Jogging vs sprinting

Stalh

I was thinking about starting Jogging as part of my aerobics. So I started researching it and I came across quite a few articles stating that jogging breaks down your muscles whereas sprinting builds it up by increasing you growth hormone. Here is one article.
http://www.beastbodyfitness.com/2012/10/jogging-versus-sprinting/

Just wondering if you had heard of this and what anyone knows. Do you jog or sprint?

GiddyupTim

Don't you think you should take all such speculation with a grain of salt?
Isn't it equally likely that if you are incredibly thin you have a serious advantage when distance running (more efficient) and that when you get to the world class level those little differences are a big deal -- the difference between qualifying for the Olympics or not. Same with sprinting. You need power, and big thighs, to be a challenger for the title of Fastest Man in the World.
The competitions may just select for those traits, rather than that training creates them.
There is a whole theory of human evolution that says that our survival advantage was that we could run far, and that we hunted by chasing our prey until it collapsed from exhaustion.

Azdak

First of all, why are you reading anything on a site that calls itself "beast fitness". Your BS detector should immediately go into overdrive.

There is a difference between "interferes with the development of large amounts of muscle mass" and "breaks down muscle" (implying permanent muscle loss).

If you are a competitive power athlete or bodybuilder, then, yes, a lot of running will make it harder to maximize your gains.

Other than that, it doesn't make much practical difference.

A balanced workout should contain both endurance and high-intensity workouts.

Stalh

First of all...You don't need to attack me just to disprove me. I was simply inquiring what others knew of it, so I could include the one with the best benefits into my day. I looked at several sites not just Beast Fitness. But thank you for all your knowledge.

skinnyitaliannn

I jog daily, and my leg muscles are awesome. I wouldn't believe that website, you know whats even better than sprinting or jogging? a combination of them both, in intervals = amazing workout

imthejenjen

I agree with you, they were VERY rude. Some people can be pretty rude on this site, but the majority are not, THANK GOODNESS. As their points are valid, they did not need to belittle you.

surfmonkey17

I was thinking about starting Jogging as part of my aerobics. So I started researching it and I came across quite a few articles stating that jogging breaks down your muscles whereas sprinting builds it up by increasing you growth hormone. Here is one article.
http://www.beastbodyfitness.com/2012/10/jogging-versus-sprinting/

Just wondering if you had heard of this and what anyone knows. Do you jog or sprint?

I have always sprinted as I don't like long distance running. I get too bored running for a long time. It was never because I thought there was an advantage to it, but I was pleasantly surprised when I heard this discussed on a fitness podcast a few months ago reviewing some studies that came out about this very subject. They had the same conclusion as in this article. It has been working for me, so I am sticking with it. I have no desire to be a long-distance runner or to have the super-skinny runners body.

nkklllll

Jogging or distance running for 40-60 miles a week does in fact cause the fast twitch muscle fibers in your body to decrease in size (and possibly even disappear from what I understand). That being said, that is a LOT of running to do. It depends on what you want to do with your body, if you want to develop explosiveness vs endurance, then sprints are the way to go (but only for about 20-30 minutes on workout days).

obsidianwings

Do HIIT, best of both worlds.

Azdak

First of all...You don't need to attack me just to disprove me. I was simply inquiring what others knew of it, so I could include the one with the best benefits into my day. I looked at several sites not just Beast Fitness. But thank you for all your knowledge.

sorry, it was meant to poke fun at the name "beast fitness", not at you. My fault for not making that clear.

Bookers23

I don't really love running yet, but I want to. I never run more than 400m at a time and do mostly sprints and a crossfit type workout. Ran my first 5k with ease last week. I have done some reading that sprint work increases endurance etc and feel that for me it has. I want to go longer distances and know that I will have to train to do so, but for this 5k distance I was really happy with this approach.

Mighty_Rabite

I jog daily, and my leg muscles are awesome. I wouldn't believe that website, you know whats even better than sprinting or jogging? a combination of them both, in intervals = amazing workout

THIS.

If I'm feeling pretty spry, I will do a few quarter mile speed runs and maybe a half mile speed run, with plenty of either walking or light jogging in between. I hit a legs-specific workout every five days and I have trouble fitting jeans, lol

MoreBean13

IMHO, you should eventually be doing both, but if you're new to running you should do jog/walk intervals first until you've built some running endurance (my opinion, 30 mins running or 3 miles) and then get serious about incorporating sprints and interval runs. Running will always be torture if you don't have a base of endurance.

