Cycling Vs Running

To keep fit, should you get on your bike or run for it? We find out

 

You want to get fit fast

Cycling: Just like at school, you develop staying power on the local bike. "Cycling's low impact, so you keep going longer," says Matt Parker, coach at British Cycling. "It's sustained stamina training."
Running: It won't max stamina as fast for one reason: it hurts. "Running leads to muscle soreness and damage," says Nick Grantham of the English Institute of Sport. "It's no wonder cyclists keep going for longer." Ahem.
Winner: Cycling

You want to build muscle

Cycling: "Cycling power is generated by glutes, quads and hamstrings," says Parker. "So you'll see gains in leg bulk." Hit the dumb-bells, too, to avoid your top-half looking like a stick drawing.
Running: "You can't bulk up by running, even with hill training," says Grantham. In fact, you'd have to be mad to try. Running spreads strain throughout your body.
Ever see Schwarzenegger running? Exactly.
Winner: Cycling

You want to lose your gut

Cycling: Calories burnt by 10 minutes of cycling: 97.
You are sitting down, after all. "If you're not supporting your weight, you simply aren't going to be working as hard," says Grantham. Come on, off yer arse...
Running: Just 14.2 minutes on a treadmill burnt 200 calories
It took 27 minutes on a bike according to the Centre for Sports Science and Health study. You'll burn more on uneven terrain like sand or Scotland.
Winner: Running

You want to stay off crutches

Cycling: Injuries per 1000 hours: 6
You'll crash only once every 900,000 miles. "Ensure your legs can't fully straighten to minimise injuries," says Parker. Sticking to this rule off the bike is amusing but unnecessary.
Running: Injuries per 1000 hours: 11
"Shockwaves compress your vertebrae," says Harley Street podiatrist Simon Costain. Marathon runners shrink by a centimetre during a race. Temporary. But not good – especially if you're Danny DeVito.
Winner: Cycling