Confused - Is running bad... or good... ?!

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  • Fit_Mama84
    Fit_Mama84 Posts: 234 Member
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    Running is awesome!

    Have you ever seen an obese marathon runner? I think not.
  • emartin17
    emartin17 Posts: 123 Member
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    Running is awesome!

    Have you ever seen an obese marathon runner? I think not.


    Actually, yes I have. I AM that obese marathon runner! I hit BMI of 33.5 (obese by scale measure)....I weigh 195 while I do have power to lift I still have quite a bit of fat (again obese for my size)... I have trained and ran many of miles/km and I am still considered obese. I can run laps around the most skinny of people but I am still obese. So more power to us obese people who run marathons. You can push your weight around better than most!

    The answer to the post would be as simple as this. Do not plan on losing weight while running. You will gain over time. I gained 1/2 inch on each calf while training. I recommend that you measure your body rather than by number when becoming a runner. You can then see the shift of your body composition over time.
  • JingleMuffin
    JingleMuffin Posts: 543 Member
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    Running is awesome!

    Have you ever seen an obese marathon runner? I think not.

    yeah running is awesome :)

    I'm an obese marathon runner.

    Just so happened to want to do it so I did.
  • ayalowich
    ayalowich Posts: 242 Member
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    I'm hearing two sides to this story and I'm hoping someone can clarify this. I've heard, and done research, that running is useless in regards to weight loss. But the other side to this, I've read that running is one of the best types of cardio exercises.

    I don't just run, but do other exercise as well (including weight training).

    Please show me the research that running is useless in regards to weight loss. That is completely false. Obviously it still matters what you eat, but I've been a runner for 25+ years and have for the most part been able to remain lean throughout.

    In an hour, you can burn a lot more calories running than just about any other activity. The key is to stick with it, increase the intensity when you get more fit and the weight will fall off as long as you don't eat poorly.
  • Lyerin
    Lyerin Posts: 818 Member
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    Running is awesome because: I've lost 52 pounds since February (been running since March) and running has been a big part of my weight loss, it keeps me from being crazier than I would normally be (stress relief and anxiety reducing) and it gets me out of my house and into the sunshine or into the gym. It has been unbelievably good for *me*. I have no idea if it would be good for *you*. Find something that you love to do and get out there and do it. I also strength train and do Zumba because I like them.

    ETA: I agree with the advice to just do what you love and ditch Shape magazine.
  • frankiedb
    frankiedb Posts: 277 Member
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    I think the only bad thing about running is the impact it has on the knees. Many people that I know including myself often struggle with knee pain.

    Other than that I think running is great. Many runners run for the run. I don't think they are running to lose weight or get cubes. They be like Forrest... :) It's more of pushing the limits and going the distance.. The sport of running...etc.

    If you can do it then incorporate it in your regime. Mix it up with different cardio.

    Also I'm pretty sure runners don't run everyday. Maybe twice a week?
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    I think the only bad thing about running is the impact it has on the knees. Many people that I know including myself often struggle with knee pain.

    Other than that I think running is great. Many runners run for the run. I don't think they are running to lose weight or get cubes. They be like Forrest... :) It's more of pushing the limits and going the distance.. The sport of running...etc.

    If you can do it then incorporate it in your regime. Mix it up with different cardio.

    Also I'm pretty sure runners don't run everyday. Maybe twice a week?

    Huh??! If you want to get any good at running, you need to run at LEAST 5 days a week.

    If you knees are bothering you, go to a running store and get fitted properly.
  • healthykae
    healthykae Posts: 190 Member
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    I can't run, therefore it's bad for me.
  • lisa35120
    lisa35120 Posts: 230 Member
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    All exercise is good ... do something that YOU enjoy x

    ^This!!

    I run because I like to run. And because I like to eat. I'm not good at sports and have never been very athletic, but running is something I can do.
  • lynnkieu
    lynnkieu Posts: 67 Member
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    I can only speak from my own personal experience. I have lost 40+ lbs in 5 months from running and being more careful about what I eat. I sometimes do other exercises like Zumba, but running is my main source of energy burn.
  • pavrg
    pavrg Posts: 277 Member
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    For starters, the canonical great endurance runners (i.e., the rake-thin East Africans) run sprint distances faster than 99.999% of the population, so they *are* sprinters as well. Hell, their 5k pace alone is faster than almost anyone on MFP could manage for a measly 200m.

