As of: March 23, 2024, 5:33 p.m
By: Alexandra Grauvogl
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Running and cycling have different fitness benefits © IMAGO / Pond5 Images;
IMAGO / Anne Jensen
Running and cycling are undoubtedly the most popular endurance sports - and rightly so!
Neither requires any exceptional technical skills and they have many positive effects on fitness and health.
But which sport is even better than the other?
A check.
Among sports and fitness enthusiasts, with the exception of triathletes, there are often two camps: runners and cyclists.
Some people can't imagine cycling around for hours - and then their bottom hurts too!
The others have no idea how one can have fun panting step by step over asphalt, in a very limited radius.
And people who are still undecided about which sport is right for them ask themselves: Which is actually better for fitness or if you want to lose weight - cycling or running?
To answer this, you have to take several factors into account.
The big advantage of running and cycling: low barriers to entry
Any form of training has positive effects on fitness and health, provided it takes place with a certain regularity.
Before we look at the differences between cycling and running in terms of calorie consumption, effects on the cardiovascular system and muscles, let's take a look at the respective barriers to entry.
These must be as low as possible.
Because reasons that stop people from continuous training negate any possible positive effect.
In other words: If you don't run or cycle regularly, you won't benefit from it.
Barriers to entry include accessibility and cost of equipment.
Both running and cycling do not require any special technical skills required to carry out the movement - unlike swimming, for example.
Anyone can just get started with it.
To begin with, it is enough to consider a few basics.
In order to avoid pain when running and to move as efficiently as possible, it is important to avoid typical mistakes when jogging.
Among other things, it is important to ensure an upright posture and conscious, deep breathing.
Strong core and upper body for running and cycling
Well-trained muscles in the torso or upper body are an advantage for an upright posture when running and a pain-free back and shoulder area when cycling.
A suitable exercise to train these are push-ups.
Follow our push-up training plan for beginners, advanced users or push-up professionals.
Cost advantage when running
There are also treadmills and exercise bikes or spinning bikes in almost all fitness studios.
In the indoor area there is no winner when it comes to equipment.
Outside, however, things look different: While you only need a good pair of shoes for running (for sensible entry-level models you spend around 80 euros, for top models between 120 and 200 euros), you have to invest significantly more for cycling.
Bikes, shoes, helmets and special cycling clothing can cost up to several thousand euros.
For many this is not affordable.
So running has the edge here.
In addition, depending on how or where you live, it can take a long time until you get out of the city traffic and get onto nice cycling routes on your bike where you can travel safely and quickly.
However, you can lace up your running shoes anywhere and just start.
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Running: Lower volumes required for the same effect
The time factor also plays a decisive role in whether people manage to integrate a fitness routine into their everyday life.
Running sessions are generally shorter than cycling sessions.
An example: In the basic endurance range (GA1-2 range) you should run for around 30 to 60 minutes.
For a comparable effect you have to pedal for significantly longer: 1 to 2 hours.
Running is therefore easier to fit into everyday life.
However, cycling can be cleverly integrated if you do it as a commute to work, for example, and therefore don't need any additional time for your workout.
Known? This is what happens to your body when you run every day
Calorie consumption while running and cycling
How many calories are burned while running and cycling depends on several factors.
This includes the driving or running speed, incline or decline and type of terrain, body weight, gender and metabolism of the athlete.
For example, heavier people burn more than lighter people, and men burn more than women.
The following table provides an overview of average values for people of different weights at speeds that can be assessed as moderate to fast.
In general, it can be said that running tends to burn more calories than cycling because more muscle groups are involved.
Table: Calorie consumption – running vs. cycling
sport |
body weight |
calories burned per hour |
Running (9.5 km/h) |
60 |
598 |
Cycling (19-21 km/h) |
60 |
478 |
Running (9.5 km/h) |
70 |
693 |
Cycling (19-21 km/h) |
70 |
558 |
Running (9.5 km/h) |
80 |
798 |
Cycling (19-21 km/h) |
80 |
638 |
If you want to calculate your rough calorie consumption when running and cycling at different speeds, you can do this, for example, using the calorie calculator from the “American Council on Exercise”, which was also the basis for the calculations in the table above.
By the way: With this workout you can burn 500 calories in 30 minutes.
Running or cycling to lose weight?
If you want to burn as many calories as possible and reduce body fat, especially the harmful visceral belly fat, you can apparently do this particularly effectively by running in HIIT mode.
This was the result of a 2018 study that compared running and cycling at different intensities.
However, another recent study showed that running does not help you lose weight permanently.
After body fat is broken down at the beginning of the training routine, the body reduces its overall energy consumption in order to conserve fat stores (prehistoric survival instinct).
But running prevents long-term weight gain, the study authors said.
The effects of running and cycling on endurance and heart health
It's not for nothing that cycling and running are the endurance sports par excellence.
