Training & Nutrition - Biking or Jogging to lose weight?

Hi everyone, Im new to the forum and was wanting to know which is better for losing weight faster....biking or jogging?

I bike to work and back even though its only a 7min ride each way then I would usually jog in the evening, but its hard on my knees and its not as fun as biking but my body gets "worked up" IMO better by jogging. Would biking be just as good and how much in an evening would I have to do to lose some weight?

If you are very heavy then running might be to painfull right now, try focusing on the bike and use the elliptical trainers at the gym(if you have a gym, if not try running on grass or go to a local high school and run on their track. High school tracks are pretty springy compounds and easier on the knees). As for your question, running burns calories faster but is more stress on the body. If you are looking to drop weight fast then diet is the most important change (not jumping on the fad diet bandwagon but lifestyle change involving healty choices you can maintain. If you don't know where to start with the eating habit changes see a nutritionalist)

think of it like this. You say you ride 7 miles. Could you jog that far? Jogging does indeed burn more calories but as said above, it can cause more body pains/aches.

Whichever is more fun, less painful, more likely that you'll keep it up.

To get more "worked up" on the bike, attach yourself to the pedals (using a clipless pedal/cleat system), spin your legs briskly in a full circle, and go uphill!

This is contrary to what others have said, but I have lost weight more quickly once I supplemented my riding with jogging. I jog appx. 3 miles, 3 mornings a week, in additiona to my hour commute each day. Plus appx. 50-75 mi. on one weekend day.

Allison_in_oh is right, higher cadence, and raising your heartbeat will help lose more weight than mashing away on a bike.

And I do it completely a different way.

I ride every day. I jog, perhaps once a week.

But, I also alternate days between wind sprints and weights. The reason for the wind sprints is because they raise my metabolism for long lengths of time (thus, my body burns more calories for hours afterwards...at least I feel it does) and boosts my anerobic capacity leading to better cycling. The weights concentrate on upper body muscles. Muscles burn more calories than fat so, like wind sprinting, I end up burning extra calories throughout the day.

do both as frequently as possible. if you are sore from running get back on the bike. Make that short commute longer by taking a few fun detours. (my direct route to work is 8 miles, but I mostly go a 12 mile route just to add miles and time on the bike)...then you can pick up swimming and join us in the Triathlon forum.....fun stuff. They supplement each other well.
Have fun.

hmm so basically jogging is more effective in losing the weight than the bike besides the pain.

Im 22, 5' 10" and weigh 220lbs.

Ride hard, jog easy, it's what I do. I use a HRM and ride between 146 and 156. I jog under 146 which is excrutiatingly slow, slow as in biomechanically difficult to separate from walking. That's about 5mph! Once a week I run fast, 8 min miles for 40 minutes.

I just started doing this four weeks ago. Before I used to just run at 10min/mile pace and that was it. I never felt like I wanted to go faster. All of a sudden after jogging slow like that I felt like I had a bunch of energy! I like my new HRM. :)

what are wind sprints?

Set up a schedule combining running, walking and cycling. Jogging isn't a word, its jargon.

Change your eating habits.

Lose weight.

I think the key to weight loss it to be active. Jogging, cycling, & weight lifting all have benefits. The more active you are, the more likely you are to loose weight. Provided your not consuming HUGE calories daily.

Jogging is harder on the joints, it's "impact"....if you are heavy (like me), this could be even worse.

Cycling is no impact (e.g. no joints hit an opposing force) on the joints and low impact in terms of ease.

If its a choice, I prefer cycling.

Hi everyone, Im new to the forum and was wanting to know which is better for losing weight faster....biking or jogging?

I bike to work and back even though its only a 7min ride each way then I would usually jog in the evening, but its hard on my knees and its not as fun as biking but my body gets "worked up" IMO better by jogging. Would biking be just as good and how much in an evening would I have to do to lose some weight?

In my opinion, the two reasons running is not great for losing weight is that it's hard for an overweight person to maintain it long enough to benefit, and it's too hard on the joints (knees, ankles, and joints within the foot) if you're heavy. Cycling is better if you're overweight to start with, because you can go out and cycle reasonably briskly for 30 minutes even if you're obese (you'd never be able to run anywhere near that long), and as long as you use low gears you won't kill your knees. ALso make sure your seat is the right height to avoid kneestrain.

Of course cycling isn't exercise unless you work, and don't just coast a lot. As others have pointed out, you can ensure you are working by including some uphill sections. Other simple tricks are to use a speedometer and keep it above a certain speed, or cycle on a track and field oval and time your laps, to make sure you are always striving for speed and improving your fitness.

I cycle a lot but sadly I don't combine it with proper diet and hence I am still overweight, even though I can ride all day. I really gotta do something about that! So exercise alone isn't enough.

Once you lose the weight and get fitter, then running is probably great for keeping it off.

Robert

At first I though it odd that someone would ask for a recommendation for jogging in a cycling forum. After additional thought, it occurs to me that running is probably aerobic virtually all the time. While cycling may or may not be. For me though, running just hurts too much, both during and after. In fact, I am so bad at running, attempting a running/jogging regimen would likely take me off the bike.

I 100% hate running with every fiber of my being. Because of that, I will not run unless someone much bigger and nastier than I is chasing me and I have to run.

For that reason, I cycle. I am sure there are folks on jogging forums who feel the same way about cycling.

The important thing is to do what YOU enjoy doing and will stick with.