BiscuitsNDavy

Ask yourself first, do you want slow twitch muscle fibers or fast twitch muscle fibers. Then choose accordingly.

RGv2

I jog daily, and my leg muscles are awesome. I wouldn't believe that website, you know whats even better than sprinting or jogging? a combination of them both, in intervals = amazing workout

Defined maybe, but distance running isn't going to build muscle up. I used to run distance competitively, but never had stronger legs than I do now that I started doing serious sprints.

Sprinting will build up muscle.

ixap

Isn't it equally likely that if you are incredibly thin you have a serious advantage when distance running (more efficient) and that when you get to the world class level those little differences are a big deal -- the difference between qualifying for the Olympics or not.

absolutely!
As a devote fan of distance running, I read all the books and follow the athlete's training plans. They are PURPOSEFULLY minimizing their muscle bulk because an excess pound or two of body weight, even if it's muscle, provided it's muscle that doesn't contribute to running speed, can mean win race / lose race. In his classic manuals on running, Lydiard described the look to aspire to as "plucked chicken" for the upper body.

Rule of thumb is you slow down by 2-3 seconds per mile per extra pound. For the everyday runner, who cares. I'm not going to win anyway, so I'd rather run my 5K 9 seconds slower but look great with the proportions of muscle that I prefer asthetically (plucked chicken not being my personal preference). For the Olympic athlete, 2-3 seconds per mile is a gold medal vs. no medal. This year's Olympics, there were 5 seconds between silver and gold for the women, 17 seconds between silver and bronze.

It's true that tons of aerobic-only work, paired with a big calorie deficit, can lead to muscle loss.
However, if you do some resistance training along with your running, you will be able to build muscle.

ixap

also wanted to say that while sprinting is awesome, it's not necessarily the best introduction to running due to the chance of injury -- I'd rather see someone "jog" for a few months at least to prepare their joints / tendons for the impact before doing all-out sprints in their workouts.

CarsonRuns

Jogging or distance running for 40-60 miles a week does in fact cause the fast twitch muscle fibers in your body to decrease in size (and possibly even disappear from what I understand). That being said, that is a LOT of running to do. It depends on what you want to do with your body, if you want to develop explosiveness vs endurance, then sprints are the way to go (but only for about 20-30 minutes on workout days).

Show me where this research is. My average mileage is within that range and my fast twitch fibers are still there, still defined and still doing their job. As a matter of fact, part of distance running is a weekly long run. One of the primary purposes of this long run is to recruit fast twitch fibers to do the job of the slow twitch fibers when they become fatigued. If you want more information, read Daniels Running Formula by Jack Daniels or look it up in Tim Noakes' The Lore of Running.

summertime_girl

I think that it is probably true. Look at the difference in physique between elite marathon runners and elite sprinters. The sprinters are very muscular, while the marathoners are very thin and lithe.

But really, unless you're an elite athlete, do both.

BarbellBlondieRuns

My answer is going to make me sound like a 16 yr old ding bat... Have you seen Pink lately? She looks amazing! She said she's done a varied program but swears that the most effective thing she's doing that tightens up her whole body is sprints. I'm a regular runner/jogger and I had already started incorporating sprints into my program but now I'm really upping my sprints! It does feel great to complete each sprint so I'm sure it has a great effect on your brain/mood/stress/all that jazz too

nexangelus

Um BOTH...what about intervals, run then sprint...I do not do the treadmll however, only run outside...

JDellena

There is research suggesting that interval training offers a lot of benefits to your physique by changing the metabolism. Also, small daily durations of exercise are all that one really needs. So rather than running for a long time, a briefer session of sprinting may be more time-efficient. On top of that, sprinting (on the toes) uses a different technique than long-distance running and thus is potentially less jarring to one's joints. (My response is not very technical and I offer no supporting research, but I offer these ideas as things to investigate for your own research.)
I too have heard it said that sprinters have better tone than long-distance runners. It may be only a urban legend, but it makes sense to me because in long-distance running, one doesn't exert as much muscular force, but does more reps. Sprinting on the other hand requires a lot of muscular force, so in a sense, one is getting more of a resistance training effect.

