The Bicycling Paradox: Fit Doesn’t Have to Mean Thin tells us how and why older and heavier athletes can thrive on the bicycle, but wilt in a pair of running shoes.
I find this interesting because I’m in the second month of a new fitness program. Seems as though the year I took off from working out had caught up with me - girth-wise and stamina-wise. With the help of a wonderful trainer, I’m hefting weights, walking on the treadmill and riding a challenging exercise bike.
I had thought I wouldn’t like the bike, maybe find it too boring to continue for very long. But the bike turns out to be kind of a pleasant experience, even when I’m drenched in sweat and furiously pumping the pedals for all I’m worth.
Turns out that I’m not the only older, heavier athlete favoring the bike as fitness machine. And the Times article provides a clue as to why plump codgers like me might find it more forgiving to pedal than to run or even walk long distances.
It’s got something to do with how you use your center of gravity in cycling rather than running.
“In running, when you see someone who is obviously overweight, they will be in trouble,” Dr. Hagberg said. “The more you weigh, the more the center of gravity moves and the more energy it costs. But in cycling, there are different aerodynamics — your center of gravity is not moving up and down.”
The difference between cycling and running is like the difference between moving forward on a pogo stick and rolling along on wheels. And that is why Robert Fitts, an exercise physiologist at Marquette University who was a competitive runner, once said good runners run so smoothly they can almost balance an apple on their heads.<
And I’m thinking it doesn’t matter a heck of a lot if the wheels are rolling or stationary - as long as you can adjust the tension to pedal a little harder.
Tags: fitness cycling feldenkrais