Cycle yourself fit

Although heading to the gym is the easiest way to practice cross-training, it isn’t the only way. The principles that make the bike so good for your running are as valid if you’re out in the open as they are if you’re indoors on a stationary bike.

So, why is a using a bike so good for your running?

• Builds leg strength
  It is not just running that helps build up your legs. Using a bike can help tone your quad, calf and glut (buttocks) muscles as well as strengthen your tendons, without any load bearing. If you’re looking to improve your legs but want a break from running for a while, then the bike is the perfect alternative. Even better is to combine it with a resistance programme in the gym. Just ask any of the instructors in your gym for a programme to combine weights and the bike.
• Optimises fat burning
  Fat burning takes place when your heart rate is at around 65-75% of your maximum heart rate. You can measure your heart rate manually or by using a monitor, which can be linked up to a stationary bike in the gym. Many gym bikes also have digital displays that tell you your heart rate if you place your hands on the sensors. By measuring your heart rate correctly you can then use the bike to help you burn fat and so lose weight. It’s particularly easy to keep at the correct level on a stationary bike and achieve the 20 minutes needed to see some real benefit.
• Great way to work the cardiovascular system
  Your heart and lungs make up your cardiovascular system and the fitter you become, the more efficiently they work. This means a better flow of blood through your body and an increase in the speed the oxygen is pumped through your system. Your fitness level depends on how well this process is carried out and is made more effective by using equipment like the bike, as it works the heart and lungs slowly, to a pre-determined level. By increasing your training on the bike over time, there is an associated improvement in the performance of your cardiovascular system and therefore your fitness level.

• Non load-bearing so reduces risk of injury
  Another advantage of cycling is that it is a non-load bearing form of exercise. By that we mean, you are not supporting your whole body during your training as you do when you run. The very action of sitting means that a degree of pressure is being taken off your joints, meaning there is a reduced chance of injury. Many people who are returning to training after an injury use the bike as a way of re-gaining fitness as they can gradually increase fitness levels without putting pressure on a potentially suspect joint or tendon.
• Good for interval training so helps build speed
  Interval training is a vitally important way of building-up speed and the bike can play a major role in such a programme. The stationary bikes in your local gym will most probably have pre-programmed interval sessions and by following these, with gradual increases in the intensity level over time, you will see a significant improvement in your overall speed, both on and off the bike. If you’re using a bike outdoors the same applies.
  
  All you need to do is decide on which sections of your route you will cycle harder and for how long. Stick to the same routine and increase your intensity, using your heart rate monitor as a guide.

If you want to improve your running there is no substitute for increasing the quality of your training runs. However, there is a major advantage in adding other disciplines to your programme and the bike is one of the most effective. If you’re just after a simple way of getting fit, the combination of a couple of runs a week and then use of the bike every two or three days will prove invaluable.