Regular aerobic exercise is important for your health and weight management. The bicycle and the treadmill offer enjoyable ways to fit in the minimum of 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise five days per week, as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine. Which one you choose to use regularly really depends on your goals, personal preferences and physical abilities.
Bicycle Features
Outdoor and indoor bicycles offer a low-impact way to fit in a heart rate revving, calorie-burning workout. The ultimate intensity of your outdoor ride depends on the terrain upon which you ride, while an indoor bicycle allows you to alter the resistance to simulate hills or flat roads. The Mayo Clinic notes that a 160-lb. person riding at a leisurely pace, below 10 mph, burns about 300 calories in one hour.
Treadmill Features
Treadmills are appropriate for most fitness levels as they allow you to walk, jog or run indoors. The intensity of a treadmill workout can be changed by adjusting the speed or the incline---many commercial treadmills found in fitness centers go up to a 15 percent or higher grade. The same 160-lb. person can burn over 500 calories in an hour when jogging at a modest 5 mph.
Benefits
Bicycles and treadmills help you improve your heart health and lung function. Treadmills are easy to use and require little special equipment. Bicycling is also a method of movement familiar to most people and, especially when done outside, can be quite enjoyable. Bicycles and treadmills give you a chance to vary your workout routine regularly---you can perform endurance-type workouts where you work at a constant pace and intensity, or perform interval training by alternating periods of high-intensity work with more moderate rest periods. Both modes of exercise accommodate an advancing fitness level---as you become a more fit exerciser, you can always run faster or cycle on more challenging courses.
Considerations
Although most people know how to walk or even run, doing so for an extended period of time can be challenging---especially if you suffer from joint or back care issues. Experts at the Cleveland Clinic maintain that exercisers who are 50 lbs. or more overweight may prefer cycling as it is less stressful on the body than running or walking. If you are considering a piece of equipment for your home, a treadmill takes up considerably more space than a stationary bicycle and is usually more expensive when considering comparable quality. Outdoor bicycles can also require a significant monetary investment, and may require some skill and confidence to ride outdoors. While a treadmill can be used any time or day regardless of the weather, riding an outdoor bicycle depends on proper outdoor conditions.
Expert Insight
Running offers the potential to burn a significant number of calories and fat, thus helping with weight loss. A South African study published in "The International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism" in February 2010 showed that exercisers working equally hard cycling and running burned more fat during running than during cycling. If you hate to run, however, the calorie burn will do you no good because you are less likely to stick to an exercise routine that you dislike.
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