Is cycling good exercise? Or would a DVD be better?

[AliceinSlumberland]

Well I've been doing cto5k, up to week 5 and it seems the longer distance running is really jarring up the bottom of my back, it's very painful. I'm do frustrated though as it's really helping me loose weight.

So I was wondering whether cycling places would also help with the loosing weight, since it looks like I may not be able to run much, or whether a DVD exercise type thing would be better?

cycling is good exercise:)
I sympathise with the running!
I've found I have to run very slowly and limit the distance I run or I get all sorts of injuries and niggles cropping up.
I think alot of people underestimate how stressful running is to your body, the cardio vascular system responds quite quickly and body fat drops off but joints and ligaments take much longer to adapt to all the jarring of running.

Perhaps you are putting yourself under too much pressure to progress with the running?

It doesn't have to be either/or! Cycling burns fewer calories than running by distance covered and time spent, but the big advantage is it is easier to work into your daily life and turn into a routine. So cycling to work a couple of days a week, or the shops, then a leisure ride at the weekend soon adds up. Plus you have got from A to B!

We cycle all journeys under around 8-10 miles (weather dependent) and I find I easily rack up 90+ miles a week without "going for a cycle". I'm on maternity leave at the moment (37+ wks) so not doing my usual 12 mile round trip to work but still found I'm doing around 5 miles most days, getting DS to nursery, pottering to local shops etc.

Cycling is a very 'efficient' form of exercise. Unless you are going up hills, cycling long distances, or riding a particularly crappy bike, it doesn't take a lot of effort to maintain a momentum - and you are essentially 'sitting down' for it so all of your body isn't being exercised, unlike running or swimming.
I'd look at swimming, spinning classes or circuit training to really lose weight IF you want to avoid the horribleness of running injuries.

I've never found cycling a good way to really lose weight - but then exercise dvd's tend to rarely get used as its hard to ind time if there are other people who can see me. I love classes at the gym. love aerobics (especially with loud dance music) makes up for missing some of my younger clubbing days

I run and also do a dvd 3 times a week.

When I used to just run- I did get a bad back - at least twice I had to have a few weeks break - it was so bad.

So now I try and fit in at least 3 sessions a week of a home dvd. Jillian Michael's I find are the best, as they are quick and work.

30 Day Shred, Ripped in 30 and I do the odd Davina Fit too.

you need a strong core muscle - i.e. abs and lower back. It will only improve your running form.

I know it's hard to fit it all in, but it really does work. I haven't had a bad back since.

I've found cycling helpful for keeping in shape, but I agree you do spend alot of the time 'coasting' and so tend not to have the constant elevated heart rate that you do with running

I'm an avid cyclist (been round the world on a bike, even) so obviously am going to be massively pro cycling:

it's more than just exercise, it's transport too. Buy some panniers and you can get about cheaply and easily, do your shipping, pop into town, so it's exercise without spending extra leisure time on it. if you can commute by bike, all the better. A bike commute is worth a lot.

It is low impact, so gentle on your joints (if you use your gears correctly. keep it light, those pedals spinning, not heavy, high gears). I was cycling until I was 9 months pregnant, and back on for short rides again three weeks post partum. Cycling was infinitely more comfortable than walking.

However, some drawbacks to cycling: it doesn't strengthen bones like high impact exercise does and it doesn't strengthen the core muscles very well. I spent 18 months cycling 6-8 hours a day and my abdominal muscles got noticeably weaker in that time (but that IS excessive).

Best thing about cycling, though, is it can easily become your default (and very pleasant) way of getting about, so it feels like free exercise (in terms of cost and time).

oh and a brooks saddle is your best friends. once broken in (softened in the rain then ridden for a few weeks so it takes on the shape of your sit bones) and it's perfection for your unique bottom. Just ask any cycle tourer.

Interesting, I was chatting with an osteopath this week who said that all the cyclists he sees tend to come to him with lower back problems . He blame the closed chain nature of cycling, fixed position and repetition etc. so cycling is great exercise, but perhaps not the best alternative for you OP! Also, a bit like swimming, I think you have to cycle harder than the majority of us would normally do to get real benefit fitness and weight loss wise.

I agree with Yoni, you probably need to build your core strength up. Resistance exercise is so important anyway. JM DVD's are excellent alongside running. Don't run on consecutive days either, too much impact if you are suffering back or joint pain.

Right thank you guys, interestingly I havnt had time to do cto5k every other day and in fact have only been twice a week but last week I did go every other day so maybe it was just too much. I will have a look at the DVDs, thanks!

My osteopath advised against breast stroke for swimming if you have lower back problems.

Cycling would certainly be better than nothing.

I have lost weight through cycling alone - about a stone over 18 months, and that it without making any adjustments to my diet at all. But as others have said, you do need to be cycling hard to see that sort of calorie loss. An hour's vigorous cycling - so you are breathing hard and your pulse is significantly elevated will burn around 700 calories.

As to whether it is compatible with a bad back and whether it strengthens your core muscles depends on what sort of bike you have and whether it is the right size and dimensions for your body. You can get a professional 'bike fit' at a specialised bike shop. They will video you whilst you are on a bike and will make adjustments to the seat, and handlebars so that you are putting the least strain on your body as possible. These sessions are expensive, though, usually around £200, but they will give you a list of measurements that you can then use for ever more to set up a bike.

A more affordable option is to buy a bike from a local specialised bike shop, and they will help you find the right sort of bike for you, and will make sure that you have the seat at the right height etc.

If you are on a bike that is right for you, then you should not get skeletal pain in your back. I sometimes get a tightness in my lower back when I have been doing a lot of hill work, but it goes pretty quickly after some stretches.

I would disagree with Nutella about your core muscles. I found that mine have strengthened considerably from cycling. I used to get pains in my back if I stood up for too long - eg I would be uncomfortable having walked around an art gallery, but after even about 6 months of cycling I found that my core was so much stronger that this didn't affect me any more.

It may depend on what sort of bike you ride - I would imagine that a true road bike requires you to support yourself far more with your core than a tourer does, and that doing intensive hill work and speed work also engages it far more than a steady pace.

I am well impressed by your round the world tour though Nutella - that sounds amazing!

Cycling can be good exercise, if you do it often enough and there are some hills/speed involved. Professional cyclists and good amateurs are some of the fittest athletes around.

A gentle 2 mile pootle to the cake shop won't get you fitter or help you lose weight, but regular cycling with hills or off road cycling will make you much fitter and help you lose weight if that's what you're after. Look how skinny professional cyclists are.

Mountain biking especially is also a surprisingly good upper body workout. I've often found that its my arms that get tired before my legs when doing that!