Hello,

Just curious, I've heard a lot of varying opinions on whether running is better than cycling and vice versa. I usually stick to cycling for cardio, however, it only feels like I'm training my lower body (legs, maybe abs?). The only difference between the two is that I find cycling a little easier on my less as well as my light asthma. If running is better than cycling, is there a way that I could change my running methods to increase my endurance?

Thanks!

depending on how your bike is adjusted you can work different parts of your legs by adjusting your position in the saddle.

Biking is just as much cardio and running, and as any other thing. it is all about what you PUT INTO IT.

as far as increasing your running- start with proper shoe fitting.

I personally enjoy riding until exhaustion and then getting off the bike, and running. But I am weird that way!

FF

Running pros: elevates heart rate quickly for most people, thought to increase bone density to reduce osteoporosis

Cycling pros: easier on the joints if you have issues, less boring for some (me included).

In order to increase endurance, you need to encourage your body to produce new mitochondria and expand the capillary network. To effect this, you need to do that activity for 60 - 90+ minutes. This holds true for running or cycling. Go at a pace that you can maintain for 60 minutes (running) or 90 minutes (cycling) and you will definitely build up your endurance.

Doing either sport exclusively will give you an upper body like this:

yikes!! Multi-discipline for me.

not that the person is not totally atractive!

ooops... just questioned my sexualoity again!

thanks alot G8r80~!

When are we going to play raquetball on pogo sitcks anyway?

lately, i've been cross training - running on the weekends and cycling during the week. my running has been getting faster, but my cycling is starting to get even more painful because my calves are tight after running. i'm trying to stretch more and wait till i cross the next fitness threshold, but i think that doing both is a good thing so that you hit more muscle groups and your thighs don't get too bulky from cycling.

which is better for speed? i heard that cycling is not very god if you want to run faster... is it true?

Cycling will help your cycling speed. Running will help your running speed. But, neither will increase the speed much of the other other than to build the cardio which both need.

thx ...

Flyinfree, Sound like you may be a Zen Master...

So do you think if I can get 60 to 90 min lower speed on a treadmill w/ a 6 meal a day diet totaling 3000k would assist me in getting a bit more lean?

I also weight train 60 min daily. Currently 20% BF is not budging at 220lbs.

Thanks,

Don't run on leg day.

Personally I prefer cycling, as I'm not much of a runner (if a runner at all). You'll be pleasantly surprised by how many muscle groups you are using when cycling :

muscles used in cycling

Don't forget that you're also placing less stress on the joints during cycling as there's gonna be no pounding on the feet, hence no impact on the ankle joints, knees, and hips....so in general it is a 'safer' cardio exercise.

Running however will burn more calories over the same space of time, but if you wished to use the treadmill as a change, and like me isn't much of a runner, try upping the inclince and doing a bit off speed-walking. This was you'll burn the same calories as running, and place less stress on the joints.

Another option for less joint stress would be the elliptical trainer (cross-trainer). Try 5 minutes forward walking/skiing, and then 5 minutes reverse....varying between the two options.

Cycling Better than Running for Asthma or Allergy Sufferers.
To know about it you can go at
drmirkin.com/public/ezine072207.html

Kriminal, do they use the saying in the UK, "There's no such thing as a free lunch?" It is a common saying in the US and translates, roughly, into life is a series of compromises. Take running and cycling...

While the conventional wisdom had been for quite some time that since running jars the joints, it is more damaging than cycling, which is lower impact. But, recently, research has shown that "high impact" activities like running increase bone density versus low impact activities like cycling, swimming and elliptical machines. And bone density is one of the major predictors of bone fractures for older folks.

So, it almost seems like you have to choose between high impact activities that may cause more joint damage versus preventing bone fractures later in life. I think this oversimplifies things a bit, but does show that high impact is not necessarily bad nor to be avoided.

Bone density sharply enhanced by weight training, even in the elderly