What is better for fitness?

[assadahmed]

So I have been riding the commute to and from work which works out at 14 miles a day. I don't get the time to ride during weekends but often wondered is riding 70 miles a week better for fitness that going out for a longish run on the weekend??

[gazza285]

Depends how fast you go...

[assadahmed]

gazza285 said:

Depends how fast you go...

Yeah guess that makes sense. I do try to push on. Normally cover the distance in 30mins including stopping at all the traffic lights.

[anonymous-user]

You should get greater benefits doing frequent exercise throughout the week rather than one burst of activity, i'd keep at the commuting but if you ever have the time, a long run at the weekend doesnt do you any harm and can be good for a change.

[loudlashadjuster]

My fitness was vastly better when I could regularly commute in addition to managing just the one 3-4 hour ride at the weekend.

Just the weekend ride leaves me feeling no real improvement week after week, whereas I could feel speed and stamina building with even a single day's commute (~25 miles) per week in addition. OK, some of that is down to just the extra mileage, but being able to do 2+ <1hr blasts as well as the longer run at the weekend really seemed to help.

[Kell]

Isn't interval training better for improving fitness?

If your commute is anything like mine, then it's very stop-start. So no time to relax into a comfortable pace.

If you want to mix it up, you can always try going 100% for 20 seconds, then gently for 20 seconds x 6.

[Gren]

You'll not be able to put in the same effort on 1 x 70 miles compared to 10 x 7 miles IMHO. So from a fitness perspective the commute should be better.

Which is more enjoyable is another matter entirely...

[upsidedownmark]

Interval training is great for top end, steady distance is better for base. As the name suggests, you want base first.
Irrespective of all that, consistency is key to fitness gain.. so given a choice I'd take regular smaller outings over sparodic larger ones.