yaganon

I play ultimate frisbee with my college club team, and the amount of running is about the same as you would play soccer. I don't know if anyone of you play either sports, but there's a lot sprinting and a high demand for stamina. For instance, on a given day during an ultimate frisbee tournament, we can have something like 3-5 games on a single day.

So basically, my question is: Is biking better than running when it comes to preparation for sporting events that involve a lot of running (mainly sprinting and jumping) and stamina?

I do realize that both running and biking will both help. But I'm wondering if running and biking are really that different when we're talking about the results that they produce.

MichaelW

Cycling is not good training for running, you use different muscles and there are different stresses on the body.
If you want to train for a running event, run.
You can use a bike for transportation and that will build some extra cardio training into your everyday routine.

Looigi

Cycling is weird and unnatural. Running is better. I hate running but like cycling. Cycling isn't the only unnatural thing I like.

HandsomeRyan

If you want to build stamina, get a fixed gear bike. All the fun and exercise of cycling but without all that wussy coasting.

A fixed gear bike can be had for relatively cheap [With no expensive pars like derailleurs, shifters, etc they start around $300-$400 for a reasonable entry level bike] and in addition to being a great workout, they are a lot of fun to ride.

Example:
Here is a pic of the legs of a track racer who rides a fixed gear bike.

GentlemanGeorge

Search other threads, this topic comes up periodically with plenty of opposing views. For me, a person who started cycling then transitioned to mid distance running (10k to half marathon) I see a greater cardio benefit from running.

BarracksSi

Yeah, they're different. To get the same cardio benefit by bike as you would while running, you have to ride hard and fast, and do it for a long time. You'd have to be really hauling butt if you want an hour on the bike to equate to an hour on foot; many rides last a lot longer. You're also not working nearly as many muscles compared to running.

But, cycling doesn't pound your joints, although the repetitive motion can hurt you if you're not fitting the bike correctly for your body. For example, if one leg is noticeably shorter than the other, saddle height adjustment alone won't keep you from overextending one leg or under-extending the other; you'd need a shim under the shoe to help compensate. There are also persistent warnings of biking not being good for building bone density.

I don't really like running even though I'm getting better at it as my form evolves. I bike because I like biking better, and I get my leg strength & agility from other exercises.

Carley P.

MichaelW said it best.

I just decided to start running 4 days ago, (let's hope I keep it up.) I'll run a mile in under nine minutes and I feel like I get more of a cardio workout than I do on my 5 mile commute to work.

I play ultimate a little too, and that is one of the reasons why I started running. I still use my bike as my main form of transportation though.

I'd recommend doing both. Like it's been said, you're using different muscles. If you do both, you can get more of a cardio workout without over-working your calf muscles. (I say calf muscles because after running a mile each day my calves are killing me.)

Bikewer

If your goal is aerobic fitness (what folks are calling "cardio" these days), then the bike is perhaps more efficient.
Training at the higher levels involves doing certain percentages of one's maximum heartrate for specified periods of time.
Most find this easier to do on the bike... Especially if you use a heart-rate monitor. It is easier on the joints, and there are a variety of people (like myself) that do not tolerate running well. Bad knees, bunions, bad low back... But I can ride pain-free.
However, neither of these activities is sport-specific, and if you are training for better athletic performance in a particular sport, then you must supplement your aerobic training with something more sport-specific.

Pat

If you want fitness for running, run.

Cycling can be very good for aerobic conditioning. But you have to ride hard enough to actually tax your aerobic system. If you do, it is a great workout.

Now being in great shape from cycling will help your running some. But remember, Lance Armstrong ran a marathon shortly after retiring. He did OK. But he was not competitive. So you can go from world class in one event to just another guy in another. I think most can recall that Michael Jordan was a tremendous basketball player and just another minor league baseball player (which is still really good).

Also cycling is a low impact form of exercise. As such, a cyclist does little damage to their body and can go ride for long periods of time. Running is a pretty high impact form of exercise. A few runners do not get injured by running. But most runners have only so many miles in their legs before they get injured. Cyclists can ride centuries day after day. But almost no one can run marathons day after day. The human body just takes too much of a beating running.

Keith99

And the OP seems to want this training for Ultimate Frisbee. Overall the best training for Ultimate Frisbee is ....

Ultimate Frisbee.

You have to cut, jump and do many other things that just running does not train you for.

Cycling can have a place to build endurance, it would be a good thing to include in a training program as it is low impact. (And it will be very good to have some cycling experience if yuo ever get injured, it may allow yuo to maintain fitness while healing).

