Cycling instead of running to lose weight/get a better condition

[Deleted]

Hello all,

new to posting on these forums but I'll state my situation as good as possible. Currently I'm 18 years old and 2 years ago I weighed 101,7 kilo, I think that's around 220 lbs and I finally started doing something about it. First I used a crosstrainer we had collecting dust on our attic but it broke down a few months later, I tried my best with just eating healthier till the weater got better. I started cycling then, this was spring-summer of 2012 and when the weather went crap again I was happy with my weight, I was 75 kilo or about 165 lbs. But I couldn't cycle anymore as the weather was crap all the time and later I started make excuses and now it's summer again but I still haven't cycled besides going to school and all. I weigh 84 or so kilo now, so like 180 lbs. I really wanna start losing weight again and get a better condition as I'm going to university in the end of august but I've been wondering a few things, and I finally get to the point sorry for that story:

I liked cycling but everyone is saying running is better, is that true? Besides just knowing what'd be better for losing weight/getting condition I wanna know as my bike is not in a state to really cycle intensively with so I'll either buy shoes or a bike.

and second, what should I do when the weather will get worse again? I live in the Netherlands so it rains.... a...lot....

thanks in advance and again, sorry for that story, I just want you to have the background story.

[Deleted]

Running isn't necessarily better than cycling, especially in case of overweight persons as it stresses the joints more. While there are certain ups and downs to either form of exercise, in regards to fatloss they are equal.

The important question, in this large topic isn't really what exercise i should use, but rather how. If you enjoy cycling long routes, by any means do it. But if you don't enjoy it, for example like me and want to keep cardio to a minimum, I wholeheartedly would recommend you doing High Intensity Interval Training also known as HIIT. There are so much recent data to suggest that just 5 minutes of this, increases your caloric expenditure by the same amount, or more than 45-60 minutes of regular steady cardio. However, doing this properly is probrably not so easy on a bike unless you have a stationary one.

Anyway to directly answer your question, no running isn't better than cycling in your case (and in most other situations).

Well, it's not impossible to cycle in the rain. Anyway, HIIT training again could be another choice as it doesn't require much time outside nor and could be done inside in halls, gyms or wherever you go

[Deleted]

well, back when I cycled I had a route I liked that was about 16.5 km and at start it took me a bit over 1 hour but it kept decreasing on average, till I got to around the 50 minutes. I'm not sure if that's considered as long, if not I could easily make it longer. As long as I got my favourite music and a good bike it's np. I could also start running probably but I've got no confidence and I got no idea how I should start. I could also give HIIT a go but it'll be with my old shoes for PE if I decide to cycle instead of running. Could you tell me how I should do that?
Thanks for your post by the way

[Blueobelisk]

Biking can be better than running, sometimes I feel like biking is super easy and you can bike for longer/less effort than you can run/jog/power walk.

But to be honest I only use stationary bikes, and a trick I use is that I have some wrist weights, so throughout the biking (I did 30 minutes at a time) I would do some upper body exercises as well. You wouldn't believe how effective that was.

[Spectral]

I liked cycling but everyone is saying running is better, is that true?

No, one is not objectively better than the other. Running generally has a higher calorie burn rate, but it's essentially impossible to run for as long as you'll be able to cycle. Both can burn far, far more than enough calories to cause you to run a calorie deficit and lose weight. Both are excellent for cardio. Cycling is generally more associated with lower body muscular development, at least if you're climbing much.

Besides just knowing what'd be better for losing weight/getting condition I wanna know as my bike is not in a state to really cycle intensively with so I'll either buy shoes or a bike.

FWIW, it's much more expensive to properly set up and outfit a bike than to get good running gear. If you're wanting to focus on one sport and be geared correctly for it on a tight budget, running is the way to go.

and second, what should I do when the weather will get worse again? I live in the Netherlands so it rains.... a...lot....

Run in the rain! It's fun, as long as it's only drizzling.

Overall, I'd really strongly recommend doing both if you find them both fun. They're different exercises and have some different benefits. Also, if you tack on swimming, you can do tris!

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HIIT ... However, doing this properly is probrably not so easy on a bike unless you have a stationary one.

Hill repeats are the way to go for HIIT on a bike. A simple 6% grade for half a mile, pedaling at a high cadence is a ton of effort for most people starting out.

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well, back when I cycled I had a route I liked that was about 16.5 km and at start it took me a bit over 1 hour but it kept decreasing on average, till I got to around the 50 minutes. I'm not sure if that's considered as long, if not I could easily make it longer.

Long is relative. For experienced cyclists, this is a short, slow ride. That's not intended to crap on you though, everything is relative!

I could also start running probably but I've got no confidence and I got no idea how I should start.

The place to start is not worrying about being bad. Everyone's bad at running when they start, pretty much no exceptions. You just need to focus on dialing in a comfortable pace and getting used to being on your feet and moving forward for extended periods. Walk a bit if you need to. Start by just trying to run as far as you can at a slow pace, then do it again the next day, and again the next day, and so on. Don't run through joint pain though.

[Attackrabbit]

Take up BMXing Its certainly kept me fit since I started (almost 20 years ago now) and can work out your whole body whilst having immense fun.....the crashing bit hurts quite a bit at times though If I didn't BMX I would most likely be a fat blob as I detest running and there are no public swimming pools near me (which is a shame as I have always enjoyed swimming).

[Rennadrel]

Biking is better then running purely because it is lower impact. If you have bad knees though, it can be difficult to ride. To be honest, a spinning bike can be a good alternative to a road bike and you can ride it all year.

[Spectral]

Biking is better then running purely because it is lower impact. If you have bad knees though, it can be difficult to ride. To be honest, a spinning bike can be a good alternative to a road bike and you can ride it all year.

Yeah, as someone that's had incessant knee problems for about 15 years, I can say that both cause their own set of problems. My knees feel like they have more torque on them during a big power effort on bike (especially up hills) than any single time during running, but running makes my IT bands tighten pretty painfully at times. One isn't really better for me than the other, I just have to feel it out and try to stay on top of injuries.

[Bolson13]

There are fietstrainers but they are not very cheap (and I assume you have a racing bike), however a sub to a gym start at around €75 for the cheaper ones so.

http://www.salden.nl/default.asp?pid=52&catid=3357
This store is usually very cheap but I am not going to look everywhere for you

Or just go swimming or something else if that intrests you more. Or take up a martial art, you probably like that like most other guys. Plus in general people start it around 18 years (average I mean) old so your not a complete noob while the rest is much better. It is fairly cheap to start and training gyms tend to be fairly cheap. Plenty of Muay thai schools in the Netherlands and they are some of the hardest workouts I ever did. And don't worry about getting your face punched in or something even though it has a bit of a bad rep at the moment in the Netherlands.

[Bombino]

Do what you enjoy and keep improving at it and you should see results

[schwank05]

Generally speaking Cycling is easier on your body. Running is highly impactive and can cause issues with knees and ankles. I much more enjoy cycling as you can take breaks and still keep moving.