Does biking improve leg turnover?

It does. But if you're looking to increase turnover, you should do running specific exercises like strides and other drills.

It may improve leg turnover. But it will NOT improve leg speed velocity.

Beware!

I would do speed drills/strides, but my nagging injuries are in my lower leg/ankle areas do getting on my toes too much right now isn't the best idea. What's the difference between turnover and velocity?

Captain Leg Speed Velocity wrote:

It may improve leg turnover. But it will NOT improve leg speed velocity.

Beware!

Exactly!! I have started training for Triathlons over the past few months and I have gotten slow as molasses! No joke, my speed went completely away. Even though I still try to do speed workouts. I used to be able to turn out 72sec 400s during a 10x400 workout. Last week I tried 6x400 and was only able to manage 82s. So depressing.

And I have heard this same story from other friends that went from runners to triathletes.

jogger to be wrote:

Captain Leg Speed Velocity wrote:

It may improve leg turnover. But it will NOT improve leg speed velocity.

Beware!

Exactly!! I have started training for Triathlons over the past few months and I have gotten slow as molasses! No joke, my speed went completely away. Even though I still try to do speed workouts. I used to be able to turn out 72sec 400s during a 10x400 workout. Last week I tried 6x400 and was only able to manage 82s. So depressing.

And I have heard this same story from other friends that went from runners to triathletes.

I can't quite decide whether your post is really funny or insanely hilarious.

I'll go with insanely hilarious. Well done!

Opposite.

It tightens the quads.

if you're looking to speed up your cadence, I'd suggest these drills.

During recovery runs, do 3-4 reps of 30 seconds with the fastest turnover you can manage. Over a few weeks, build up to a 3-4 x 60 seconds.

Before intervals, as one of your drills, do fast cadence for 20-30 meters while running slow.

During intervals, try to run the last lap of the rep at a cadence 10% or so faster than normal. No need to run faster, just do the higher cadence. This will be tiring the first few times you do it, but it gets easier. Also, try picking up the cadence over the last 200m of some intervals. Again, you aren't trying to go faster... just get a faster turnover. If you find yourself running faster, that's okay, but it's not essential to the drill.

These drills will help you develop efficiency at faster cadence and the ability to hold a faster cadence for a longer period of time. As a side benefit, it should help your kick at the end of a race.

It's extremely unlikely to elicit the desired result via cycling.

As someone else mentioned, maybe your turnover will improve, but your leg velocity will not. That means a choppier stride.

Using your body the way it was intended in the sport of your choice is the best way to increase the neural connection.

Especially in aerobically dominated running, stride rate, and simultaneous increased leg velocity, is more a function of increased fitness and fluidity of movement. The latter means making sure the antagonist muscles can relax as much as possible when not being called upon.

Cycling is likely to decrease your hip flexors ability to relax, and accustom them to more of a concentric contraction; not what you want.

Good points. Thanks for sharing.

Ride at higher cadence, 90 plus rpm's will improve your turnover.

A few years back I did the tri thing because of running injuries. I ran 40 mpw at about 7 min. pace every run. The only quality I did was on the bike and I was running the run legs in tri's (5k-4 miles) at 5:18-5:25 pace ( i was 42-44 yrs old at the time). Did a duathlon 2 mi run, 15 mi bike, 2 mi run with the runs at 10:03 and 10:08. No fast run training whatsoever.