Running...help or hinder weight loss??

phjamo

:indifferent: OK so the nice lady seemed to be asking why she is not losing weight...maybe we can all leave our opinions out of it and tell her what we did to lose weight (as some did and thank you for that).

I personally weighed 250lbs one year ago, I started running on a regular basis, i started eating right, i started losing weight. the only muscle that I have gained is in my legs. I currently run between 40 and 50km per week, and recently started adding some core training (weights, situps, pushups, planks). My weigh in on Sunday was 189lbs.

Hope this was helpful :ohwell:

Thank you!! Thank you!!

You are very welcome

dodihere

Running helps weight loss. Running will not build muscle.

RGv2

Right on! I dare anyone to look at my calf muscles and tell me that running doesn't strengthen legs!

There's a difference in strengthening, defining, and building muscle to the point you see it on the scale.

shabaity

I wouldnt say that my thighs and calves have never changed size since i hit my full height or near to just exchanged fat for muscle and kept the same circumfrence and I used to gain 10 lbs muscle weight every yr from the beginning of august to the end of december doing marching band now im running and the same is happening again but then again my muscle structure is a little odd compared to most ppl its for some with a frame a few inches taller compacted down to about 5'1

RGv2

I wouldnt say that my thighs and calves have never changed size since i hit my full height or near to just exchanged fat for muscle and kept the same circumfrence and I used to gain 10 lbs muscle weight every yr from the beginning of august to the end of december doing marching band now im running and the same is happening again but then again my muscle structure is a little odd compared to most ppl its for some with a frame a few inches taller compacted down to about 5'1

It's virtually impossible to gain 10 lbs of muscle in 5 mos.

tobd55

Let's throw out the controversial whether you can build muscle in a calorie deficit or not for a minute. I don't know the answer to that either way.

Let's talk about muscle building from running while in maintenance mode, or a calorie surplus. You seriously think running doesn't build muscle? You seriously think that propelling my weight off the ground isn't a strength exercise? Really? So I guess pushups aren't a strength building exercise either. Good to know. I'll stop doing those since they're pointless.

No, not a strength exercise. I can do 100 pushups easily, but that's about 1/50th of the strides taken in a run. That's endurance, not strength. Are we really debating if people get big and strong enough to gain weight by normal running?

To the OP, running burns calories, so I can only aid in your weight loss. If you aren't losing, it's most likely you aren't in a calorie deficit. You may be eating back too many of your exercise calories.

This

Huskeryogi

Hi,

I am still fairly new to running. I usually run/walk 4-5 times a week for about 2.5 miles. I have been doing this for about 6 weeks or so. I am not really seeing any weight loss. Just wondering if you think it helps or hinders you?? I know that I am building muscle, just wondering when I will be able to lose at least another 10 pounds to be in my healthy bmi. Sometimes when I am unusally stressed (like yesterday) I will do a couple of runs. Maybe I am overtraining??? What are the signs of that?? I have my calories set at 1700 but almost never eat over 1400. Just have such a curbed appetite since I started running... Thank you so much!!

I didn't read thru the whole thread because the tangent about whether running can build muscle gave me a headache. Thought I'd throw this out there. If you are doing mostly steady state cardio you might want to alternate with some High intensity intervals.

http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/women-running-into-trouble/

shabaity

I wouldnt say that my thighs and calves have never changed size since i hit my full height or near to just exchanged fat for muscle and kept the same circumfrence and I used to gain 10 lbs muscle weight every yr from the beginning of august to the end of december doing marching band now im running and the same is happening again but then again my muscle structure is a little odd compared to most ppl its for some with a frame a few inches taller compacted down to about 5'1

It's virtually impossible to gain 10 lbs of muscle in 5 mos.

marching band 2 weeks of 6 hr out door practices 3 days a wk out door practices after school for 2 hrs or more 4 days if there was a parade or competition that weekend and we ran the show during class too the up and down of the games which literally ran thru december mile or longer parades plus whatever we were doing in gym and me never managing to get more than one class in a building ever during high school

klewlis

Running helps weight loss. Running will not build muscle.

That's absurd. If you're WORKING muscles, you're BUILDING muscles. Will running make you look like a body builder? No. But it certainly does build the muscles that it works... just not in the same way the lifting weights will. It creates toned, lean, strong muscles. If it didn't build muscle, you could never become a stronger, faster runner... you would always be stuck at the same fitness level with which you were born.

