Jogging vs sprinting

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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?
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  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    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
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    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
    Stalh Posts: 14
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    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
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    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
    imthejenjen Posts: 265 Member
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    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
    surfmonkey17 Posts: 29 Member
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    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
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    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
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
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    Do HIIT, best of both worlds.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    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
    Bookers23 Posts: 187 Member
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    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
    Mighty_Rabite Posts: 581 Member
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    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
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    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
    BiscuitsNDavy Posts: 212 Member
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    Ask yourself first, do you want slow twitch muscle fibers or fast twitch muscle fibers. Then choose accordingly.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    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
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
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    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
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
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    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
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    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
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
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    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
    BarbellBlondieRuns Posts: 511 Member
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    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
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
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    Um BOTH...what about intervals, run then sprint...I do not do the treadmll however, only run outside...