cold and rain. Plus it's fun, sort of.

[cj001f]

i think running is better, although hard mt. biking would be a close second. road biking works different muscles, so while your cardio is in good shape your muscles with be sore as hell

Huh? Your pedaling a bike! It's the same damn muscles - different intervals, but the same motions. How are they different?

 

I actually enjoy running in the cold & rain. It's the only time I don't overheat.

[Gaper_Jeffy]

Plus it's fun

I agree. I do not run to keep in shape, I run because I find it fun and therapeutic (how else am I suppose to deal with lack of snow trauma?).

[bDubyaH]

i think running is better, although hard mt. biking would be a close second. road biking works different muscles, so while your cardio is in good shape your muscles with be sore as hell

Huh? Your pedaling a bike! It's the same damn muscles - different intervals, but the same motions. How are they different?

when you run (only run on trails) your feet and legs have to adjust to many different angles, which tweak all of the small muscle groups. on my road bike i am locked in with carbon fiber shoes and a pedal that has 3 degrees of float, not exactly working all of the small muscle groups. also cycling should be a circular motion not just a piston pump. try running like that and see how far you get

[ken4ord]

Runners are hotter. Cyclists are lycra-clad weanies.

 

Shite you crazy.....