[Closed] Running for mtb fitness ( on a treadmill )

Plodding on a treadmill is exceptionally tedious, plodding through a nice park can be lovely, I'd get off the treadmill tbh, and get outside. Some zone 2 training will help with your endurance (ie low heart rate training). Mixed with some tempo days or interval training and you'll see results, these don't have to be on your feet, could be done on the bike.

Does this gym do classes? a good spin class will help your cycling fitness no end.

I bought myself a couple of kettlebells 10 and 15kg and have been doing online workouts for a couple of years and found them to be highly effective for cycling strength, l also attend boxing classes and only run in the off season only loosing a little endurance which comes back quickly anyway.

The run, hike, jog workouts are good if you dont want to push it too hard and are still a great way to keep fit

The spin classes are 45min. I will be lucky if I can do 10 mins. Running on a treadmill seems to have impact on my knees and feet.

Plodding on a treadmill is exceptionally tedious, plodding through a nice park can be lovely, I’d get off the treadmill tbh, and get outside.

Definitely this. Moreover, I find treadmill running quite painful after a while.

I treadmill in the gym over winter only 20 min sessions. I find it helps to keep my stamina/fitness up when it’s dark wet and horrible and don’t want to play out. Mrs does spin and says it helps a lot.

I’d stick with the treadmill until you build some more running fitness. It’s more controllable and shouldn’t really be too boring if you’re only using it for short periods, and you can use iPad headphones etc to distract/ inspire yourself...

If you want to get fit for mtbing get off the treadmill and go and do some training on your bike.
Use your freetime wisely, so concentrate on your bike.

When its bad weather then use a bike in the gym. Gym work would be good for core strenght, zone 2 riding will help for mtb fitness as will some intervals.

To lose fat and for mtb fitness

whilst pushing up at the dh centre

Riding a bike uphill is very effective at building fitness. Eating less is the most effective way to lose weight.

aiming at not getting out of breadth

Wear a corset?

I'd say one of the main benefits of running is possibly improved core strength/stability (I'm sure someone will correct me), I've found in the past that it can help strengthen core muscles where lots and lots of cycling doesn't necessarily, and that does help to hold fatigue off when doing a day's MTBing (IMO/IME)...

As with any form of training, I'd look to monitor your HR while doing it, I know personally that I struggle to jog and keep my HR sensible, which is of course due to pacing and not being a natural when it comes to distance running, but there's good mental discipline/managing intensity benefits there too that can be applied on a bike.

Others have said it but this time of year, as with cycling I'd look to go running from your door, and save the treadmill time up for Winter along with the turbo... Then again do what works best for you and your circumstances...

I would probably use the gym for strength based training and use a bike for the rest, even if it is a static bike in the gym. I don't think jogging with a low heart rate will particularly help bike fitness. Running with a much higher heart rate will obviously build cardio fitness which would help.
Interval training on the bike will be the quickest way to build specific fitness. It will feel brutally hard at the time if you do it correctly but you will be done in 30 minutes and then supplement with strength training.

The spin classes are 45min. I will be lucky if I can do 10 mins

I'd suggest you start there then, you don't have to, and won't be expected to, complete the class at full pelt. Take it easy at first, low resistance, if they do intervals do every 2nd one etc, you won't be long in getting into it.

There's no easy way to getting fit, unfortunately.

I hate running on a treadmill - but it's really good for certain situations. I use mine when I start getting shin splints or ankle pain from running outside. I don't run much really, but obviously have terrible form. I aim to run 5k a day (with a PB of 19min) but every few months I get properly achey and have to go back to the treadmill.

Treadmill is dull as dishwater, and doesn't have the variations of running outside for your muscles (angles, inclines etc).

Useful tool, but not on it's own.

I've got a road bike now to go alongside the MTB, and that helps for calorie burn. 🙂

Increase the incline on the treadmill to 1% to begin with - it reduces the impact on your joints and increases the workload.
If you want to improve your leg strength and cardio, try a stair climber (not an elliptical) in a gym on a low resistance setting - most people don't use it because it's too hard. You'll really burn off the calories.
Don't discount resistance training, some form of weight training to improve your core strength and flexibility - strong legs are kinda useless if the rest of your body lacks strength.

