Bike VS Walk

LazyGuy91
LazyGuy91 Posts: 171 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is one really better than the other?

Replies

  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    Bikes are faster. That is better than walking if getting there in less time is your goal. :tongue:

    Probably gonna need to clarify what you mean.
  • LazyGuy91
    LazyGuy91 Posts: 171 Member
    The forum topic isn't about transportation, lol

    Just for overall weight loss, muscle gain, cardiovascular, etc....

    I ride and bike around the neighborhood, but cannot tell which one benefits me more. It feels like they compliment each other.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    The forum topic isn't about transportation, lol

    Just for overall weight loss, muscle gain, cardiovascular, etc....

    I ride and bike around the neighborhood, but cannot tell which one benefits me more. It feels like they compliment each other.

    Burning calories will help you maintain a calorie deficit so the bike will probably be your better choice as long as you are not just coasting around town. Pretty hard to get your heart rate up from walking without some hills. Walking is good for circulation and burns more calories than sitting around.

    Neither is going to add any significant muscle especially if you are trying to lose weight.
  • bunnybutler29
    bunnybutler29 Posts: 291
    Im not knocking anyone who runs or walks, but I seem to be having better results with the biking. I have a trail that I go on and it has several inclines. There are times where I need to slow down then times when I need to speed up. I dodge and weave throughout others on the trail. I also think it depends on how hard you push yourself, the speed, and the distance. I get my heart rate up on the bike ride. I only started a month ago and can tell a difference. As for the muscle gain my husband has very muscular thighs and legs from riding, but as you know you would have to work out your top from something else for muscle there. Anything is better than sitting like the other person said.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Is one really better than the other?

    Better for what? They work muscles differently. Cycling has much higher potential for improving cardiovascular fitness. Walking requires zero expense and is less injury prone.

    All depends on what you're trying to accomplish.
  • LazyGuy91
    LazyGuy91 Posts: 171 Member
    Im not knocking anyone who runs or walks, but I seem to be having better results with the biking. I have a trail that I go on and it has several inclines. There are times where I need to slow down then times when I need to speed up. I dodge and weave throughout others on the trail. I also think it depends on how hard you push yourself, the speed, and the distance. I get my heart rate up on the bike ride. I only started a month ago and can tell a difference. As for the muscle gain my husband has very muscular thighs and legs from riding, but as you know you would have to work out your top from something else for muscle there. Anything is better than sitting like the other person said.

    A lot of the riding I do is throughout the neighborhood on paved roads (usually before work), but I get to a trail when I can. I like being able to mix it up. Same thing with the walking. My schedule is hectic right now so I do what I can, when I can, where I can.

    Both exercises/activities make me feel great ... just can't figure out which one is having more of an impact on my body.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    I work harder on the bike, so I prefer the bike. Also, it is a non-impact exercise. I still walk a lot, too. Depends on my mood.
  • LazyGuy91
    LazyGuy91 Posts: 171 Member
    The forum topic isn't about transportation, lol

    Just for overall weight loss, muscle gain, cardiovascular, etc....

    I ride and bike around the neighborhood, but cannot tell which one benefits me more. It feels like they compliment each other.

    Burning calories will help you maintain a calorie deficit so the bike will probably be your better choice as long as you are not just coasting around town. Pretty hard to get your heart rate up from walking without some hills. Walking is good for circulation and burns more calories than sitting around.

    Neither is going to add any significant muscle especially if you are trying to lose weight.

    I luck out here, because my neighborhood is full of hills. When walking, I don't really feel it, but during a jog or even a ride my heart will start pumping!
  • ChancyW
    ChancyW Posts: 437 Member
    I think bikes are much more fun. I think it has more to do with personal preference than anything. :)
  • k8eekins
    k8eekins Posts: 2,264 Member
    Is one really better than the other?

    Depends on your present state of fitness (duration vs distance vs difficulty/intensity level eg % gradient uphill) vs your biking route (trail) vs any injury you might have that might likely hold you back.

    If you're injured, cycling is safer than walking and/or running.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    Is one really better than the other?

    well it depends on the trainer you listen to... most say that walking exerts more energy than most biking because you are using your larger leg muscles the entire time. Now if you are biking on a nature trail or uphill then of course that is a good workout but most biking consists of easy pedaling and sometimes coasting. you may get there faster as a responder has mentioned but you wont burn more caloried during and even after you workout unless you exert some real energy. Of course I am no expert, I mostly self taught from youtube videos but it is what I am most interested in, so I watched a lot of fitness advice vids. Just stay active in the activity that makes you most happiest. I walk all the time between my fav walking path and the bridge over the harbor here, but I would like to purchase myself a bike and switch it up sometimes. Just got to make sure I am getting a workout the entire time when I do is all. (no coasting or easy paths)
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    Quote:
    Burning calories will help you maintain a calorie deficit so the bike will probably be your better choice as long as you are not just coasting around town. Pretty hard to get your heart rate up from walking without some hills. Walking is good for circulation and burns more calories than sitting around.