I'm not sure why some people seem to equate "building muscle" with "bulking up".

yayjay

just thought id put a suggestion in. Firstly im not a dietician or a personal trianer so everything i write is from personal experience.
i loved running just out of high school when i was at my smallest weight. Im getting back into it now, but it has been a challenge. I have downloaded the "couch25k" app on my iphone. it was recommended to me and i love it.

its basically a program to take people who hate running to running 5k's in 25 minutes. knowing that i was pretty unfit i was suprised how well the program went for me. Even if you are a good runner they advise you to start off at week 1s program. it basically works off interval training. Run for 1 min walk for 2 ect.. because it is interval trianing it is particularly good for weightloss so i would definately recommend it even if you are a good runner. I will complete the sessions sometimes in the gym and sometimes out with my dogs.

while im still very much in the early stages it has made a difference to my weight and mostly fitness at this stage.

dad106

Running helps weight loss. Running will not build muscle.

That's absurd. If you're WORKING muscles, you're BUILDING muscles. Will running make you look like a body builder? No. But it certainly does build the muscles that it works... just not in the same way the lifting weights will. It creates toned, lean, strong muscles. If it didn't build muscle, you could never become a stronger, faster runner... you would always be stuck at the same fitness level with which you were born.

I'm not sure why some people seem to equate "building muscle" with "bulking up".

As stated before, Building muscle and gaining strength are two different things.

Building muscle(AKA new tissue) comes from eating at a surplus and lifting. If you are eating in a deficit, do you think your body is going to go Ok, let me take what calories I have and use it to build new muscle tissue since muscles were worked today? No. It's going to take what calories it has and use those for sustaining life first.. and then worry about muscles and what not second.

Strength gains comes from overloading the muscle, having it adapt and then overloading it again, having it adapt... etc.

You can gain strength and not build muscle... and just because you are seeing muscle show, does not mean that you built muscle either.

I''m not sure why some people equate "strength gains" with "building muscle".

marijasmin

Sorry duplicate post

RGv2

I wouldnt say that my thighs and calves have never changed size since i hit my full height or near to just exchanged fat for muscle and kept the same circumfrence and I used to gain 10 lbs muscle weight every yr from the beginning of august to the end of december doing marching band now im running and the same is happening again but then again my muscle structure is a little odd compared to most ppl its for some with a frame a few inches taller compacted down to about 5'1

It's virtually impossible to gain 10 lbs of muscle in 5 mos.

marching band 2 weeks of 6 hr out door practices 3 days a wk out door practices after school for 2 hrs or more 4 days if there was a parade or competition that weekend and we ran the show during class too the up and down of the games which literally ran thru december mile or longer parades plus whatever we were doing in gym and me never managing to get more than one class in a building ever during high school

Yep.

marijasmin

Strength is partly about nervous stimulation and muscle linkage resistance.
http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/3055145

Neural adaptations to resistive exercise: mechanisms and recommendations for training practices.

Thus one can increase strength without increasing muscle size, by using explosive overload techniques in the first instance and pyramid sets in the longer term. Thus increasing the maximum amount of fibres activated, improving calcium flow in the contraction process, reducing inhibition factors, building the actin and myosin interaction.

Jasmin

shabaity

I wouldnt say that my thighs and calves have never changed size since i hit my full height or near to just exchanged fat for muscle and kept the same circumfrence and I used to gain 10 lbs muscle weight every yr from the beginning of august to the end of december doing marching band now im running and the same is happening again but then again my muscle structure is a little odd compared to most ppl its for some with a frame a few inches taller compacted down to about 5'1

It's virtually impossible to gain 10 lbs of muscle in 5 mos.

marching band 2 weeks of 6 hr out door practices 3 days a wk out door practices after school for 2 hrs or more 4 days if there was a parade or competition that weekend and we ran the show during class too the up and down of the games which literally ran thru december mile or longer parades plus whatever we were doing in gym and me never managing to get more than one class in a building ever during high school

Yep.

i was also capable of out leg pressing a couple members of our varisity team at that time and i dont really count gym class as strength training since i only ever went 18 times a yr and barely did anything cause of how big the class was so yes with said schedule and proper eating habits i did gain 10lbs in muscle weight in 5 months every yr

RGv2

I wouldnt say that my thighs and calves have never changed size since i hit my full height or near to just exchanged fat for muscle and kept the same circumfrence and I used to gain 10 lbs muscle weight every yr from the beginning of august to the end of december doing marching band now im running and the same is happening again but then again my muscle structure is a little odd compared to most ppl its for some with a frame a few inches taller compacted down to about 5'1

It's virtually impossible to gain 10 lbs of muscle in 5 mos.

marching band 2 weeks of 6 hr out door practices 3 days a wk out door practices after school for 2 hrs or more 4 days if there was a parade or competition that weekend and we ran the show during class too the up and down of the games which literally ran thru december mile or longer parades plus whatever we were doing in gym and me never managing to get more than one class in a building ever during high school

Yep.

i was also capable of out leg pressing a couple members of our varisity team at that time and i dont really count gym class as strength training since i only ever went 18 times a yr and barely did anything cause of how big the class was so yes with said schedule and proper eating habits i did gain 10lbs in muscle weight in 5 months every yr