Should we runners not run?

songbyrdsweet

I don't do much running. Maybe 5 minutes before my workout to warm up. I don't dislike running and I've gone through phases of running a lot (like an hour when I did the Gateway to 8K program a couple years back).

I have been exercising regularly for 7 years so I've had time to stick to a few plans for a while. I was serious about running, powerlifting, mountain biking, and general weightlifting for physique. These days I'm more about functional strength which includes a lot of core work, balance, and plyometrics to move my body weight around. I have the benefit of an exercise science degree so I know what types of activities complement each other. I will say that neither running nor lifting ever got my glutes as tight and perky as plyometrics almost every day.

Articles like these are just being picky for the most part. Considering that 30% of adult Americans are obese, just the fact that YOU ARE MOVING is excellent!

bcattoes

Thanks for the responses guys! I'd love to hear from a few people who choose not to incorporate running into their workouts.

I have run in the past, but I haven't run at all since last June. I hate running on the treadmill and I'm not real crazy about running outside even when the weather is perfect. I don't know if I'll run this year or not. Not because I think it's bad for me, but just because I don't really enjoy it. I really wish I did like it. I envy people who can run and make it look leisurely.

I do plenty of other cardio - Turbo Fire, hiking, biking, general aerobics - though. I'm gonna go home and do a 55 min Turbo Fire cardio workout this evening.

llkilgore

...a physician mentioned to my husband recently that he sees a lot of people that are "running themselves into the ground". So I thought I'd bring it up for discussion here to see what results.

Yep, that was quite literally what I was doing. I've reformed.

I totally did this too... but rather than change my miles, I changed my diet. I was eating too little to fuel my workouts. Upped the calories and felt like a million bucks. YMVMV, but there's more than one way to skin a cat.

I'd been eating enough to feel good and maintain my weight, but my lean body mass was already on the low side even before I overdid the cardio because of my age (late 50s) and my sedentary lifestyle before I lost the weight. By the time the flab was (mostly) gone I weighed less than I had since high school, and I was a skinny adolescent then. Seemed a good idea to concentrate on building muscle for a while. I'm still running about 15 miles a week and don't know how counterproductive that is, if at all. But at least the face plants have stopped.

nicarey19

When I read this article at first I thought it was just for those women who do a ton of cardio/running becasue of the 20 hour a week comment. But I read some of the comments below and it seems like the author is saying running is bad . Here is the comment:


Poster:


You refer to hours of running per day. What about someone who runs 30 min a day a few times a week, or even 30-40 min every day? Some of your language suggests running is out completely for women, but then you describe what most women would consider extreme workout schedules. Is your point more that women shouldn't over-do it with cardio? Can you be more specific about how much running is too much and could cause these kinds of negative results?


Author:
From the research, a few times per week at less than 30 minutes should not have as heavy of an impact, but you're riding a fine line here and there are gaps in the research. So I can't answer this fully. If you find you can run 2 times per week at this intensity and it has no effect on you whatsoever and you're happy with how you look, keep doing it. If, however, you're using this activity to achieve a body that you desire or to increase your health, then ditch it. It's not helping your cause.


So basically if you run a few (2-3) times a week less than 30 mins you are fine (maybe), but anymore it will be negative. So it is not just someone who is running 20 hours a week. I have been running for 7 months. I have lost a lot of weight and my butt is smaller and is looking a lot better. I just started to incorporate weight lifting (4 weeks now). I am going to keep running, because I love it. It makes me happy:)

Yanicka1

I almost never do cardio except when trying to lose the last few pounds. It is like an ace I keep in my back pocket because cardio work great.......until it does not work anymore.

Huffdogg

I agree with it, but mostly because I don't think anyone should run

meerkat70

When I read this article at first I thought it was just for those women who do a ton of cardio/running becasue of the 20 hour a week comment. But I read some of the comments below and it seems like the author is saying running is bad . Here is the comment:


Poster:


You refer to hours of running per day. What about someone who runs 30 min a day a few times a week, or even 30-40 min every day? Some of your language suggests running is out completely for women, but then you describe what most women would consider extreme workout schedules. Is your point more that women shouldn't over-do it with cardio? Can you be more specific about how much running is too much and could cause these kinds of negative results?


Author:
From the research, a few times per week at less than 30 minutes should not have as heavy of an impact, but you're riding a fine line here and there are gaps in the research. So I can't answer this fully. If you find you can run 2 times per week at this intensity and it has no effect on you whatsoever and you're happy with how you look, keep doing it. If, however, you're using this activity to achieve a body that you desire or to increase your health, then ditch it. It's not helping your cause.


