Cycling or Running For Belly Fat loss – Which is Better? UPDATED

Cycling and running are amongst two of the most popular fitness activities worldwide. Over half a million Americans attended cycling events during the 2019 season. What is even more impressive is the 64 million people that went running during the same year. That shows us that cycling and running are the preferred choices for losing weight. But since most people want to lose belly fat, this article discusses choosing between cycling or running for belly fat loss. We also help you decide if you should start cycling or a running program to help you lose weight around the stomach. Keep reading to find out more.

 

Cycling vs. Running: Which Is Better for Weight Loss

There have been many debates above cycling vs running for weight loss over the years. Some people swear they lose more weight through cycling, while others experience great weight loss through running.

However, there is no denying that both running and cycling provide a great way to help lose weight, especially belly fat, but which is the best?

If both we compare cycling vs running over the same duration, you will burn more calories running. That is because running uses more muscle groups and increases the body temperature more than cycling.

It is important to understand that the calories you burn during running and cycling depend on the intensity and length you are doing it. So, even though running burns more calories than cycling, most people can cycle longer than they can run. This is because cycling is much easier on the body than running. It also means that most people will burn more calories cycling than running in the beginning. However, as they become fitter, they can run for longer periods, thus burning more calories in the process.

Cycling or Running for Belly Fat loss

If you are looking at cycling or running for belly fat loss, always choose running. Why? Because running works more muscles in the body than cycling.

Your stomach muscles work much more to stabilize the body under load than cycling. Then when you pair that with the increased calorie burning, you are more likely to lose weight off your belly running vs cycling.

That doesn’t mean though you can’t lose weight off the belly cycling. Cycling and other sports like rowing, swimming, and fitness classes are all great ways to lose fat off the belly. But at the end of the day, the exercise you enjoy the most is the exercise you will train the most. This means it will be the one that ends up burning the most fat in the stomach region.

 

What Exercise Burns the Most Belly Fat?

There are many different forms of exercise out there, not just running and cycling. So, apart from cycling vs running, what exercise burns the most belly fat?

Sports such as fast walking, rowing, swimming, fitness classes, dancing, badminton, and tennis are all great exercises to increase fat loss around the belly. Since they are primarily aerobic sports, most people spend more than 30 minutes doing these. So it is expected that you will lose more weight, than say, lifting weights. However, the exercise that burns the most belly fat is the one where the whole body is working for a continuous space of time. These include:

– Skiing
– Running
– Swimming
– Rowing
– Dancing
– Racket Sports

These are generally the best exercises that help to flatten the stomach when pair with the correct diet.

Remember, try not to get your hopes up thinking 30 minutes a day is enough to lose that extra weight off the stomach. Diet plays an important role in weight loss, and if your diet is not well looked after. Don’t expect to see the results.

It is also important when looking to lose weight off the stomach that you increase the duration of your exercise each week. Doing so will help prevent the body from becoming more efficient, thus burning fewer calories for the same exercise duration.

Lose Belly Fat Cycling – What Should You know?

IF your goal is to lose belly fat by cycling, there are a few tips that can help you get there. First Since cycling doesn’t burn as many calories as other exercise routines, it is important to plan for more time on the bike than running. Secondly, varying your workouts by doing some HIIT (high-intensity interval training) will help your core work harder and increase the number of calories you burn. However, if focusing on HIIT it is still important to get enough duration in. That means increasing the warm-up and warm-down periods.

Another tip if you are trying to lose belly fat cycling is to spend more time cycling in the hills. Cycling in the hills will help you activate more muscles by standing up when climbing, thus working the body more than staying seated on the flat. It will also help to burn more calories than flat riding, as the power needed is much greater.

Lastly, vary your workouts. That means spending one day a week doing HIIT training, another day doing a hilly ride, and another focusing on a long ride. Doing so will not only help you lose stomach fat but also improve your cycling fitness as you go.

Cycling and Running Weight loss Programs

If you’re looking for a cycling weight loss program or even a running weight loss program. SportCoaching can customize a training program that fits your lifestyle. The training can be focused on losing weight around the belly as well as improving overall health.