YMMV

what are wind sprints?

Emily, wind sprints are when you alternate between sprinting and walking. I usually do it at a track. I warm up by running at jogging pace for around 100-120 yards, then walk for about 50-60 yards. I repeat this once. Then, I start alternating between running about 100-120 yards as fast as I can and the 50-60 yards of walking. I do this until I complete a total mile. Afterwards, I stretch.

I'm 54, so my sprinting aren't quite what they once were, but I still can beat my youngest daughter (by a little, little bit) who was a sprinter on her junior high track team, so I feel proud. She'll probably wipe me out shortly, but I have my last little moment for a bit longer.

Here's an article on wind sprinting. They do the repetitions differently from me, but I just do what feels best for me.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/cy28r

I will say that I feel more alive and energetic after wind sprints than at any other time. I'm quite addicted.

In my opinion, the two reasons running is not great for losing weight is that it's hard for an overweight person to maintain it long enough to benefit, and it's too hard on the joints (knees, ankles, and joints within the foot) if you're heavy.

Start slowly with walking at 4.5-5 miles an hour and keep it up for as long as possible(shoot for 30-45min at least to start) and then as you become more fit increase speed. And change your diet, always the most important part for not only loosing weight but getting healty.

thanks alot guys for the help on this topic. Running yes does hurt my knees and I can never run for a good period of time. Probably useless to do then...better to bike.

Try a little of both. If you're jogging, take it easy in the beginning (for the first month or two), go slow, don't try to do too many miles in the beginning (start with just a few blocks if that's all you can handle).

I started running again last month and in the beginning I was just able to go a couple of blocks before I had to stop and walk. Now I'm up to doing a 4 mile run (without stopping). I go slow though because I'm a clydesdale (5'8" and 200+ lbs.).

You gotta find out what you're body can handle and set small goals to start with.

When I started bicycling a year and a half ago I couldn't make it up the Queensborough Bridge (in NYC)... now I can ride my bike pretty much as long as I want... (I'm slow but have good stamina).




Hi everyone, Im new to the forum and was wanting to know which is better for losing weight faster....biking or jogging?

I bike to work and back even though its only a 7min ride each way then I would usually jog in the evening, but its hard on my knees and its not as fun as biking but my body gets "worked up" IMO better by jogging. Would biking be just as good and how much in an evening would I have to do to lose some weight?

Running burns calories much faster so you won't have to run as long. On the bike it's possible to ride for hours and burn very few calories if you're just putting. If you're running you're going to burn significant calories at anything above a walk. So, if you have very little time available for exercise the running will be more effective.

On the other hand you're more apt to get "sports injuries" from running. If you have the time you'll probably find biking more enjoyable and easier to stick with over the long haul.

To lose weight the most important thing is how many calories you consume. The bodies pretty efficient and unless you have several hours a day to exercise vigorously as well as the health and ambition to sustain it then consumption is king.

Weight training three or four times a week in addition to the aerobic work will also help burn off the calories as well as generally improve your fitness. Don't forget to put together a good stretching routine. At your age not as critical but a good session of stretching will still help to transition from sedentary time to active time.

My special weight loss program can be described in only 4 words: Eat less, exercise more.

All the advice here is very solid. You have to find what works best for you personally, everyone is different. For me I was 248lbs a little over a year ago. I am down to 190 5'11" still heavy by cycling standards but definately headed in the right direction. I have managed this through a combination of diet, running. and cycling. I actually started off running and I beat the fire out of knees for a good while until I found the bike. I ride almost exclusively now. The key to success for me has been frequency and intensity. I ride 6 days a week and when I ride I ride hard. Always riding against the clock, always trying to ride a little faster today than I did yesterday. I would highly recommend a heart monitor, they don't cost very much and are a really good device for keeping track of what your body is doing. I would also so strongly suggest that you keep a training log. Log distances, times and notes about your workout. You will find it a source of inspiration and humor as you get in better shape. I don't know if one is better than the other, I just know that I love to ride more than I love to run and that for me has been the key. Good luck...

There's been a lot of good advice. Like many here, I mix the two. But I would like to add one thing: if you are going to run, be sure to get good running shoes. It's the only semi-expensive piece of equipment you need for running, but it is absolutely essential. And really, compared to what one pays for bike equipment, even the best pair of technical running shoes is dirt cheap :).

Good running shoes come from a running or sports store, not from a department store or Payless (but you probably already knew that...sorry if I'm preaching to the choir). There are also some good, easy stretches to help prevent knee pain--PM me if you'd like the details.

Good luck!
Dagna

I think you can lose the weight that you desire on a bike if you varry the way you ride. Like ride for a strong pace for a given distance or time, work on sprinting intervals, climbing hills, spinning, pushing a big gear for a certain distance, doing a long ride once a week, and so on. It is my feeling that you can accomplish losing the weight if you desire to do so and if you can continue to enjoy the ride no matter what.

Agreed with the good running shoes. Go to a running shoe store where they so gait analysis. For years I ran on the lowest cushioning shoe without knowing why, but since everything felt fine I didn't really care. 10 years and 30 pounds later all of a sudden my slight suppination plus soccer MCL injury was magnified 10x over. Switched to a pair of ASICS gel 1100's and everything is good again.

Most of the books I've read tell you to do a 5 min warmup, 20 min jog/walk, and a 5 min warm down. That's plenty to start out.