If you are a runner, your main form of training is of course running. However, if you are an avid runner, you know that cross-training will be an essential part of your training regime.
Regardless if you run to keep healthy, weight loss, or train for the upcoming marathon, building up strength and endurance is the key to getting the most out of your run. Thus, indoor cycling can provide a low-impact alternative while simultaneously improving your running.
Many runners incorporate cycling as a form of recovery training during or after hard training. While injured runners who are recovering use cycling to maintain some level of fitness and cardiovascular health while recovering.
Now let’s look into how runners can take advantage of the benefits of indoor cycling, why is it beneficial for them, and how to incorporate it into their training routine.
Cycling indoors has two major categories that can benefit runners, that is recovery and cross-training.
1. Recovery
– Cycling helps recovery: By increasing the blood flow of your muscles such as the calves, glutes, hamstrings, and quads, these are all the muscles essential to running
-Cycling helps flush lactic acids: It helps to remove the stiffness from your muscle. As your muscles burn more energy, they produce lactic acid, which breaks down into hydrogen ions.
-Cycling is a great use of injury recovery time: If you are able to run because of the pressure and impact, opt for cycling indoors. It keeps your muscle and lungs active while reducing any impact.
Image via : Garmin
2. Cross-training
-Cycling helps build your cardio: Since we are able to cycle longer than we can run. We can get that additional boost of cardio training in your routine.
– Cycling build strength: Both running and cycling help to activate similar muscles, but each one targets the muscle in a different position. By cross-training, both workouts can help to build overall strength used in running.
– Cycling decrease body fat: It only happens when you are cycling uphill with some sort of resistance. If you’re cycling indoors, you can also adjust the resistance accordingly to feel the burn.
– Cycling improves run time: Overall cycling can help to increase your stamina and endurance without putting extra stress on your leg muscle.
‘’So how can I incorporate cycling into my running routine, you may ask?’’
Well, indoor cycling and spinning classes which are popular and trending right now can really push your heart rate to the upper limits in a short amount of time. This will help improve your cardiovascular strength and speed. If you are working out 5-6 times a week, try integrating cycling into your routine twice a week.
Image via : Shape
Here are some indoor cycling workouts which can be used to complement your running.
– Sprint interval workouts help with increasing your speed and engaging fast twitching muscles.
– Endurance workout and indoor cycling promotes cardiorespiratory fitness and increase overall stamina.
– Resistance workouts help to build and tone muscle.
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