RunsOnEspresso

I am looking to introduce speed work into my running to help in crease my pace. From what I have read, the muscles used to sprint are different from those for long distance. But as others have said, sprinting is not something you should just start off doing. The articles I was reading say to run 3-4 months before introducing speed work/sprints and to incorporate them once a week. And to do so slowly (ie start with strides then add fartlek and then track). This came from sites such as runners world and womens running etc.

I think it depends on what your goals are. Do you want to do 5ks, marathons etc? Then you probably want to do both eventually. I want to eventually do a half marathon and increase my pace so I am going to do both.

meerkat70

First of all...You don't need to attack me just to disprove me. I was simply inquiring what others knew of it, so I could include the one with the best benefits into my day. I looked at several sites not just Beast Fitness. But thank you for all your knowledge.

I don't think advice to consider your source actually constitutes a personal attack.

meerkat70

Jogging or distance running for 40-60 miles a week does in fact cause the fast twitch muscle fibers in your body to decrease in size (and possibly even disappear from what I understand). That being said, that is a LOT of running to do. It depends on what you want to do with your body, if you want to develop explosiveness vs endurance, then sprints are the way to go (but only for about 20-30 minutes on workout days).

Show me where this research is. My average mileage is within that range and my fast twitch fibers are still there, still defined and still doing their job. As a matter of fact, part of distance running is a weekly long run. One of the primary purposes of this long run is to recruit fast twitch fibers to do the job of the slow twitch fibers when they become fatigued. If you want more information, read Daniels Running Formula by Jack Daniels or look it up in Tim Noakes' The Lore of Running.

You know it's only a matter of time before the wastage kicks in though. Running EATS muscles. Tis common interweb knowledge.

CarsonRuns

Jogging or distance running for 40-60 miles a week does in fact cause the fast twitch muscle fibers in your body to decrease in size (and possibly even disappear from what I understand). That being said, that is a LOT of running to do. It depends on what you want to do with your body, if you want to develop explosiveness vs endurance, then sprints are the way to go (but only for about 20-30 minutes on workout days).

Show me where this research is. My average mileage is within that range and my fast twitch fibers are still there, still defined and still doing their job. As a matter of fact, part of distance running is a weekly long run. One of the primary purposes of this long run is to recruit fast twitch fibers to do the job of the slow twitch fibers when they become fatigued. If you want more information, read Daniels Running Formula by Jack Daniels or look it up in Tim Noakes' The Lore of Running.

You know it's only a matter of time before the wastage kicks in though. Running EATS muscles. Tis common interweb knowledge.

I know, right? I'm surprised that, after topping out at 80 miles per week in this last marathon cycle, that I'm even able to support my own skeleton!

scorpio516

I am looking to introduce speed work into my running to help in crease my pace.

Speed work won't hurt, but the best way to increase your pace is to increase your volume.

summertime_girl

Speed work won't hurt, but the best way to increase your pace is to increase your volume.

Not according to Runners' World Run Less, Run Faster.

pyrowill

Speed wrk will increase your speed, distance work will increase your distance. My advice would be unless you are thinking about getting into very long distance running, don't worry about it, just put the trainers on and run. Don't think about what will be better or worse for muscle growth. Just do it. Then when you are better start to look into streamlining your training into specific areas to meet your goals.

sullrico18

I jog daily, and my leg muscles are awesome. I wouldn't believe that website, you know whats even better than sprinting or jogging? a combination of them both, in intervals = amazing workout

Yep! Well said! :-)

tracybosch

I started running 5 years ago. A friend had talked a group of us into training for a sprint triathlon. I could not go very far or very fast. 5k seemed like SOOO far and it took serious endurance training on my part to be able to run the whole thing (without walking).
Fast forward 5 years. I have now completed 2 century bike rides, 2 marathons and 2 Half Ironman triathlons. And endurance event to me now is 5 to 6 hours long. A 5k is a sprint.
I have learned through all of this that "endurance" training is important and "speed" training is important. I could not work on the speed training at first because I had no endurance. Now I work on speed:endurance at about 2:1. And I am still seeing results.
I also think that each person is different. You can try something and see how it feels and if you are getting results and go from there.