Riding a bike over running?

[jrm1988]

Well, payday came a few days ago so I have some $$ to spend now... and being I have this hatred for running... I was wondering if I went to wal mart or something and bought a "decent" bike and road, would that do the same or help me a lot with my running time?

If so, what's the best way to ride... I wouldnt think getting on a bike and just doing a light, easy cruise for a few miles would really do anything... Should I get on and pedal like theres no tomorrow, the whole time?

Thanks

[Nathan]

Nobody likes running, but you have to do it. Riding a bike is typically recreational. Running is work.

[ocs4me]

To get better at an exercise, you have to do that exercise. End of story. Riding the bike may help if you do it in addition to running. But you need to run.

[Mom's Mistake]

Welcome to my domain. I do enjoy riding a bike. So to answer your question, it all depends on what kind of bike you buy. There's several types as well. For me personally, I bought a Trek hybrid bike. It's a cross between a road bike (the ones you see everyone use on paved paths) and a mountain bike.

Walmart tends to have cheap bikes that are not worth your hard-earned cash. So I would recommend spending the couple hundred dollars at a bike shop and get something worth your money. My Trek cost me $400 and that's on the lower end of the price scale for good bikes. Some cost well over $2,000. But you get what you pay for and after a while of biking, you'll know what I mean.

So if you go to a bike shop, ask the clerks there for more information on the kinds of bikes that will suit your price range and needs. Otherwise I could write a novel on it here.

Okay...now to properly exercise on a bike to make it your benefit for running later on, again, depends on the type and kind of bike you get. I find that with my hybrid bike, I can go most anywhere. If you want a great workout in a short period of time...you cannot beat going off-road. Hills and dirt/sand trails will work you over if you have a hybrid or mountain bike. If you want more of a relaxing ride and time isn't a factor...then biking will work on paved roads and trails.
Biking is much like running...you pretty much know when you're getting a workout. Distance doesn't matter, but how you bike does. Off-road is pretty obvious so I won't go into detail on that, but if you're biking a paved road or trail, then make it harder to bike if you find it too easy. Switch your gears around and make peddling harder. Find hills to go up. If you don't want to go far, then switch gears so you peddle faster but your bike doesn't go as fast.

Another thing about having a bike, if you want to kick in the extra $200, you can purchase a indoor stand for it and bike in your own home during the cold months like exercise equipment. Lastly, and this is a tip most people on bikes don't realize, is how your leg extends while you peddle will make a difference. Most people's knees go up to high so they tire faster because their seat is too low. If you want to peddle correctly, sit on your seat and move it up while extending your leg the straightest possible, while the foot is on a peddle. Now, adjust your seat down until your leg is slightly bent and set the seat there. You'll find your knees won't go as high and you'll have more power in your legs to peddle.

Hope this helps.

[willw]

That's one of the big debates in triathlon in terms of how bike and run fitness translate and the broad answer is they don't. The bike makes you fitter overall in terms of overall fitness, but just because someone is a strong biker doesn't mean they will be a great runner. There is a lot of sport specific stuff going on.

I find that it helps from the sense of improving my overall cardio strength and I actually run better off of the bike in a triathlon. I tend to have a slower run cadence and the high revs coming off of the bike really helps my running. The other thing is that you can ride a lot so it is a great supplemental workout to running.

So I think the answer is on the margin it helps(improved overall fitness, weight loss, etc) , but it by no means is a substitute for running.

[hrotccadet]

I understand how you feel dude I mean I hate running and would rather just spend hours in the gym I go to lifting weights but unfortunitly I can't allow myself to do that because my running would just get worse- no question about it. Basically until the Army changes the PT test to something else, which is debatable, you have to run.