Cycling Vs. Walking

[TypeR]

A quick qustion to the health gurus of PH please.
After years of inactivity, I've got off my fat backside and have started walking and cycling to work.
The distance is a touch over 3 miles each way.
The walk takes me about 40 mins and the bike ride 15 mins max.
Which method of travel is the most beneficial aid to fat burning and cardio?

[okgo]

Walking.

[Tiggsy]

It depends on effort - if that bike ride gets you into a good sweat then you will burn more cal than walking.

[illmonkey]

Walking and carry the bike.

[Tiggsy]

Or just run....30 mins max and more fat loss.

[Harry Flashman]

Tiggsy said:

Or just run....30 mins max and more fat loss.

This.

Trouble with urban cycling is the amount of stopping and freewheeling you do, meaning that you don't keep your heartrate up consistently. I'd imagine walking will do you more good - but over such a distance, I'd work up to jogging.

[Stevenj214]

TypeR said:

A quick qustion to the health gurus of PH please.
After years of inactivity, I've got off my fat backside and have started walking and cycling to work.
The distance is a touch over 3 miles each way.
The walk takes me about 40 mins and the bike ride 15 mins max.
Which method of travel is the most beneficial aid to fat burning and cardio?

There won't be a huge difference between the two. Doing either is far better than doing none. Go with the one you prefer, or mix it up a bit to vary.

[BoRED S2upid]

Id mix it up walk a couple cycle a couple if you do it every day of the week you will certainly notice a difference even walking to get a sandwich at lunchtime will help.

[Tiggsy]

BoRED S2upid said:

Id mix it up walk a couple cycle a couple if you do it every day of the week you will certainly notice a difference even walking to get a sandwich at lunchtime will help.

or walk and get a salad!

[LordGrover]

Is there a pub en route?
If so, walk - I think you can be nabbed for drunk pedalling.

[Uriel]

If you can afford the 40 minutes it takes to walk, then take that 40 minutes and plot an interesting (location depending) 40 minute cycle ride into work. From work too, with the advantage that heading home, the state you arrive in doesn't matter so you can really push or if you're having fun extend the ride etc.

[Kermit power]

Uriel said:

If you can afford the 40 minutes it takes to walk, then take that 40 minutes and plot an interesting (location depending) 40 minute cycle ride into work. From work too, with the advantage that heading hoome the state you arrive in doesn't matter so you can really push or if you're having fun extend the ride etc.

Just what I was going to say!

Having a nice route to ride can make a big difference with regards to how often you do it. I used to have a choice of shorter route (A3 then through Putney over the South Circular) or adding on a mile or two to go through Richmond Park and along the Thames in Barnes. Guess which option I took!

[okgo]

The shorter one as you're overweight?

[Kermit power]

okgo said:

The shorter one as you're overweight?

:P

Sadly I no longer work in the same place. I'm just about to start cycling from Epsom to Waterloo, but that would require a bloody enormous detour to make it even vaguely picturesque!

14 miles in a straight line through the delights of Tooting, Clapham, Stockwell and Kennington!

[okgo]

At least you'll get to see your beloved Aylesbury Estate in the flesh

I'm thankful my commut takes in 4 mles of Richmond Park.

[Kermit power]

okgo said:

At least you'll get to see your beloved Aylesbury Estate in the flesh

No, I want a detour to nice places! I still haven't figured out why my satnav took me that way!

[shouldbworking]

Cycling is vastly more efficient than walking, I can't really fathom why people would think it would burn the same amount of calories over the same distance.

[Tiggsy]

shouldbworking said:

Cycling is vastly more efficient than walking, I can't really fathom why people would think it would burn the same amount of calories over the same distance.

Because walking is very hard to do hard - if he breaks a sweat over that distance i'd be surprised. Whereas he can push it on a bike and actually WORK.

Of course, he could "power walk" but he'd look a tool.

[Stevenj214]

shouldbworking said:

Cycling is vastly more efficient than walking, I can't really fathom why people would think it would burn the same amount of calories over the same distance.

Random Internet Calculator said:

15 minutes of "moderate" cycling = 135cals

40 minutes of "moderate" walking = 122cals

Source

[shouldbworking]

Stevenj214 said:

shouldbworking said:

Cycling is vastly more efficient than walking, I can't really fathom why people would think it would burn the same amount of calories over the same distance.

Random Internet Calculator said:

15 minutes of "moderate" cycling = 135cals

40 minutes of "moderate" walking = 122cals

Source

Are you sure? for an 80kg person

15 minutes of moderate cycling = you burned 120 calories
40 minutes of moderate walking = you burned 240 calories

Maybe it throws out random results each time :P

I suppose the better all round answer is whichever you are likely to keep doing. If you find the time taken walking means you are less likely to do it, better to cycle than take the car and do nothing.