I think a decent "elliptical/cross trainer" is far better than treadmill running for cardio, crank up a bit of resistance and make sure you are activating the hamstrings/glutes, and it nicely brings a bit of balance to the muscle groups from cycling quad prominence.

Personally I can just crank up the tunes, zone out, and go for it on an elliptical for an hour wether steady rate or heart rate intervals, but not everyone can so maybe look at the different machines you have available and do rounds of 5minutes on each then repeat.

Most gyms will have ellipticals and rowing machines, probably a ski erg, if you are lucky a versa climber, throw in some battle ropes, kettlebell swings and Turkish getups and you have a really good hour+ of cardio.

Running will improve your cardio but it won’t particularly improve your leg strength.

Stick with the spinning & just do what you can in the class - you will improve!

Resistance training is effective in enabling strength gains - but you won’t get the cardio.

If you cycle - you’ll get improved cardio & stronger legs..

Can you see where this is headed? 👍🤣

If you want to lose weight then I’ve read it’s about 70-80% diet to do that and the rest is exercise. Believe me, I’ve tried to out exercise a bad diet with too many calories and it doesn’t work unless you have the time to go utterly mental on exercise (like a pro athlete who may consume 8000 odd calories a day).

Running is the type of exercise that has leaned me out the most in the past - but also HIIT training is good. If you want to build some stamina and strength for bikes then a spin class is also worth a look. You control the resistance on the bike at the class - chuck a small towel over it and you might get away with not upping your resistance as much as instructed on your first few classes as you ease into it. They are much more fun than treadmill running and you’ll probably get more out of them.

For cycling fitness though, not much beats getting out and actually cycling. If you’re still not that fit then just getting out on some steady longer rides to start with might be good. If time is a factor then try to interval your ride with harder efforts then a conscious easing off for a few mins. You can get really technical on it but if you’re starting at a low place then anything will help improve.

thanks everyone.

Cycling is great for runners because you can do hours of cardio with little impact on the joints.

Unfortunately running doesn't work so well for cyclists, it uses the muscles in a very different way and 15minutes on a treadmill just isn't going to give you that 2hr z2 cardio workout you probably need.

You can't cheat fitness, but: You can make the biggest gains fairly quickly at the start which is great for motivation. Getting from "out of breath walking uphill" upto going out with a road cycling club at 16mph* for example is probably only 4-8 weeks of effort**. It's the getting from 16 to 17 and each mph faster that really starts to take some effort and training.

Weights etc are fine, just be aware that if you can't ride a bike the day after leg day then it's holding your cardio fitness gains back and it's the basics you need to get right first, not the marginal gains.

When I hit the bottom after a bad few years of injuries (mostly broken bones) my plan started off with spreadsheets, subscriptions, memberships and all that jazz. But ended up as simple as just riding as much as I was able, you soon learn when your acutely fatigued and need a rest day. My routine was 2x group evening MTB rides in the week, approximately 2h each mostly short sharp climbs and technical trails, 1x road ride on Sunday with the club (around 4.5h of riding), and a spin session (usually two as the MTB rides would get called off due to weather).

*defined as steady at our club, a hilly one might be 14 mph, a flater ride might be 19mph.
**I wouldn't call it training, per se, at that stage you may as well just go out riding and aim for the highest average speed you can for a couple of hours. Talk of intervals, zones and base training is all well and good, but TBH if things are that bad you really just need to get as many miles in as you can, and the scattergun approach of spin classes is as good as any structured plan if you don't really have a plan.

Running will improve your cardio but it won’t particularly improve your leg strength.

Made me laugh!

If you’re coming from a situation of doing no running at all hen I would recommend using the treadmill to build an initial base level of fittness. I did this earlier this year and found doing initial treadmill sessions very useful. They physical act of running is harsh on the body until you’re used to it so it is likely you will pick up injuries initially. For me it was my calf muscles. Once i’d Got through that and started feeling better on the treadmill I moved it to outside which is much better. But it’s no fun being 3 miles from home, pull a muscle then have to hobble home. Once you're up and running (literally) then the increase on fitness and weight loss will be beneficial for cycling. Hat was my experience for sure. Spin classes are also very beneficial as well as core exercises like yoga or an abs blast kind of class. Also don’t forget to work on flexibility.

