How much does biking actually help keep you in shape?

There's many Pro runners who bike a TON. If you put in the work it'll give you benefits.

I'm mid 40s and only run in Turkey Trots these days.

However Ive been racing MTB XC and road the past 10 years, and i put about 12 hours/weeks into training. On just cycling alone I ran a 34:56 10k a few years ago, and was a 31min 10ker in college so not falling off too far!!

I agree, lets hope it works

Wow! That is very impressive, kudos to you.

Get on the bike and in the pool and you'll be fine coming out off the injury.

If you are working at that high of a level... you are getting an incredible work out.

the problem with cycling and swimming is that it is way too easy to settle in at a workload that is similar to walking. It is entirely comfortable to ride or swim at a heart rate below 100-110 bpm.

You can't do that when you run because if you did... you'd be walking... When start to actually run... your intensity jumps up. It is almost impossible to actually "run" at such a low heart rate.

There's a balance to be found. If you work too hard on the bike it will affect your running, you will be too tired or too sore to get the optimum amount of mileage done.

For most serious runners who are running 2 hours a day there's probably an extra hour per day there that they could be crosstraining without getting too tired.

Like the poster above said it's harder to keep the heartrate high for long efforts, so I favour shorter rides. Occasionally I will do a long 100km ride somewhere but I'm not sure aerobically if it does much with an average heartrate of about 110. Find a slightly hilly route for best results, it's like an interval session working hard up the hill then coasting down the other side.

You just have an underdeveloped aerobic engine. Slow down and throw your ego away.

Also op, slow down. You're going too high hr for God knows what ever reason... no man's land is a stupid place to train.

I go hard keep my heartrate up. Never let it get under 135 bpm. Says Ill burn off a bit over 1000 calories in a 90 min session

I can't run any mileage at all rn lmao. I have a stress reaction in the tibia and can not run for at least 2 months. As mentioned, I have never been able to handle high milage so I resort to cross training. The most I have ever ran at once was 13 miles.

I came from a program running 25-35(max) miles a week in high school and ran 16 flat in cross. Come to college and they are doing 65-75 mile weeks and I get a stress fracture in the femur.

After that, the most I have been able to handle for a few weeks at a time is 50 mpw. Not sure what I should do, if you have any advice to balance running and cross training it would be much appreciated. Thank you.

You do not know how old I am. I can jerk off at 115 bpm if that helps,

What zone should I train in, Einstein

Cross-training can build an aerobic base, but it’s important to remember that biking and using the Arc Trainer won't exactly replicate the specific mechanics and muscle engagement of running. Your tibia and the running-specific muscles (like the calves) might lose some conditioning, but you can maintain cardiovascular fitness well, which will make your transition back to running smoother.

An older, still competitive, injury prone masters runner in my area runs about 15-30 mpw, bikes, and does a ton of "steep incline treadmill walking" to supplement his training. He also does a decent amount of outdoor walking. It seems to work really well for him. He says to incline treadmill walking gets his heart rate up and also works his legs. It doesn't replicate the pounding of running, but it keeps him in great running shape.

That's why cyclists go for a lot longer time on their easy sessions. I spoke with former pro Fredrik Kessiakoff a few years ago. He never jumper on the bike for anything shorter than 4 hours.

I agree. MIX it up. Everything elevates your HR. Some just work your core and muscles differently.

If you’re fit, you can run with that low of a HR. Kawauchi, Demoor, and some others frequently run (quite slowly) at that low of HR.

Lots of threads on this topic. Nothing is as good as running but it'll help you keep an aerobic base & get you back into shape quicker when you're able to run again. Would encourage you to look into aqua jogging since it's more specific. & then the advice I always give on this topic is to make sure you're not doing more hard than good. Your cycling heart rate zones are not the same as your running heart rate zones. Even well trained pro triathletes won't be able to get their heart rate as high as they can on the bike versus the run. So I would caution you to not hammer every day on the bike, even if you think the heart rate doesn't look bad compared to running. You won't have the leg strength to make the same heart rate feel easy. For me, I'm at 140.6 race pace in the 130s/40s & 70.3 race pace in the 150s. 160+ would be racing an Olympic distance. Easy stuff under 130. It's ok to have some easy bike days where your heart rate might float 100-130 or so. I wouldn't try to make sure your bike heart rate = your daily running heart rate.

I think cycling can really benefit running fitness. (when done correctly).

In almost every other endurance sport in the world, there is zero percent chance you could be world class on training 10-15 hours a week. PS, there aren't any world class running pros that train much more than that and avoid injury.

In other endurance sports, it's widely acknowledge that one thing matters most: total training volume. The heart/lungs responds to cumulative aerobic exercise and they don't much care the modality.

I know a runner could excel using cycling to supplement if:

1) Hard interval workouts are done running.

2) you spent a little bit of time each day doing strides/wickets/drills

3) you still run every day but maybe add in 1 hour of cycling prior to your run. The heart/lungs care more about total time in training session.

4) You do all cycling at zone 2 or 60-70% of max heart rate and primarily target the sessions to be easy/base sessions after hard days when your legs are sore.

5) Don't add more than 5-10 hours a week of cycling in addition to your max running mileage.

6) You stay fueled on carbs during the week. 5-10 hours more a week is substantial.

7) You try to keep your weekly long run distance but maybe add 45-60 mins prior. Long runs really build fitness especially if total exercise time is high. Every other endurance sport routinely does 3 hour workouts, even if the event is 5-10 mins long.