    Neither is going to add any significant muscle especially if you are trying to lose weight.
    End Quote

    how is walking NOT going to get your cardio up??? I sure break a good sweat doing it and my heart is going pretty fast... I can walk my fav walking path or bridge in 40 mins and its 1.5 miles one way so 3 miles both ways.. It is how I lost the weight so far. I don't think the op meant walking to the bathroom kind of walking.. I believe they meant it as the exercise walking. I wonder why everyone knocks walking??? hmmm.
  • drop_it_like_a_squat
    drop_it_like_a_squat Posts: 377 Member
    Whatever tickles your fancy. It's about the calorie burn, so it really doesn't matter.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Both exercises/activities make me feel great ... just can't figure out which one is having more of an impact on my body.

    I depends....

    you can hike on hills and get a great cv workout and burn some good calories. You can also amble along on the flat....

    You can do hill sprints on a bike and cough your lungs up into a bucket, that'll change your body. You could go for long rides and accumulate large calorie burns. Or you could mosey around on the flat and put zero effort in....

    They are tools at the end of the day. How YOU use them will be the key factor as to what you get out. Pick up the hammer and chisel and strive to be a master craftsman!
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    Quote:
    Burning calories will help you maintain a calorie deficit so the bike will probably be your better choice as long as you are not just coasting around town. Pretty hard to get your heart rate up from walking without some hills. Walking is good for circulation and burns more calories than sitting around.

    Neither is going to add any significant muscle especially if you are trying to lose weight.
    End Quote

    how is walking NOT going to get your cardio up??? I sure break a good sweat doing it and my heart is going pretty fast... I can walk my fav walking path or bridge in 40 mins and its 1.5 miles one way so 3 miles both ways.. It is how I lost the weight so far. I don't think the op meant walking to the bathroom kind of walking.. I believe they meant it as the exercise walking. I wonder why everyone knocks walking??? hmmm.

    Im not sure how you thought I was knocking walking by what I wrote. It is good for circulation and burns more calories than sitting around. *shrug* Burns about 250 calories per hour. YAY!

    Biking is going to burn nearly double the calories in the same amount of time that walking will burn....as long as you are not just coasting around. Burns around 450 calories per hour.

    Someone above also mentioned walking is free and low impact. Nothing wrong with walking but the topic posted was which is better. If you can find hills or pick up the pace (which it sounds like you are doing) then it would probably be better classified as hiking when entering it into the log.
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
    I always burn more calories in the same time on my bikes (both indoor & outdoor bikes) than walking. I also find walking boring while I love bicycling. Enjoying it helps me do it consistently.
  • prestigio
    prestigio Posts: 181 Member
    I like to switch it up. One day I will take my bike for a spin and another day I will take a brisk walk.
    Both seem to be good for me, just stay active
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Just for overall weight loss, muscle gain, cardiovascular, etc....

    I ride and bike around the neighborhood, but cannot tell which one benefits me more. It feels like they compliment each other.

    It will depend on terrain, speed, intensity for both. But I think your second paragraph is spot on. They compliment each other.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Both are excellent forms of CT. That is like trying to compare brocolli to butternut squash, both are good for you.
  • jessicapk
    jessicapk Posts: 574 Member
    Whichever one you enjoy and will stick with is great. Both are excellent for you but, if you don't stick with it, it won't do you any good.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    I hate walking. Slow. Feet hurt. Boring. Gotta bike. And really, there is no comparison since biking is more cardio than walking. Compare it to jogging, in which case, jogging is probably better exercise, but I hate it even more than I hate running.
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    Depends on what your goal is. Personally these are my two favorite cardio exercises and I like to switch it up. I burn more calories biking so that's a plus, but I also love brisk walking, I feel like it strengthens my core and helps my posture. Regardless, hooray for fall in Texas and great weather for doing both!
  • teamAmelia
    teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
    I don't know which is better, but I don't see why you can't do both. I'll take my bike to the park and ride my bike, and then run afterwards. You could split your workout time between the two. For me, biking is not really a workout. It's actually fun, so if I don't have time to drive to the park, but need to get a workout in, I will just ride my bike around my neighborhood.
  • bugaha1
    bugaha1 Posts: 602 Member
    Riding around the block or the park is just like walking slow, it’s not a very good cal. burn. I love to ride or drive my bike to a trail after work or on weekends and RIDE HARD, last night I road 18 miles burned 1200 calories in 70 mins with a 10 – 20 mph wind.

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