Endurance can be trained effectively with both disciplines.
Sports science understands endurance as resistance to fatigue and the ability to regenerate.
It is therefore not possible to give a general answer as to whether running or cycling is better.
Many people find it easier to work for as long as possible in low-intensity training areas (fat metabolism area) on the bike, as the heart rate does not increase as quickly and the joints are not put under as much strain during long sessions.
However, so-called “Zone 2” training (light training at 60 to 70 percent of max. heart rate, improving general endurance and the ability to use body fat as an energy source) is also possible while running.
Both running and cycling have positive effects on heart health by strengthening the heart muscles, stimulating blood circulation in the body, lowering the resting heart rate, increasing the performance of the lungs and reducing the fat content in the blood.
Studies have shown that running and cycling training can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and thus overall mortality.
Do you want to start running? Here you will find important tips for beginners and a training plan that will get you to 5 kilometers in a row in 10 weeks.
Muscles stressed when cycling
Cycling trains all major muscle groups, especially the thigh muscles (da Silva et al. 2016).
These include:
Front of thigh: M. Quadriceps femoris (four-headed thigh extensor), consisting of M. rectus femoris and M. vastus lateralis, medialis and intermedius
Back of thigh: Ischiocrural muscles (hamstrings), consisting of M. biceps femoris, M. semitendinosus and M. semimembranosus
The calves and gluteal muscles are also trained while cycling under certain conditions.
The cadence, the load, the position of the foot on the pedal and the saddle height play a role here, as a small bicycle ergometer study with 11 test subjects showed.
Higher load increased activity in all eight muscles examined.
Increasing the cadence resulted in more activity in the gluteus maximus and medius muscles as well as in the calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus muscles).
Even with a higher saddle position, the buttocks and parts of the calves were more stressed.
These results confirm the impression that cyclists, who have to mobilize an enormous amount of force from as many muscles as possible in the shortest possible time and ride at high cadence, have stronger glutes than “normal” cyclists.
Likewise, mountain riders who get out of the saddle more often and have to overcome more resistance develop stronger calves.
These muscles are trained when running
From a biomechanical perspective, running can be divided into two movement phases: the stance phase (foot touches the ground) and the swing phase (foot lifts off and swings forward).
Different muscles are active in both phases.
The muscle groups primarily trained when running include:
Front of thigh: M. quadriceps femoris – hip flexion and knee extension
Hip: M. iliopsoas – hip flexion
Buttocks: M. gluteus maximus and medius – extension of the hip and stabilization of the thigh in extension
Hamstrings: Ischiocrural group – hip extension and knee flexion
Calves: M. triceps surae, consisting of M. gastrocnemius and M. soleus - plantar flexion (important for push-off movement of the foot)
Running, like cycling, mainly trains the lower body, but the stomach and back must be activated in order to keep the upper body stable and upright and to improve running economy.
In endurance running, strong arms and shoulders do not play the same role in propulsion as they do for sprinters.
Anyone who has ever run 20 kilometers or more in one go will be able to confirm that the neck and shoulder muscles are also stressed.
Running or cycling – which is better for building muscle?
Running and cycling stress the muscles in different ways: when running, the body weight has to be supported and moved forward; when cycling, resistance has to be overcome by pedaling.
This of course influences whether and how muscles are built.
A study from 2017 showed that high-intensity interval running (HIIT) could build muscles - especially parts of the quadriceps.
However, during long endurance runs at a moderate pace, muscle building can be prevented by the resulting muscle damage (Ryu, JH et al. 2016).
Due to the low strain on the body when cycling, the problems of long-distance running with regard to the muscles are not to be expected.
Studies show both muscle growth (hypertrophy) and strength gains through cycling.
Training plan for beginners
10-week training plan “Run 5 kilometers in a row” – now as a PDF download © IMAGO / YAY Images
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Conclusion: Is cycling better than running?
The question of whether running or cycling is better cannot be answered in general terms.
Running tends to burn more calories in the same amount of time than cycling, although this depends heavily on the intensity with which you run or cycle.
Cycling is gentler on the joints, which allows many people to train for longer and burn a similar number of calories as with a shorter running session.
The myth that you lose muscle through running is only partially valid.
As the studies mentioned above show, you can also build muscle, just like cycling.
Both sports are an excellent way to train endurance in their different areas.
In the end, it is a very individual matter whether cycling or running is the better sport.
If you have certain physical conditions, cycling is preferable (e.g. if you have joint problems or are overweight). For people with little time or a lot of travel, running is easier to do regularly.
Perhaps the most important factor, however, is: What do you enjoy more – cycling or running?
Only those who enjoy training will be able to do it consistently in the long term and therefore be able to achieve their fitness goals - regardless of whether they are losing weight, building muscles or something else.
The author is a former competitive athlete, certified ski instructor and fitness trainer (B license).