So basically if you run a few (2-3) times a week less than 30 mins you are fine (maybe), but anymore it will be negative. So it is not just someone who is running 20 hours a week. I have been running for 7 months. I have lost a lot of weight and my butt is smaller and is looking a lot better. I just started to incorporate weight lifting (4 weeks now). I am going to keep running, because I love it. It makes me happy:)

Could you provide evidence that running doesn't help with health - specifically evidence on cardio and bowel health, and on arthritis....?

meerkat70

Articles like these are just being picky for the most part. Considering that 30% of adult Americans are obese, just the fact that YOU ARE MOVING is excellent!

Well said.

ldrosophila

I'm curious about...

Training consistently at 65 percent or more of your max heart rate adapts your body to save as much body fat as possible.

In my mind, this is speaking to the heart rate training zones and I've been struggling with that concept lately. Working at 60-70% of my sex-adjusted maximum heart rate, which supposedly burns the most fat, just doesn't feel like I'm working hard enough.

And what does the author mean by "consistently"? I'm not a runner, but I do a stationary bike and a treadmill for 45-60 minutes (combined) 5-6 days a week. I know it's not the 20 hours a week that he's talking about so I'm just wondering if it relates.

Don't worry about it. The person who wrote it does not understand the physiology of cardiovascular exercise. The statement is blatantly untrue.

Like to hear your thoughts as you seem to have a pretty solid understanding of exercise physiology.

mstrickland9

While I understand that ONLY cardio (and lots of it) definitely isn't the way to go, the author of this article can pry my running shoes out of my cold, dead fingers! :laugh:

Ditto. I will never stop running. Never.

Yes!!!!

SoDamnHungry

I find it weird that his article is only to trash cardio, and he doesn't suggest what workouts you SHOULD be doing.

GiddyupTim

Show me one elite level soccer player who is overweight or skinny fat. Please? If running is so bad for you, there should be plenty. They run a lot -- up to seven or eight miles a game, and they practice too.
But you can't.
The reason the article author's friend had a thyroid problem is that she had a thyroid problem. It was not because of running.
The reason there are overweight runners is that they do not go hard enough, and they do not go hard for long enough. Simple as that. You'll never see an elite long-distance runner who is heavy. Are they all working against their physiology? I don't think so.
The OP said it herself. She lifted and built muscle. But, when she ran, the fat just disappeared.
My wife runs, and she is slim and muscular. Runners generally look pretty good. They may not look like body builders, but then they don't do the fasting and drugs either.

Huffdogg

Thanks for the responses guys! I'd love to hear from a few people who choose not to incorporate running into their workouts.

I used to run around a mile a day when I first decided to get back into shape. I hate it. Absolutely completely totally hate it. So I researched alternatives to the running I had always heard was "the answer" to getting fit. I eventually settled on heavy compound lifting and found that I absolutely adore it. Occasionally I will do an obstacle race with friends just to "check in" on my overall fitness, and I find that I can easily keep pace with friends who do run pretty regularly just by keeping my body strong (maybe improving stride length?) and doing the occasional HIIT or sled push session.

scottb81

I'm curious about...

Training consistently at 65 percent or more of your max heart rate adapts your body to save as much body fat as possible.

In my mind, this is speaking to the heart rate training zones and I've been struggling with that concept lately. Working at 60-70% of my sex-adjusted maximum heart rate, which supposedly burns the most fat, just doesn't feel like I'm working hard enough.

And what does the author mean by "consistently"? I'm not a runner, but I do a stationary bike and a treadmill for 45-60 minutes (combined) 5-6 days a week. I know it's not the 20 hours a week that he's talking about so I'm just wondering if it relates.

Don't worry about it. The person who wrote it does not understand the physiology of cardiovascular exercise. The statement is blatantly untrue.

Like to hear your thoughts as you seem to have a pretty solid understanding of exercise physiology.

The body's preferred energy source is fat because it provides the most energy per unit of fat burned. However, burning fat requires oxygen so when the body's demand for energy exceeds its ability to provide oxygen to the working muscles it burns glycogen in addition to fat.

The purpose of cardiovascular exercise is to make physiological changes in the body so that it can provide more oxygen to the muscles and changes in the muscles so that they can process more oxygen and burn more fat. This allows the body to work harder while still using fat as its primary fuel source. This is important for athletes because, even in a skinny person, there is enough fat to provides days worth of energy while even in the best trained person there is only enough glycogen stored for less than 2 hours of activity.

The notion that cardiovascular exercise causes a body to store more fat for energy is wrong and there is not a single reputable study anywhere that backs that up. The body stores fat for energy by default whether you do cardiovascular exercise or not. The mechanism that causes this is simply eating more calories than you currently burn during daily activity.