Unfortunately running doesn’t work so well for cyclists, it uses the muscles in a very different way

To meet the OPs needs, I'd heartily disagree with that, mibbe for upper end guys the gains wouldn't be the same, but for someone who can't cut 10 minutes of a spin class, the cardio gains from running would be significant.

I don't get out MTBing much these days, but run a lot, the only thing that's down is the skills - but they generally return fairly quickly - but I'm a hell of a lot quicker uphill than I ever was before.

I find treadmills a bit unstable and therefore more stress on my ankles and knees - prefer pavement - if you use shoes with decent padding and learn to use that padding then pavements aren't too bad.

It's been said on here before that run-fit is bike-fit, but bike-fit is not run-fit - when there is a thread where a keen cyclist starts to try running!

I certainly find that - I can be cycling quite well but if I haven't run for a while it is hard, but it doesn't work the other way around.

Cycling is great for runners because you can do hours of cardio with little impact on the joints.

Unfortunately running doesn’t work so well for cyclists, it uses the muscles in a very different way and 15minutes on a treadmill just isn’t going to give you that 2hr z2 cardio workout you probably need.

How about a 50 minute run - you would have to be out for hours on the bike to get the same cardio workout?

Lance Armstrong made similar comments.

If running was so good for cycling why don’t more cyclists spend more time running?..

🤔

If running was so good for cycling why don’t more cyclists spend more time running?..

Cos cyclists like cycling?

As I said above, when you get to a certain level, then aye, a structured cycling programme will be much more beneficial, but we're talking about someone here who just needs some basic cardio gains, and has also said he wants to do some running.

You want to become a better cyclist?

Go ride your bike.

A better runner?

Go for a run.

Improve your overall fitness?

Cross train - do whatever you want.

But if you want to improve at a specific sport?

Yep - do that sport. Do it a lot.

How good you are or not has nothing to do with it..

There’s a reason why triathlete’s suck on a bike...🤣

I totally agree, but he doesn't say he wants to improve at a particular sport.

To lose fat and for mtb fitness I am jogging too.

I see a lot of fat cyclists around, but not so many fat runners. Ye canny sit down on the downs! 🙂

If running was so good for cycling why don’t more cyclists spend more time running?..

Most of the good(best) mountain bikers will do a hell of a lot of cross training, including running. And the general sports science consensus would now be that you build a decent all round physical base, and then add specificity on top of it.

Cos cyclists like cycling?

precisely - I can push myself up hill to the point where my heartrate is maxing and I am feeling faint, but I do not like the pain of running and it is like a torture session to me.

However I am cursed with the need to run to keep some fitness - say 4 or 6 miles a couple or more times a week.

I was able to stop the running when I was younger and clocked at least 70 miles a week offroad XC throughout the year and all conditions, but timewise there's no comparison when you look at time/fitness benefits, just as Lance pointed out when asked why he was riding his bike more...

why don’t more cyclists spend more time running?

Coz running is a ****ing horrible sport - exhausting and boring as hell. I cannot for the life of me understand why anybody does it for fun.

And I would say that running is much better for keeping a balance of the muscles in your legs.

I stopped running and used the trainer a lot a while ago to keep fitness and loose weight but have had knee issues which have nearly gone now I am running again.

Maybe if you stand on the trainer bike a lot it is OK, but sitting for hours is not good I reckon.

Coz running is a ****ing horrible sport

Aye, I get that, when you first start it seems horrible, but once you get a bit fitter and better, it's ace. Each to their own, really....

I got into running a couple of years back, as above, when you get better at it it's really ace! It is a lot of fun running across heathland/forest, jumping holes and logs etc. And you get a great post run buzz.

Problem is so many bloody injuries! All the runners I know have injuries quite frequently! I had all the standard running injuries, some eventually so bad I couldn't ride or run! So sacked it off all together.

The key to it is, start easy and resist doing too much too soon. The problem is, as a cyclists we've got this big aerobic engine, so your legs fall to bit long before you're out of energy!

