Whether you're looking to slim down for a beach trip or simply want to pick up a healthy new hobby, performing exercises such as running or hopping on the stationary bike can suit your needs. While these forms of exercise do share some common aspects, they are also different in many significant ways. Thus, you may find one activity to be a much better choice for you, depending on your goals. Always consult a doctor before adding a new exercise to your workout routines.
Form of Exercise
Both running and stationary biking are forms of cardiovascular exercise. This type of exercise helps to improve your cardiovascular capacity, as opposed to focusing on building muscle strength like resistance training does. Performing cardio exercise such as running and stationary bicycling can help you control your cholesterol levels as well as your blood pressure. Cardio also helps reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, helping you live a better, longer life.
Every type of exercise brings with it some risk of injury. However, both the stationary bike and running are not very high-risk activities. Because stationary biking takes place in a controlled environment, the risk of falling or hitting something is virtually eliminated. Additionally, the stationary bike does not involve any jarring impact with the ground, which can lead to common running injuries such as shin splints or stress fractures. But because running is not a contact sport, it still poses a lower injury risk than activities such as football.
While using the stationary bike and running involve many similar muscles -- the quadriceps, hamstrings and calves, for example -- running recruits a few additional muscles. Muscles such as your obliques, abdominals and hip flexors help you maintain your balance and adjust to uneven surfaces when you run. Because you don't have to worry about much instability when it comes to the stationary bike, such muscles are not engaged during stationary cycling.
Because running engages your entire body, it's a better activity for weight loss than stationary cycling. The higher intensity level of running promotes a higher rate of calorie burn, the primary factor in weight loss. According to MayoClinic.com, running at a 5 mph pace burns 606 calories per hour. Meanwhile, cycling at a leisurely pace of less than 10 mph burns just 292 calories per hour. These amounts assume a body weight of 160 pounds, so if you're heavier you'll burn more calories. Moving more quickly in both activities will also increase your rate of calorie burning.
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