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Ive just recently recoverd from a lower leg injury and have since started wearing orthotics.Ive had them for about a month now and all's good.Im getting back into running,but am curious as to the benefits of cycling compared to running.Id like to avoid future injuries as much as possible without slowing my progress.

Would spliting the time between cycling and running get me to the same level of overal fitness I would achieve with just running? Would I need to cycle for longer to get the same workout as I would running a certain distance or time period?


Thanks.

hi, running is alot better CV workout then cycling. However i would still do cycling to break up running as it can get boring if you do it 6 times a week . mY advice for a CV workout, would be running 3-4 times a week and cycling 2 times a week, this way you will build up your CV fitness and lower body but without the injury, hope this helps.
wato

Yeh I totally agree because I have heard that for every three miles or so on the bike is like one mile running so I think it would be beneficial to add a little bit of cycling but dont start replacing running days with cycling days unless you feel you arent fully recovered from your injury.

Im sorry but how can you say running is far better than cycling?

Care to explain to me why that having my heart rate at 95% of its max while on my bike is any different than the same HR while running? Except ofcourse that there is far less impact and therefore less chance on an injury occuring. I would consider cycling to be much much tougher physically but also mentally than running. I have also seen studies that show cyclists normally have a higer v02 max and a lower RHR.

Ofcourse if you want to improve your running then you should go running and likewise with cycling. But there is nothing wrong with cross-training to help prevent injuries and also bordem. If you make yourself a boring/repetitive training plan then you are less likely to stick to it.

Yes I must admit that to be a decent cyclist then you have to spend far more time on it then you would be out running to reach the same level in each sport. This is because alot of base training is needed in cycling (long slow rides) to help build up your aerobic system. If you get bored easily then you could do one of your interval sessions on a bike and one running each week. This will give your legs abit of rest from the impact, while also improving different muscles in different ways. (quads instead of hamstrings).

Running is in my opinion more intence, a bit of advice read before you write.
If you read at the top I say that the best thing to do is to do both, to stop injury and to make your program more intresting. Some people

dalo wrote:Yeh I totally agree because I have heard that for every three miles or so on the bike is like one mile running so I think it would be beneficial to add a little bit of cycling but dont start replacing running days with cycling days unless you feel you arent fully recovered from your injury.

Sorry but that makes you sound like the sort of person who thinks running 5 miles is better than running 4 miles. It doesn't matter how far you run/cycle but what you do in the session. Are you saying that running one mile at 10minute/mile pace is the same as cycling 3 miles at 2.30minute/mile? Rubbish.

When out running you should defiently not be running to your max (trying to set a PB) in every session. This will just result in yourself burning out both physically and mentally.

Sorry about my rant

It was just the

Yeh I totally agree because I have heard that for every three miles or so on the bike is like one mile running

bit that got me!

Cycling/running are just as intense as each other if you put the effort in

Basically at depot what are you going to mainly doing cycling or running?? So just get really good at running,

Edwards159 wrote:Basically at depot what are you going to mainly doing cycling or running?? So just get really good at running,

Very good point, running is more intence, its just your opinion that you think
cycling is better don't force it on others, the best think to do is to do both.
Wato.

robj wrote: Cycling/running are just as intense as each other if you put the effort in

Nobody's saying its not, But cycling should be less than 20% of your training program if your going for the military. Ive never found cycling hard, even when my heart rate is way up, i get tired ALOT quicker having a running heart rate of 95% than i do when cycling at 95%.

P.S. I think for the military if your cycling 10 miles a week you need to be doing THREE times more running.

Im sorry, I just think cycling is pointless unless your comming back from an injury, To get fitter on the bike it takes hours of riding each day to improve alot... With running all u have to do is half hour a day to get fitter.

Good post

You could always use your bike to cycle to the local park or whereever you run, lock it up and go for a run.

It would be an alright warmup/cooldown

Mine always gets nicked.

Thank you all for the replys,been great help.