Cycling VS Running: Which is Best for Your Fitness?

There are so many options when it comes to choosing a fitness program. Whether you or a client are just getting started or have been into fitness for a while and need to switch up the routine, it is easy to understand the benefits of resistance training and building muscle. However, a well-rounded fitness program will also incorporate aerobic exercise in the form of cardio training.

When it comes to a workout, especially when geared toward a goal of weight loss, strength training is foundational, but cardio will work to improve endurance, burn more calories, and improve overall fitness. Two common cardio training routines involve running and biking. Both are great ways to challenge the body, increase functional strength, and get the endorphins flowing whether with a personal trainer or flying solo. So, which one is best for your fitness goals?

The Pros and Cons of Cycling

Ask anyone who bikes for fun—it is a great cardiovascular challenge, it is gentle on the joints, and it can promote calorie burn and weight loss. Vigorous biking can be achieved indoors like in a cycling class or on a stand-alone bike as well as in the great outdoors.

There are several options in regards to outdoor biking based on your equipment and adventure level.

• Road biking involves a street bike and basic safety equipment.

• Mountain biking will require a bike with a sturdier frame, bigger tires, and a bit more protective equipment.

• Cruising may be your style if you are more interested in a leisurely, longer ride. Beach cruisers and standard one-speed bikes are making a comeback for casual riders and families.

Take note that biking does typically require some safety equipment when done outdoors. A helmet and gloves are just the start and are recommended for all riders as best practice. Those who are new to riding may opt to sport elbow or knee pads until they get the hang of it.

While it is not the same as anaerobic training, biking can help to strengthen your core, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calf muscles. Muscular endurance can be increased with longer, more vigorous rides. For those cyclists with knee injury or pain, riding a bike has been found to protect the knees and joints from high impact wear. It is even a tool used with knee physical therapy in some cases!

Some potential physical concerns to be aware of with a regular biking workout are related to posture and overuse. Road biking and mountain biking specifically often utilize a hinged posture during the ride. This can lead to hip tightness, muscle imbalance, and pain, discomfort, or rounding of the spine. Overuse can also lead to flaring of the Achilles tendon without proper stretching and recovery.

Learn more about the potential drawbacks of a regular biking routine, but also the appropriate corrective exercises to combat injury here!

The Pros and Cons of Running

Avid runners will swear by what is known as the "runners high"—that sense of euphoria they feel as they complete or finish a run. Endorphins are high, energy is through the roof, and they just trained their whole body from the inside out. Research equates this feeling to the high of opioids as it seems to light up the same areas of the brain (3). Who couldn't use a good, healthy mood boost these days?!

Whether running on a treadmill indoors or hitting the street or trails, running can be a great workout that gets you out the door and into the fresh air. Like biking, there are many places to find yourself running. Trails, paths, tracks, and sidewalks all offer safe, generally solid surfaces to run. Unlike biking, safety equipment is generally not required to run. Just the right pair of shoes.

The ISSA blogs have some great articles regarding proper shoes and equipment. Be sure to check them out when you can!

Could Your Shoes Be Giving You Shin Splints?

Shoes Set The Foundation For Proper Movement

Runs can vary in speed and distance based on the runner's desired training duration and abilities. Research has shown that shorter, faster runs can be great for increasing your endurance and cardiovascular capacity- even more so than longer runs (1). Think sprints of 20 to 60 seconds with 1- to 2-minute rests in between versus a 45-minute steady paced distance effort. Many people would prefer shorter bouts of exercise over longer bouts, but to receive the benefits, you'll have to push yourself to the upper limits during the shorter, more intense rounds. If you are a personal trainer or working with one, make sure you know everything there is to know about high intensity interval training (HIIT)!

Note that there are plenty of studies that show the long-term benefits of endurance running as well! Studies have shown that, after a year or longer, habitual long-distance runners will generally see better results regarding lowered resting heart rates, reducing body fat percentage, and reducing serum triglycerides (2).

The extensive use of the legs and core during running can help to strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, quads, calf muscles, and core muscles. The entire body is used when running as the arm swing and upright posture are keys to efficient striding.

As with cycling, overuse injuries are common with running especially since the entire body is utilized. The impact, specifically on concrete and hard surfaces, is quite intense with running. The consistent, jarring impact of running can cause dysfunction in the feet, ankles, knees, and hips. Plantar fasciitis, patellar tendonitis, ACL and PCL injury, and muscular imbalances can result if proper form and stride guidelines are not followed. This can be a result of improper form and overuse of improper muscle patterns or as a result of poor recovery. New runners should seek the assistance of a certified fitness professional to evaluate their gait ad running stride for maximum safety.

Which One is "Best?"

There is no correct answer to this question! The physical abilities of the exerciser will always determine what is possible. Studies have been done to establish which of these forms of cardio are the most enjoyable and which made the exercisers feel like they were working harder. Results found that more individuals "enjoyed" cycling better and they also felt they were working harder (rate of perceived exertion-RPE) on a bike than with running (4). The studies also found that individuals preferred HIIT intervals over long-distance efforts in both modalities.

At the end of the day, try them both and see what suits you or your client!

To dive deeper into the benefits of both anaerobic and aerobic exercise and how they both can change your body, check out this informative blog post and resources!

How to Incorporate Both Running and Cycling into Your Routine

Cardio should be used as a tool in a workout regimen. Ideally, it should be incorporated two to four days per week along with a strength training program and proper, whole nutrition for best results. Allowing 24 to 48 hours between running or biking sessions is optimal for the best physical recovery. For individuals who also strength train three or more days a week, it is not uncommon to incorporate cardio after a weight training session when the body is warmed up and primed for efficient movement. It may prove ideal to reserve longer distance runs or rides for days where one does not plan to weight train as well. In this case, as with any workout day, a proper and thorough warm-up and dynamic stretch is a must before digging in!

When it comes down to it, anything that gets someone to exercise, train their muscles, and keep themselves moving is the best thing for them. No matter what the age or starting point, running or riding a bike can be great forms of cardio that are also enjoyable and sustainable so long as attention is paid to movement patterns and proper recovery. This is where the ISSA's Certified Personal Trainer or Strength and Conditioning Specialist courses comes into play. If you are not yet certified or are looking to take your certification to the next level, take advantage of the current fitness climate and expand your knowledge!

References

1. Herzog, Walter. 2017. "Running Slow or Running Fast; That Is the Question: The Merits of High-Intensity Interval Training." Journal of Sport and Health Science 6 (1): 48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2016.10.001.

2. A. Junior, Luiz Carlos Hespanhol, Julian David Pillay, Willem Van Mechelen, and Evert Verhagen. 2015. "Meta-Analyses of the Effects of Habitual Running on Indices of Health in Physically Inactive Adults." Sports Medicine 45 (10): 1455-68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0359-y.

3. Boecker, H., T. Sprenger, M. E. Spilker, G. Henriksen, M. Koppenhoefer, K. J. Wagner, M. Valet, A. Berthele, and T. R. Tolle. 2008. "The Runners High: Opioidergic Mechanisms in the Human Brain." Cerebral Cortex 18 (11): 2523-31. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhn013.

4. Kriel, Yuri, Christopher D. Askew, and Colin Solomon. 2018. "The Effect of Running versus Cycling High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise on Local Tissue Oxygenation and Perceived Enjoyment in 18-30-Year-Old Sedentary Men." PeerJ 6. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5026.