To a cyclist, “cadence” is similar to a runner’s “turnover.”
Cadence: the number of revolutions of the crankset per minute.
Turnover: how many steps you take during a minute of running.
When done properly, cycling is an effective and enjoy able form of aerobic exercise. Cycling is a great form of cross training for runners, especially since it builds an aerobic base while maintaining range of motion and reducing impact on the joints.
Another great thing about cycling is that it also works the quadriceps and hamstrings, but differently than they do when running.
The average runner’s “cadence” is about 180 steps per minute, which is about equal to 90 rpm’s while cycling. If you are cycling for cross training, you should aim for 90-100 rpm’s.
Since it was a monsoon this morning when my alarm went off (running outside was out of the question), I tried out an indoor spin workout that I found in Runner’s World Magazine .
Wednesday Cycling Workout
- Warm up for 15 minutes
- Shift into a slightly harder gear and spin for two minutes at 95-100 rpm
- Shift into lower gear and cycle at 80 to 90 rpm for 2 minutes
- Repeat 5 to 10 times (I did 10)
- Cool down for 15 minutes
I still had some extra time before work, so I ran 4 miles on the treadmill.
Total
Running: 4 miles (barefoot on a treadmill; felt really weird)
Cycling: 70 minutes (see workout above)
According to Runner’s World , these intervals were suppose to feel like 400’s at 5k pace. I’ve run 5k pace before and these felt nothing like it.
I wouldn’t say that the workout was completely pointless, but it wasn’t nearly as hard as I expected it to be. It was tough, but it wasn’t 5k tough 
I can work myself harder on my own!
Do you have any good cycling workouts? I am looking for something to spice up my daily routine.
To a cyclist, “cadence” is similar to a runner’s “turnover.”
Cadence: the number of revolutions of the crankset per minute.
Turnover: how many steps you take during a minute of running.
When done properly, cycling is an effective and enjoy able form of aerobic exercise. Cycling is a great form of cross training for runners, especially since it builds an aerobic base while maintaining range of motion and reducing impact on the joints.
Another great thing about cycling is that it also works the quadriceps and hamstrings, but differently than they do when running.
The average runner’s “cadence” is about 180 steps per minute, which is about equal to 90 rpm’s while cycling. If you are cycling for cross training, you should aim for 90-100 rpm’s.
Since it was a monsoon this morning when my alarm went off (running outside was out of the question), I tried out an indoor spin workout that I found in Runner’s World Magazine .
Wednesday Cycling Workout
I still had some extra time before work, so I ran 4 miles on the treadmill.
Total
Running: 4 miles (barefoot on a treadmill; felt really weird)
Cycling: 70 minutes (see workout above)
According to Runner’s World , these intervals were suppose to feel like 400’s at 5k pace. I’ve run 5k pace before and these felt nothing like it.
I wouldn’t say that the workout was completely pointless, but it wasn’t nearly as hard as I expected it to be. It was tough, but it wasn’t 5k tough
I can work myself harder on my own!
Do you have any good cycling workouts? I am looking for something to spice up my daily routine.