BUT I LIKE RUNNING?!?!?

silvereyes6

I just read a couple forums blasting the long term affects of cardio, claiming if overdone it can make you gain weight. Thoughts?

SwindonJogger

yeah, just look at all those fat marathon runners.

EmYounginTonga

yeah, just look at all those fat marathon runners.

OMG! That is so funny! and well true!

Pebble321

I know, I've read some of those too. Personally I don't believe it, its not the case for me anyway - I've been running for over a year now and I've never been healthier.

I have just started increasing my strength training because I want to get stronger and faster, whereas last year I was focussing on building up my distance and endurance. I'm enjoying the strenght training but am not going to give up my running any time soon.

If you like running, go for it, just watch the calories in and out and make sure they balance..... no problem

wdwghettogirl

yeah, just look at all those fat marathon runners.

Yeah, it's a little known fact that exercise makes you fat... we all better stop what we're doing and go get a donut... or 3. :laugh:

If you love running, run your little heart out!

cutmd

You mean like this:

http://fitfinity.net/2010/07/07/5-reasons-to-stop-running/

I think there is some truth to it, honestly. The body can get really efficient at steady state cardio really fast. I think jogging is fine in terms of weight loss as long as you either don' count the calories or use a heart rate monitor because the calorie burn you get from jogging a set distance decreases the more you train. So if you eat the same amount you may plateau or gain. Long bouts of cardio can also cause muscle loss if not coupled with strength training. If you don't want to ignore the urgings of trainers like the ones above I would say to keep doing it if you like it but either 1) add sprinting intervals or don't count the calories and 2) lift heavy 3X per week to maintain muscle.

Marathon runners are always upping the ante so they stay relatively thin, but some are on the flabbier side like in the article, which is the point she's making

CallmeSbo

yeah, just look at all those fat marathon runners.

ha ha ha that was a killer man.

david_swinstead

I think I saw the thread you're talking about.

Yes there is truth in saying that long distance running is not the best thing for fat loss. In more extreme cases it can even cause weight gain due to losing muscle mass so much that your metabolism slows down and your TDEE becomes lower than your caloric intake. I can't imagine this happens often.

But overall, you need to remember that doing any kind of exercise is better than doing none. For this reason it's important to do what you enjoy, as you're much more likely to stick with it if you enjoy it.

So if you like running, keep running.

BerryH

A few points here. I have gained weight while training for a marathon before, and was even at my heaviest weight come race day. Now I'm better educated, I know that's because I wasn't tracking food at all and just ate all the time because I was hungry all the time, plus I rewarded my long runs with alcohol. Yes, even more so that I do now!

I also did all my mid-week runs at a steady pace instead of introducing intervals, tempo runs and hills. With the long runs only being tough because of duration, I was just cruising. Now I have a varied routine, swim or power walk on my rest days and do injury-prevention resistance training, mostly body-weight. It would be counter-productive to my running to ache or still have fatigued muscles the next day from lifting heavy.

That said, my weight-loss has plateaued since I've been upping my mileage, due to all that guff about becoming efficient. There's also the law of diminishing returns, as your body switches to other fuel sources later in your long runs so the calories per mile ratio goes down.

However, with the very rough best-guess calorie-burn estimate from my Cardiotrainer app when I'm out, the dreadmill when I'm at the gym or MFP's rates when I go low-tech, I'm not gaining weight despite eating every single one of my exercise calories, even if that's an extra 1,200 a day. If I'm on an average deficit over and above the setting I'm on for the week, I just can't do a decent run the next time I'm out.

That article has a dreadfully misleading title. It should more accurately be called "Why distance running alone isn't the single most efficient way to lose fat but can be a valuable contribution to fitness and weight loss with a proper training plan and nutrition and is also the only way you will get good at distance running if that, in fact, is your fitness goal rather than just shedding fat." But that's not so snappy.

mikeyrp

yes, I have a though on this.

It starts with Boll and end with Ocks.




Actually, What BerryH said. But mine was more concise.

Aperture_Science

"Why distance running alone isn't the single most efficient way to lose fat but can be a valuable contribution to fitness and weight loss with a proper training plan and nutrition and is also the only way you will get good at distance running if that, in fact, is your fitness goal rather than just shedding fat."

Perfect post. I love it.

missy_1975

A few points here. I have gained weight while training for a marathon before, and was even at my heaviest weight come race day. Now I'm better educated, I know that's because I wasn't tracking food at all and just ate all the time because I was hungry all the time, plus I rewarded my long runs with alcohol. Yes, even more so that I do now!

I also did all my mid-week runs at a steady pace instead of introducing intervals, tempo runs and hills. With the long runs only being tough because of duration, I was just cruising. Now I have a varied routine, swim or power walk on my rest days and do injury-prevention resistance training, mostly body-weight. It would be counter-productive to my running to ache or still have fatigued muscles the next day from lifting heavy.

That said, my weight-loss has plateaued since I've been upping my mileage, due to all that guff about becoming efficient. There's also the law of diminishing returns, as your body switches to other fuel sources later in your long runs so the calories per mile ratio goes down.

However, with the very rough best-guess calorie-burn estimate from my Cardiotrainer app when I'm out, the dreadmill when I'm at the gym or MFP's rates when I go low-tech, I'm not gaining weight despite eating every single one of my exercise calories, even if that's an extra 1,200 a day. If I'm on an average deficit over and above the setting I'm on for the week, I just can't do a decent run the next time I'm out.

That article has a dreadfully misleading title. It should more accurately be called "Why distance running alone isn't the single most efficient way to lose fat but can be a valuable contribution to fitness and weight loss with a proper training plan and nutrition and is also the only way you will get good at distance running if that, in fact, is your fitness goal rather than just shedding fat." But that's not so snappy.

That's an awesome title, and it just rolls off the tongue :laugh: