30 minutes of bicycle sprints: the gentle alternative to running

This article has been automatically translated from German. While our little team is working hard to provide you the best quality and resources, our multilingual capacity is still limited. Don't judge us by the Google translation please and head over to the original version in German instead.   

If you want slim, defined legs for the summer and want to avoid knee pain, then cycling is an alternative to running sprints. Cycling is a suitable alternative to a cardiovascular exercise without impact on your knees.

“Excuses don't burn fat”

Says Oli, AURUM coach and competitive athlete in cycling. I believe him, because he somehow managed to slim down from 106 kg body weight to 76 kg. Above all, through his passion for bicycles. Losing weight with cycling is so good because you get your metabolism and your circulation going. At the same time, your fat burning is in full swing and almost all of the muscles in your lower body are being trained. It's twice as good for losing weight, because the largest muscle groups sit in your legs - and the bigger the muscles, the bigger the glycogen reserves. If these are emptied through great effort, the body becomes more receptive to the nutrients from the food and stores less in the fat. And also burns more fat. Voila!

“ 60 min cycling is as effective as 2-3 hours walking, if you know how ”

And you can even get the fourfold effect in just 35-45 minutes. How does that look exactly and how can you implement it? For this, Oli offers 2 different options A and B, which are also used by professional cyclists.

Velo Sprint Protocol A

You drive a rather flat lap in your area:

1. Choose a slightly heavier gear and ride with a low cadence. This is almost automatic because you are kicking with the large chainring at the front.
2. 10 minutes: warm up. Give yourself 10 minutes to break in. Then comes the endurance block that will challenge you for 10 minutes.
3. 10 minutes: 5 minutes intensive and 1 minute break in between. Now you can pedal for one minute with all your might and after 60 seconds you can ride for 1 minute again. Specifically, you run an interval of 5 times 1 minute and the breaks in between serve as relaxation.
4. 10 minutes: cool down. After the block, you can roll out for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on your mood. The signal molecules that have been released by your thigh muscle should circulate nicely. Our British friends from CAR.OL give (ultra exciting) details about this.

Velo Sprint Protocol B

Works exactly the same as A, only this is your glycogen stores at the collar. Glycogen stores are the carbohydrates stored in the form of glycogen  in the liver and muscle tissue. It's easy:

1. You get in well and choose a route with a hill or even with a small pass road in your area. The ascent can be about 1.5 - 3 km and have an average gradient of 3 - 6%. In Zurich, for example:
2. from Wiedikon to Uitikon Waldegg
3. from Bellevue to the zoo
4. from Adliswil to the Albis Pass
5. You can now cycle this entire incline in one piece with all the strength you have. Divide them up well and try to start up as long and constant as possible.
6. As a reward, loosely descend and roll home.

What does this bring you and what is the benefit of your body?

• It increases the oxygen supply to all cells
• Expands the vessels - training them for elasticity
• Strengthens the heart muscle - a healthy heart can pump a lot of blood in one fell swoop
• It boosts fat burning
• Strengthens your immune system
• Triggers important metabolic processes
• Lowers stress, so reduces the same hormones and increases happiness hormones
• Promotes your well-being, both mentally and physically

In addition, cycling enables social distancing! You are simply too fast to be put into a conversation by your neighbour or acquaintances.

Allez Allez Allez to Le tour de dream figure!