short sprints VS longer runs for less muscular body?

wllwsmmr

I know everyone says to look at professional athletes and that long distance runners have a less muscular build while sprinters generally are more muscular, though both really lean and have awesome bodies.
Thing is, long distance runners are still running at a very fast speed as compared to us 'non professional athletes'. So does it still apply that we shouldn't 'sprint' as much if we are looking to achieve 'leaner looking muscles'? Im pretty sure what most female non athletes see sprinting and slower running is different from professional athletes?
I guess it just boils down to how they are trained right? I have no clue what their training constitute but i'm assuming they train differently and hence leading to different body builds. Or it could also be what they eat?

So I'm just wondering if anyone knows if one sticks to not too much exercise done daily, would it matter if one does 30min of HIIT-like running VS 1hour or slower speed running, assuming they burn about the same amount of calories?
Will it matter more if the exercise duration is doubled?

I am asking purely for how much of a difference it makes to how the body looks, so you could leave out time constraint, sustainability etc.

I've a body build of thicker thighs so I've always been looking to achieve leaner looking legs. I have thinner calves but thicker thighs before I started exercising so much, but get thinner thighs but thicker calves when I started dieting by watching my calories and exercising quite a bit. I'd just like to know if the thicker calves is just inevitable regardless of the type of running I do? Or will less sprinting build thinner calves? I also overeat and binge a lot so exercise is something I need. I have done over 2hours of consecutive HIIT like sprinting and then 2 hours of sprinting/walking on the treadmill before after binging and it makes me feel good but if that is building too much muscles than i might forgo the excessive exercising because it is time consuming too.

Sorry for the long post and hopefully some would have input on this issue!! Thanks a lot

PS I'm a female and I know that exercise is healthy but I'm hoping to know how to have a lean build especially for my legs, so it is ok to leave out the 'as long as you're exercising you will have a lower body fat etc'. Hopefully this doesnt come across as superficial since I'm more concerned as to how I look VS my actual body fat. I also try to eat healthy most of the time.

TavistockToad

I also overeat and binge a lot so exercise is something I need. I have done over 2hours of consecutive HIIT like sprinting and then 2 hours of sprinting/walking on the treadmill before after binging and it makes me feel good

have you thought of speaking to someone about the binging? if you found other coping mechanisms to stop you binging you wouldnt need to over exercise?

wllwsmmr

Thanks for the reply

Yup I've been seeking help and trying to understand the root to my binging and overeating, also experimenting with different things to cope with it! I can safely say I am 2 days free of overeating and that is a big deal to me because it has been months of overeating

And with regards to over-exercising, I can almost safely say that I have forced myself to not go past 2 consecutive hours of cardio regardless of how much I eat/binge on. This is just to prevent my 'bulimic' behavior, or maybe I'm just not as determined as I used to be....

However, my main question was actually basically my topic title, whether longer runs would give me a less muscular look, especially when I already have naturally thick legs! Whether the type of cardio matters, or is running in general just gonna give me thicker leg muscles than not!

Thanks for the concern though

wllwsmmr

bumping for myself... anyone?

bluflu2003

I too had made the association sprinter/HIIT = bigger muscles (working muscle harder builds quicker) and long distance runner = leaner muscle appearance. I can only speak for myself. I run 6.5 miles / 1 hr and usually keep a consistent pace (no high intensity intervals). I build muscle easily so I did not want my legs to bulk. My thighs have gone down in size but are more muscular. It seems to be effective for me.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I think you are over thinking things. I doubt running of any kind will build bigger muscles while you are dieting.


Also. Big thighs are NOT bad. It's really hard to fight your body type. Learn to love them and appreciate them instead.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/811361-ladies-who-love-their-thighs-welcome

xiamjackie

How on Earth do you do over two hours of HIIT? An average time to do HIIT is like 20-45 minutes. If you are doing your highest intervals for your HIIT then there's no way you can do over two hours of that PLUS two hours of jogging/ walking on the treadmill.

I don't really understand the question. You're basically saying you do or do not want to exercise? I can't quite grasp what you're trying to get across.

I will just recommend a combination of weight training and HIIT (30 mins) with some days having longer medium paced cardio only if you feel like it. Your body composition will mainly reflect how you eat, not how you exercise. So I would work on a healthier diet and try to stop the binging. That could be having a huge impact on your success.