Cycling vs Running

[Abstroose]

What's cycling like for cardio in comparison to running? I used to run about 5k 4 times a week until recently I sold my car and started cycling to and from work (7 miles a day) and now I can't find the time to run in the evenings apart from doing 10mins on a treadmill at the Gym.

Am I better off doing the cycling than the running? I know running is a good cario workout for Muay Thai but I've never heard people's views on cycling...

[DetoxGuru.com]

for me personally running is alot harder than cycling , i can cycle 10+miles without really trying that hard but run 2miles and feel like im gonna die :( , plus running is boring as fuck and real bad for your joints long term, stick to the cycling and find some big hills

[MikeyL]

I am still in the firm belief that there are better workouts for contact sports rather than steady state cardio

[Abstroose]

I didn't realise running was bad for your joints long term?

I understand there are better cardio workouts for contact sports than running and cycling, but nonetheless it can't hurt and to me it's more of an extra than an alternative.

[boxingbrit]

Good cardio work for Muay Thai/ Boxing aint necessarilly good for MMA. Very different requirements

[Lou]

You can have a good cardio session on a bike- find a big hill and try and ride up as fast as you can ,not in an easy gear either. Repeat.

[MikeyL]

I didn't realise running was bad for your joints long term?

I understand there are better cardio workouts for contact sports than running and cycling, but nonetheless it can't hurt and to me it's more of an extra than an alternative.


It CAN hurt though. If you HAVE to do one though do cycling

[Lou]

It has hurt/made me on the verge of vomitting before when trying to ride up hills quickly.

[Abstroose]

Thanks for all the advice, think I'll stick with cycling for cardio and running for warm-up

[Wiegieboard]

I do a 4k hill run 3 or 4 times a week and find it absolutely brutal. I push pretty hard and have found that it's lowering my heartrate over time.
I used to love cycling and if it's available to you then definately do it but personally I really like running. I'm not sure if ten minutes would benefit you overly much over a 7 mile cycle.

[DanCrase]

I do all my cardio now on an eliptical cross-trainer. I hate running, as it bores the shit out of me and I don't fancy the idea of not being able to walk at age 50 due to fucked up knees, as for cycling....well...I don't know how to cycle.

[KidKimura]

Cycling to and from work, depending on how easy it is to get to, prob won't be as good cardio as running, for the simple fact that when your running you still have to move when your going downhill!

My job means I'm out on the bike pretty much all day long, so instead of running long distances I just do sprints, which only takes like 15 mins. And you can do similar things on the cross trainer if your worried about your joints.

It all depends on what your goals are and what kind of fitness your trying to acheive

[Abstroose]

I'm going to Phuket to train Muay Thai for 3 months in may, and then I'm going to look at training all round MMA when I get back. I really want to get myself to high level of fitness before I go to Thailand and I know cardio and is going to play a major role.

[KidKimura]

I would definately suggests sprints, hill sprints are really good, and you can do em running or on a bike.

I'm well jealous!

[Abstroose]

Never thought about doing sprints... I guess I could continue cycling to and from work every day and then start doing sprints after the gym!

[Lou]

I do all my cardio now on an eliptical cross-trainer. I hate running, as it bores the shit out of me and I don't fancy the idea of not being able to walk at age 50 due to fucked up knees, as for cycling....well...I don't know how to cycle.






Awww you should get a beginners bike and stabilisers.



Then take pics :D

[KidKimura]

Sprints are the best kind of cardio for Muay Thai, obviously aerobic stuff is needed too, but short, high intensity bursts is what you need to get used to. When I do sprints I do 100m sprints then a slow jog back. Depending what shape I'm in at the time I do between 10 and 20. Obviously mixing it up is a good idea, sometimes doing exercises in between like push ups and sit ups and stuff are good. Or if you have someone with you padwork in between sprints is awesome, gets you used to throwing punches when your shattered!

hope that helps!

[THE COLONEL]

Ive been doing a couple sessions of spinning and finding it really good because most of it is intervals

[SawaPawa]

Good cardio work for Muay Thai/ Boxing aint necessarilly good for MMA. Very different requirements

Y's that? I'd have thought that anything that's good for one of mma's elements would be good for mma in general. Do u just mean that u're better off focussing on stuff that's better for mma?

[Rs1]

Cycling to running is close to a 4:1 ratio....so basicly for every 10 mile run you do you would need to do 40 mile on the bike to get a similar work out.
Its only a rough guide as with it being totally different excercise is hard to compare but i'm sure you get the idea.
Running isn't as bad for your joints as people think unless your fairly overweight, constantly do big mileage, constantly run on concrete/pavement or have bad technique. Its the same as alot of sport... youve got to mix it up and take recovery just as serious as the activity.

[gibble10]

what i find good for running and also help break up the boardom of just running is

run between goals on a football pitch run full length 2 times do 20 reps of push up, squat, pull up ets etc

good for interval training good for stamina and also helps easy pain on joints due to running on grass !!!

[Jamie Taylor]

It CAN hurt though. If you HAVE to do one though do cycling

Care to shed a little light on this statement Michael ?

[Baa]

I'm going to Phuket to train Muay Thai for 3 months in may, and then I'm going to look at training all round MMA when I get back. I really want to get myself to high level of fitness before I go to Thailand and I know cardio and is going to play a major role.

Where about you training in Phuket? i'm off to Thailand in may also.

[MikeyL]

Care to shed a little light on this statement Michael ?

The 'It can hurt' or the why I would do cycling?

[Jamie Taylor]

Just curious as to why you recommend cycling over running for mma.

[MikeyL]

I just meant that it could be better for your knees in the long run. I didnt mean it was better from a sports specific viewpoint

To be honest I hate both

[Rosi]

I just meant that it could be better for your knees in the long run. I didnt mean it was better from a sports specific viewpoint

To be honest I hate both

Running CAN be bad for your joints, but isn't necessarily. Likewise cycling may also be bad for you and create potential for injuries. Both can be beneficial when done the right way for the right reasons.

There's no right or wrong answer here. Depends on the individual.

[DetoxGuru.com]

cycling is fun , running is hard work , thats the difference imho.