Quality Cycling cross training sessions (Read 1416 times)

Surely this has been asked, but I can't manage to find the thread... I'm looking for adding 1 quality cycling workout a week to my schedule. This would be indoors while the weather remains awful, then move outdoors as things spruce up. The goal of cycling is to improve my running ability; no tri's, no cycling races, just the best workout to complement running. I currently have 2 quality running days, and one quality swim day. I would like to add cycling while I work on slowly raising my millage.

Thanks Jules. I already spend quite a bit of time stretching and working on core exercises. I these almost daily. I have been reading that cycling is the best cross training exercise for runners and would like to get a workout in. I currently do two hard swimming workouts a week and want to substitute one of those for cycling. I don't see how one could hurt, unless I injured myself. E.g. (not sure where pulled this from) Quality Time Fleshman does two high-intensity rides a week in addition to her hard running workouts. For most runners, however, adding one indoor or outdoor hard cycling session is fine. If you run four to seven days a week, replace one easy run with a high-intensity ride (see “Pedal Power,” below). For runners who routinely log 35 miles or more a week, cycling is especially beneficial because frequency of running is one reason for injuries. If you run two or three days a week, add one high-intensity ride to your routine without dropping a run.

6 days of running > 5 days of running and 1 day of cycling > 5 days of running Or to put it another way, don't replace a day of running with cycling unless you can't run that frequently without injuring yourself. The best way to improve your running is by running.

Biking is a lot like running. You don't want to do speed work when you are at a very low volume. If you are only doing 1 workout a week and it is an interval workout then you are more likely to injure yourself. I'm currently doing 4 rides a week; 1 long (2-3 hours), 1 interval (30-40 minutes), and 2 constant effort (45-60 minutes). Since I'm all on the trainer during the winter my interval workout is just the big chain ring and then cycling through the rear cogs. I always mix up the order and time between rests. I might spend 1 minute on each gear going hard moving up the gears in order till it gets to hard or I run out of gears, then drop down to an easy gear and rest for 2 minutes and do it again. Or I jump from a hard gear to an easy gear but try to keep my speed the same. Basically just don't let your legs get used to 1 thing cause outside the terrain is always changing.