Starting out on the treadmill sounds like a good idea, I might try that! Would slowly build up those under used muscles and tendons needed for running.

If time is an issue you will get fitter quicker running.

Treadmills are easier than proper running but not a bad place to start. But running outside is so much nicer

running is definitely beneficial for the average cyclist, as above it will help with getting up and recovering quicker from climbs. If you're looking to mix things up a bit also try circuit training and swimming if you can. Yoga is great for strength and flexibility and a whole host of other things but it won't do as much for your cardio fitness as running, spin classes, circuit training and swimming.

I find running twice a week does help with cycling. I run up a hill for about 250m and then down the other side with a bit of flat at the top - <7k in total. It absolutely does build strength in the legs. After starting this I feel I have much more in me when out of saddle descending and climbing. I also do more sessions overall as running is so easy for a quick lunchtime and as a result dropped a stone in 6 weeks.

After starting this I feel I have much more in me when out of saddle descending and climbing

Aye, agreed.

To meet the OPs needs, I’d heartily disagree with that, mibbe for upper end guys the gains wouldn’t be the same, but for someone who can’t cut 10 minutes of a spin class, the cardio gains from running would be significant.

I don't disagree that running is good for cardio but:
1) It won't build power in your legs like cycling, look at a long distance runners build Vs a cyclists.
2) Starting from zero it'll be 2-3 months before he can run 5k, 4-6 before he can run for an hour. Or he could just ride more today and in three months be doing 4+ hour rides comfortably.

Cross training has it's place and is probably more effective than just riding a bike alone if done properly, but if the OP genuinely cant ride a bike for 10 minutes at their own pace (a spin class isn't giving you a watt target, it's all RPE) then no* amount of running and weighs will get him bike fit.

*short timescale, I'm sure in the long term it would give some results just not as good as riding a bike.

I am bike fit. I can do 15 miles on the mtb easily enough, although not very fast. I can only spin for 10 mins as I find it so boring and the set up is like a road bike, which feels strange.

I did not think about the fact that my legs tire before i am tired running. Will keep building my running strength slowly, so I will be able to go longer. This is why I am not pushing my endurance running as my legs are not used to it and get tired first. When my running legs get stronger I will be able hopefully to get out of breath running and push my bike fitness more.

thanks everyone.

Running has really helped my cycling, general CV fitness is up and weight is down. Running has the big advantage that when you're time poor it can be done quickly, a 5k can be done in 30 minutes ish and that can be a good workout, on a bike 30 minutes is barely warmed up. My fastest 100 mile rides have been in the last couple of years with little bike training but a lot of running.
To the OP, I personally find treadmills deeply dull and I love running, but if you must, then intervals are good (just use the settings on the machine) or try to do 5km increasing the speed by 1 every KM.

thanks Lunge. thats great to hear.

If you have access to a gym, why not just use the rowing machine? It's a very similar range of movement to cycling and similar intensity.

Anecdotally the rowers kick ass in local TT's arround here (Thames) because they're all up at 5am training every day with proper coaching whereas the cyclists aren't. That's good cross training.

I hate to say it but 15miles at a low pace is not the sort of plateau that needs cross training to get arround. Even without winter riding most people riding fairly regularly would be doing 4+ hours at a decent pace by this point in the summer. Heck even I managed 40miles at 19.7mph last night with the road club and I would classify myself as unfit having missed the entire winter working away and unable to ride and still weighing 89kg!

I am just not riding enough to get fit by riding alone. Just been riding once a week as there's no decent riding around here and I do not like road bikes.

My 15 miles is based on offroad riding which is harder than road and I can ride at a decent pace. Plus alot of my recent riding has been at a bike park, so not really that good for endurance or speed. Your right though I will be doing some longer xc rides soon. Riding one a week is not going to get me much fitter though, unless I go through alot of pain. Going to the gym 3 times a week should keep me fit, hence the post. Plus I only ride for fun, so for me it's more about the downs than the climbs. I do not use strava etc. When mtb alone kept me fit I was riding 2 times a week for about 10 miles offroad , one 20 mile ride a week xc and freeride type riding once a week at weekends and doing weights at the gym ( without any cv work ). Now I want to do once a week riding , weights plus cv at the gym.