{"id":794350,"date":"2026-10-07T02:16:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T02:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/794350\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T02:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T02:16:10","slug":"running-vs-cycling-which-workout-makes-you-fitter-heres-how-they-stack-up-against-4-key-factors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/794350\/","title":{"rendered":"Running vs. cycling: Which workout makes you fitter? Here\u2019s how they stack up against 4 key factors"},"content":{"rendered":"

To run or to cycle? For many, it\u2019s seen as an either-or situation, with each sport having its own outdated stereotype: runners are thrifty, solitary creatures, pounding the pavements in worn-out clobber, while cyclists are moneyed, Lycra-clad coffee<\/a> enthusiasts, riding bikes worth more than most family cars. The truth is, of course, rather different. The modern runner, with access to carbon-plated shoes<\/a> and hi-tech clothing, can now be just as kit-obsessed<\/a> as their cycling equivalent, should they wish to splash the cash. Plus, you don\u2019t have to pick sides \u2013 you can indeed include both activities in your schedule.<\/p>\n

But in the spirit of friendly competition, let\u2019s see how these two noble activities compare in four key areas. <\/p>\n

1. Calorie burn<\/p>\n

Both running and cycling score big when it comes to calorie burn. Due to the weight-bearing nature of running, though, you\u2019ll burn a few more calories doing a bit of the ol\u2019 left-right-left than you will turning the pedals. There\u2019s also a bit more \u2018free speed\u2019 in cycling \u2013 for example, when you\u2019re going downhill you might not be peddling at all. Running, meanwhile, requires constant energy expenditure. <\/p>\n

That said, calorie burn is dictated to a large extent by the duration and intensity of an activity. Tour de France riders can burn up to 10,000 calories a day \u2013 considerably more than you would running a marathon<\/a>. Keen amateur cyclists will often go on weekend rides in excess of three hours, during which time they\u2019d likely burn more calories than a runner doing a 90-minute long run<\/a>. But when compared over the same duration, running trumps cycling in the calories burn stakes, as it does pretty much any activity. <\/p>\n

2. Bone density<\/p>\n

Pounding the pavements can create its own problems in the shape of impact-related injuries<\/a>, but it can also create stronger bones. A study published in the European Congress of Endocrinology<\/a> found that exercise that puts strain on your skeleton, such as running, is a boon for bone health. This led the study author, Dr Giovanni Lombardi, to conclude this: \u2018Our finding suggest that those at risk of weaker bones might want to take up running rather than swimming of cycling.\u2019 However, more running won\u2019t necessarily lead to bulletproof bones. It needs to happen gradually and be supported by good nutrition and recovery \u2013 two important things that contribute to bone health. <\/p>\n

3. VO2 max<\/p>\n

Sorry, there\u2019s no clear winner here. Reason being, VO2 max<\/a> \u2013 the measure of how much oxygen you can use during exercise \u2013 is specific to the activity. In other words, when VO2 max is tested on a treadmill<\/a>, runners tend to fair better. When it\u2019s tested on a bike, cyclists have the advantage. As with calorie burn, VO2 max improvements will be governed to some extent by how much and how hard you exercise. In this sense, you could argue that cycling has the advantage as you can push harder and for longer without it taking quite the same toll on the body. But it\u2019s probably fair to call this one a draw. <\/p>\n

4. Injury risk<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where cycling comes into its own. The low-impact nature of the activity \u2013 which makes it inferior to running in the calorie burn and bone health stakes \u2013 means that it inherently has a lower injury risk. Runners can, of course, mitigate the risk of injury through sensible training<\/a>, good nutrition<\/a>, strength and conditioning<\/a> and adequate recovery<\/a>. But cycling still takes the win here. <\/p>\n

However, it is worth noting that cycling carries some injury risk. An ill-fitting bike and inefficient pedalling action can place stress and strain on joints and muscles and there is a much higher risk of serious injury through falls and accidents, so road safety is paramount. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To run or to cycle? For many, it\u2019s seen as an either-or situation, with each sport having its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":794351,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[11157,57164,4985,381,190731,1156,57163,223205,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-794350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-content-type-default","tag-contentid-9a6a1acb-67c8-4fa9-863a-05324880e5c2","tag-cycling","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-running-vs-cycling-whats-the-better-workout","tag-sponsored-false","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/794351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}