stationary bike vs running

[toufeksian]

i just bought a nice stationary bike, ive been using it and its awesome to do sprints on the higher tension levels (like running on a hill)
what do u think of the benefits/cons of a bike compared with running ?

[I'llKillYaFace]

i do the same thing, and I love it. It works up a great sweat and literaly feels like imma die when i get off. I started doing HIIT on it and it does an awesome job. go for 1 min. at high resistance, thrn chill for about 30 sec. then start over. total workout is like 20 min. w/ warm up/cool down

[Revok]

everything has its pros and cons. Running certainly provides the best cardio but can be inconvenient and hard on the joints, whereas the stationary bike is very convenient but it can be boring and I find it targets the quads a little too much for me to go 100%. A stationary bike is definitely an indispensable tool though, and by far my favourite cardio machine.

[Bizz]

I use the bike for my HIIT training as I am too heavy for running on a regular basis (its destroys my joints).

Inotice it targets my quads a lot too but thats not so bad as some of the other conditioning exersizes I do at class require tons of quad strength and endurance.

[chokingvictim]

Both exercise completely different muscles. I can run and pace myself and go forever, but biking is completely different. I don't last nearly as long on my mountain bike, but then again riding trails is different than a stationary bike (I don't like them because I prefer to be outside).
I think a mix of both is best. I don't run as much anymore because of pain in my knees. Running is probably a better workout and gets a wider variety of muscles but the joint problem is an issue for lots of people which is why I love riding, even on bikes I don't pedal (check my avatar).

[Revok]

Originally Posted by chokingvictim

Both exercise completely different muscles. I can run and pace myself and go forever, but biking is completely different.

Weird. The opposite is true for me. I cycle without a break -and on pretty ugly terrain- for an hour or more almost every day, but when it comes to running I suck.

Actually, because I found cycling not challenging enough, I came up with the idea of running for short distances while carrying the bike on my shoulder. Great HIIT.

[chokingvictim]

Originally Posted by Revok

Weird. The opposite is true for me. I cycle without a break -and on pretty ugly terrain- for an hour or more almost every day, but when it comes to running I suck.

Actually, because I found cycling not challenging enough, I came up with the idea of running for short distances while carrying the bike on my shoulder. Great HIIT.

You should check out a cyclocross race. They use bikes that are similar to a road bike but with knobby tires, and have to run with the bike over parts of the course. Very insane athletes those guys are.

[Revok]

Wow this cyclocross thing is exactly what I'm doing every morning. I thought I was fucking crazy running around the park with a 60lb mountain bike on my back. Turns out i'm a closet cyclocross champ. Thanks man.

[deadlyshaolin]

Originally Posted by Revok

Wow this cyclocross thing is exactly what I'm doing every morning. I thought I was fucking crazy running around the park with a 60lb mountain bike on my back. Turns out i'm a closet cyclocross champ. Thanks man.

Haha, this is cool. Any more info about this "cyclocross" stuff? Revok keep us posted.

[chokingvictim]

^^ The cyclocross bikes are just like road bikes but have knobby tires. I remember reading about a guy that brought a cyclocross bike to a mountain bike race and destroyed everyone.

It's a somewhat less-popular sport compared to mountain biking or road biking because of how demanding it is.