    LOL. +1
    Take the finals of the 2012 Olympics 5k. last place ran a 13:52. The winner, a Brit (albeit of Somali descent), finished in 13:41. That's 164.2 seconds per 1 km, average, or 16.42 100m or 32.84 200m. But the finals were slow. The winner ran a 13:26 in an earlier heat. The 2008 winner, also the WR holder, won in 12:57. That's 15s 100m or 30-31s 200m range. Most humans can't do that (yes, a lot can too)
    That's fast, and a lot of normal weekend warriors can't touch that pace, however, a 31 second 200m is over 10 seconds slower than the typical 20 second or under pace of an Olympic level sprinter.
    Yes, it's 10 sec slower than an olympic sprinter because he has to run a 5k, not 200m. Endurance runners are sprinters in that they use sprint workouts to increase their pace, and I bet when they do those workouts they run 200 m faster than their race pace of 32 seconds. They might not achieve sub 20 sec, but they'll be closer to that pace than what you see on race day.
  • ksteinbeiser1
    ksteinbeiser1 Posts: 6 Member
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    I only skimmed through most of the comments...so i havent read them all....but for me i think running is good...to be honest the way i look at it is ive never seen a fat long distance runner or any runner for that matter. I agree that its all about intake and output and blah blah blah...everyone knows u need to excerise more and eat less and healthy to lose weight...its all based on what type of physique u want...you want leaner muscles...running is prob a good thing for you...you want more definition and slightly larger muscles then i id say running prob isnt the best form of exercise. There are good and bads to all forms of exercise...just ensure you are doing what is best for ur body and its needs!!!
  • littleknownblogger
    littleknownblogger Posts: 67 Member
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    .
  • littleknownblogger
    littleknownblogger Posts: 67 Member
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    Right...because elite distance runners never sprint.

    Straw man much? Nobody was discussing "elite distance runners". A question was asked about the merits of "running", and I described two different modes of running. People who engage in both modes of running will see the effects of both modes of running.
    The best exercise for losing weight is the thing that a person enjoys and will stick with.

    True. But weight loss and fat loss are not synonymous.
    Arguing about which exercise is best for weight loss sort of misses the mark entirely if there's little focus on diet.

    Also true. But the question was "Is running good or bad?" not "Which is the best exercise for weight loss".
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    formula for weight loss:
    Eat less move more don't over complicate it
  • littleknownblogger
    littleknownblogger Posts: 67 Member
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    This post is so full of fail, I don't even know where to start. :ohwell:

    By all means, begin at the beginning. I am looking forward to your alternate hypotheses on the long term conditioning effect on body composition produced by aerobic versus glycolitic metabolism. :)
  • littleknownblogger
    littleknownblogger Posts: 67 Member
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    For starters, the canonical great endurance runners (i.e., the rake-thin East Africans) run sprint distances faster than 99.999% of the population, so they *are* sprinters as well.
    Sprinting is not defined by how fast you run. It is defined by how fast you run in relation to your ability to run. If two people are running at the same pace, but person A can only sustain that pace for 10 seconds, while person B can sustain that pace for an hour, person A is sprinting and person B is not.
    The idea you need to be muscle-bulky to be extremely quick and fast is a myth.

    True--you do not need to be bulky to sprint; however, the metabolic effects of an anaerobic-based training regimen, over time, will increase muscle mass and reduce bodyfat--without factoring a "calorie deficit." The body is being trained to store energy in its muscles, rather than its fat reserve (where it cannot be accessed for its most stressful activity).
  • chard_muncher
    chard_muncher Posts: 75 Member
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    If you're interested in having a beach body you should focus entirely on diet and resistance training (heavy compound lifts & bodyweight exercises imo). Running won't make you look good beyond losing a few pounds, and you should receive the same or more health benefits from a resistance training program as you would from running (especially for aging people). However, if you're interested in competing in a sport of some kind you're going to need to build CV fitness.
  • GaryRussell123456
    GaryRussell123456 Posts: 87 Member
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    Running is good for you, but I can say from personal experience it cannot be relied on for weight loss. I lost over 100lbs, found I could run and loved it. I stopped watching my diet and despite running 40 miles per week gained over 40 lbs. I am now losing the weight again so that I can run better, not running to lose the weight.

    The argument that you don't see fat runners is pointless. Anyone serious about running keeps their weight down by watching their diet so they can be good. They aren't lean because they run.
  • pinksparklefairy
    pinksparklefairy Posts: 97 Member
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    When I go to the gym I categorise people into three groups, and usually get it right:

    1. The not very fit people (usually slightly overweight or look like they sit in an office all day snacking on cookies) - going to a group exercise class e.g. Zumba

    2. The muscular types - heading for the gym

    3. The ultra-fit and ultra-lean people - going for a group run. These are the fittest-looking ones there!


    I think the key is to eat clean and vary your workouts :) But I am pretty sure running will help you lose weight if you approach it the right way!

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