Sqeekyjojo

I'm willing to bet that the 'friend' the writer is being so mean about has a healthy heart, good vo2 max, has great bone density (osteoporosis is no minor thing, especially for women) and is likely to be a lot nicer to be around than they are.

prium01

Don’t want to stop running? Fine. Then stop complaining about how the fat won’t come off your hips, thighs, and *kitten*. You’re keeping it there.

i beg to differ on this statement. i went from having a big wide butt and not just big and wide but high too (so high my mother said she could rest her teacup on it), to one that is more "normal". the extra giggle in my thighs are gone and my hips are smaller. all because of running.

i'll keep running.

All true! Running has given me more toned legs..Appearance of Cellulite has also decreased on my thighs...I don't run 20 hrs a week...its hardy 4- 5 hrs...

I enjoy what I do...

Huffdogg

The body's preferred energy source is fat because it provides the most energy per unit of fat burned.

This goes counter to everything I have studied about fat loss. All of the literature I have ever seen points to carbohydrates being the preferred energy source because they are closer to the base molecules needed to provide such energy (glucose). If fat were so readily available to burn, why the "induction phase" in ketogenic eating systems to train the body to "fat adapted" for energy?

Please note: I'm not trying to pick a fight or trolling here; I'm honestly seeing this statement asserted for the first time.

scottb81

If fat were so readily available to burn, why the "induction phase" in ketogenic eating systems to train the body to "fat adapted" for energy?

I'm just guessing here but I expect the reason is that if the body is deprived of carbohydrates it is forced to burn fat. Of course, in that state no moderate or high intensity exercise will be possible.

Most people have extremely poor cardiovascular fitness so the simple act of walking around requires excessive amounts of carbohydrates since they cannot process enough oxygen to walk around, or do anything else, burning primarily fat. Rather than increase their fitness so that they burn more fat naturally they would rather look for a quick (and temporary) fix by not eating carbohydrates.

I believe this because if you look around at what people around here say their heart rate is when simply walking you often see figures of 70 to 80% or more of max. The reason it is high is because the body is demanding oxygen yet it is not equipped to to provide or use that oxygen. Therefore it is forced to use carbohydrates in increased amounts simply to move.

Contrast that to someone who is trained and they can walk around casually (3 mph) with heartrates below 40% of max and walk fast (4 mph) at heartrates below 50% of max. [I know this is possible because it reflects my current heartrates at those exertion levels] Here the body has enough oxygen to burn primarily fat without the aid of a ketogenic eating system. This person is naturally burning primarily fat throughout the day and only starts burning excessive carbohydrates for the short periods of intense exercise.

There are then two ways to become fat adapted. The first is to deprive yourself of carbohydrates for the rest of your life. The second is to build a high level of cardiovascular fitness and eat whatever you want (within the caloric limits of energy demand.)

pghlulu

The article was written in a very condescending tone....and the author's comments and replies to others' comments are quite snarky, too. If he had done it in a more friendly/helpful manner, maybe some of the main points would be more accepted or at least thought about.

Regardless, I'm still going to run. I spend a maximum of 2 hours a week running. It helps me zone out, de-stress, and clear my head. It's like meditation for me.

nicarey19

When I read this article at first I thought it was just for those women who do a ton of cardio/running becasue of the 20 hour a week comment. But I read some of the comments below and it seems like the author is saying running is bad . Here is the comment:


Poster:


You refer to hours of running per day. What about someone who runs 30 min a day a few times a week, or even 30-40 min every day? Some of your language suggests running is out completely for women, but then you describe what most women would consider extreme workout schedules. Is your point more that women shouldn't over-do it with cardio? Can you be more specific about how much running is too much and could cause these kinds of negative results?


Author:
From the research, a few times per week at less than 30 minutes should not have as heavy of an impact, but you're riding a fine line here and there are gaps in the research. So I can't answer this fully. If you find you can run 2 times per week at this intensity and it has no effect on you whatsoever and you're happy with how you look, keep doing it. If, however, you're using this activity to achieve a body that you desire or to increase your health, then ditch it. It's not helping your cause.


So basically if you run a few (2-3) times a week less than 30 mins you are fine (maybe), but anymore it will be negative. So it is not just someone who is running 20 hours a week. I have been running for 7 months. I have lost a lot of weight and my butt is smaller and is looking a lot better. I just started to incorporate weight lifting (4 weeks now). I am going to keep running, because I love it. It makes me happy:)

Could you provide evidence that running doesn't help with health - specifically evidence on cardio and bowel health, and on arthritis....?

I am sorry but I dont understand what you are asking me. I do think that running or cardio helps with a lot of health problems. I was just providing an example of a comment on the article and what the author of the article replied to that person. I think the article is BS personally.