Mark Threlfall: When we're discussing ways to improve our running fitness, I doubt very much
that this thing here springs to mind. In fact, I'd imagine it's probably quite low down on the list,
but what if I told you it's actually one of the best. Not only does it work our system in
a similar way, it works similar muscle groups and there's less impact. That's why so many top-level
runners have used this over the years. It's a fantastic cross-training tool, and here's why.
[music] As runners, we can actually
experience quite a lot of impact through our legs. In fact, a typical runner can experience up to
three times their body weight with each step. Now, let's think about that for a second. I'm 73 kg.
That means that I could experience up to 219 kilograms through one of my poor legs, yikes.
Now, because of that, many people do experience some injuries from running
during their life. That means they could have a period of time out from running. Fortunately,
cycling is a non-impact, so it allows us to maintain some of this fitness for our running.
Why stop there when you could actually continue to keep some cycling in your weekly routine.
Obviously, for triathletes, we do this anyway, but for some pure runners out there, you could
actually replace one of your easy runs with a cycle workout with less impact, so helping to
prevent injury, or as an extra workout. [music]
Now, if you're training to run long distances, then you need to have a good aerobic base.
Typically, this is where we look to long runs for this, which you should certainly continue to
keep doing. Building on the last point, this is also where cycling is fantastic because we rack
up a serious amount of time while cycling when compared to running because of this less impact.
Certainly, three to five hours on the bike is possible, whereas, typically, you wouldn't do
anything close to that when running, but it's still helping to improve this aerobic capacity.
This is actually why triathletes quite often annoy their running friends who run far more than them
because their cycling is helping to improve their running fitness too.
Now, if you're new to cycling, then just start with the length or duration that
you're comfortable with. That can be as little as 30 minutes. Start by just doing one or two
of those rides per week, and then gradually with time, start increasing the duration of
those by around 10% per week. Before you know, you'll be up to three-hour rides and more.
[music] Some time ago, I actually used to train on
the bike with some elite runners, who used to join us for the very reasons that I've just mentioned.
They continued to cycle with us over the years because they were seeing such improvements in
their running. One of the key areas they were seeing improvements in was their strength. To move
fast on the bike, you need to be able to produce power from the major muscle groups: the quads, the
glutes, and the calves; the same muscles that are used in running. That's the reason why they used
to enjoy the hill so much because they were seeing such improvements in their running from them.
Another thing they reported was cycling was actually helping to fix some of their injuries,
not just simply from the less impact, but actually by ironing out some imbalances in muscle strength,
or simply its activity. I'm sure many of you have been there before. You've jumped off the bike,
and you felt more fatigued in one leg or one glute when compared to the other. The chances are,
it's because that glute or that leg hasn't actually been working optimally for a while
and today it's got a particularly hard workout. [music]
Now, for cadence, we're quite often told that the best runners in the world run with a cadence of
around 170 to 180 steps per minute. Of course, this isn't gospel, so they don't just suddenly
convert to running this overnight. There is certainly a correlation between a quicker cadence
and faster running. It's just more efficient. Naturally, many of us actually have a longer,
slower cadence when running, which could be quite labored and inefficient. A good way of
working on this is with our cycling. You can look to include one bike workout per week that
specifically focuses on cadence. We're looking to hit around 100 to 110 reps per minute.
Actually, if you need to drop down into a smaller ring, that's absolutely fine,
but try to keep the effort level the same whilst you're doing that. In this workout,
maybe start by doing around five minutes in this higher cadence, then a few minutes off
just as your normal cadence, and then repeat a couple more times through. Then, with time,
as you get more comfortable with it, you can start increasing the duration of that higher cadence.
[music] Finally, as with all sports,
our core is really important for holding our form when running, but also cycling. Having
a good active core will not only help to prevent injuries, but also allows us to produce more power
and more speed. Cycling is fantastic for working on that. When we do cycle, we want to limit any
side-to-side movement of our hips. A good way to notice this is whether we're shifting from
side to side in the saddle, or you can see your pelvis bone moving up and down from the rear.
A good way of working on this is either stationary on an indoor trainer or
outdoors on a moderate hill, enough that you've got to apply a bit of force and a bit
of pressure. As you do this and as you get your core working, you should be able to relax your
grip on the handlebars whilst keeping nice and stable in the saddle and applying that pressure.
Another way of doing this, again, on a moderate hill, but this time up out of the saddle.
You want to keep your body nicely centered, but the proper technique is really to tilt the bike
from side to side as you're pedaling. Keeping that upright torso nice and still and that side-to-side
movement. That will get that core working and nicely engaged. There we go. I hope you have
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