BUT cycling is a very poor excercise for fitness if you 'just do it'. Running, any running is real work, cycling if yuo take it easy is not much work at all. So you need to stay aware when cycling for fitness so you don't drift into a low work level.

BarracksSi

Speaking of heart rate monitors --

If you get a chance to compare running & cycling on a HRM, you'll see what kind of effort is needed on the bike to get the same aerobic workout as running. It ain't easy.

I'd add that it's better to do these workouts for time, not for distance. Ultra-newbies might think that cycling for five miles is the same as running five miles, just a lot quicker. Get that elevated heart rate up there and keep it there for at least 20-30 minutes to "go into aerobic mode". It'd be good to work your way up to whatever goal you want, like if an Ultimate game is an hour, keep working out for an hour or more.

We'd go on runs at work now & then, sometimes as long as 45-50 minutes. That's not very long in the world of running, but what's interesting is that the people who only work out 20-30 minutes (whether it's jogging, weights, cardio, whatever) start dropping back right at about 20-30 minutes. I was able to keep close to the lead group, but I think the only reasons are 1) they weren't going as fast as they could, and 2) my on- and off-bike sessions have been an hour or more each time.

back4more

Do both - but focus on running - they are different but both will build cardio-endurance. But if you're going to run you need to run to build up for it.

superflylondon

I do both cycling and running using HRM and I can get my average HRT up toward my max easier while running. But the funny thing is I can max out my HRT out easier on the bike just harder to maintain a high avg HRT. Running seems to be easier mentally to keep going when your getting tired than the bike.

I've been experimenting lately on my trainer with getting my average HRT closer to what I get when I run and I can't seem to do it consistently like I can while running. If for example my average HRT on the bike was 150, than running would be 160.

I think doing both running and cycling are a happy medium to achieve both bike fun and increased aerobic fitness. I dislike running but love the benefits of it. I have to run though as the winters here suck and I can only take some much trainer time before I really want to get outside and jogging is the only option. I'll run a few times a week in the summer months just to maintain my "run fitness".

Velo Dog

I went the other way--I ran for almost 20 years, from my late 20s to mid-40s, mostly in the 40-mile/week range, but sometimes as much as 70 miles. I did only one marathon but many half-marathons and countless runs in the 10-mile range. I loved it, but my knees eventually gave out and I switched to cycling at about age 44. My fitness level probably slipped (hard to separate that from aging and family responsibilities, which cut into my riding time), and it was tough to keep my weight down without strict fork discipline (I used to work to get over 200 lbs so I could run as a heavyweight; now I struggle to get down to 225). I've been a cyclist now for more than 20 years, and I love it. If I had to decide which is best for fitness, though, I'd have to say running (but just to complicate things, when I was a runner I was young, single and dedicated. As a cyclist, I've mainly been middle-aged, a husband and father and inclined to say, "Screw it, that's enough for today").

Nightshade

For cardio (you did ask about cardio) nothing is better than cycling. It beats the pants off any other form of workout simply due to the fact cycling is MUCH easier on the joints especially the knees and hips.

JanMM

I'd say casual jogging and casual cycling are on the same level. 'Relaxed Fit' exercise, either way.
But both are intense workouts, compared to golf...................................

BarracksSi

^^^ Hmm... Well, when I think of "casual cycling", I think of not spending much more energy than walking and a lot of coasting.

BarracksSi

Honestly, to really get it right, do a lot of sprinting, jumping, and other agility exercises. Do them quickly, one right after the other, without a break for at least half the length of a game. Take a 5-minute break, then do it again. Then to really drive the stake, do it one more time. Get fit enough to outlast the other guys.

And, since you're talking about frisbee, get really good at throwing. But you already knew that.

*edit* This was my 12,000th post? Jeez, I can't wait to get back home...

JanMM

12,000 is an impressive number of posts.

009jim

Both cycling and running are good for your heart, lungs and vascular system. However, running will use different muscles to riding a bike so the muscles that used in each case will be toned but unused muscles in each case will stay relatively weak.

BarracksSi

"Impressive" like a 20-car NASCAR pileup...

meanwhile

Everything comes down to how you plan your training. If you want to train for peak cardio then long slow rides aren't the right training - you should do 30 minutes of hill repeats, say three times a week. But the best training for running is running; if I was training for ultimate frisbee I'd do windsprints, preferably on sand for the shock absorb and extra effort requirement.