Is running not good?

WeightlifterJosey
WeightlifterJosey Posts: 24
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey so I am a intense weightlifter (even though I am tiny) I need to know is it not good for me to run long distance and be working out a lot?

Replies

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Depends on what you consider long distance. There is nothing wrong with running a few miles to get in better cardio shape. Now if you started training for a marathon, then that is going to oppose your weight lifting effort.
  • brandyk77
    brandyk77 Posts: 605 Member
    I have a friend who is doing a fitness competition and she hasn't been able to run longer distances for months now. She has been sidelined to more sprint type of workouts. I believe her trainer had more of a concern regarding her running causing muscle imbalances though.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    Depends on what you consider long distance. There is nothing wrong with running a few miles to get in better cardio shape. Now if you started training for a marathon, then that is going to oppose your weight lifting effort.

    This.

    Don't pass the 10K barrier, where the training really starts to shift and your body has to devote a lot to recovery from the running.

    Running 5K's on your non-lifting days is no big thing and good for active recovery, in addition to the heart healthy benefits. If you are in good running shape you should rapidly recover from a 5K distance run. Even 10K's your should recover from pretty fast. Beyond that your body has to spend an inordinate amount of resources on recovery from the running and it will oppose your weightlifting efforts.
  • WeightlifterJosey
    WeightlifterJosey Posts: 24
    Thank you guys for the advice I will not run long distance and do some sprinting instead:)
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    Thank you guys for the advice I will not run long distance and do some sprinting instead:)

    Sprinting and jogging are not the same things. Sprinting will DEFINITELY impact your weight lifting efforts. Sprinting is closer to strength training than it is to cardio. The forces are much higher, so if anything it is actually worse on the joints than longer distance running. As far as recovery timing, sprinting days should be looked at similar to leg days, sprints will affect your body largely the same way as squats, at least from a recovery POV.
  • Erisad
    Erisad Posts: 1,580
    I don't know. My trainer tells me that it'll ruin your knees if you run too much. Maybe it's because I'm overweight and it would put too much pressure on them. XD
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    I don't know. My trainer tells me that it'll ruin your knees if you run too much. Maybe it's because I'm overweight and it would put too much pressure on them. XD

    My knees got stronger after I started running..that was when I was morbibly obese. Just take it easy, and ease into it.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    I don't know. My trainer tells me that it'll ruin your knees if you run too much. Maybe it's because I'm overweight and it would put too much pressure on them. XD

    "Too much" is a very vague term. But it is very true, that running will wear out your knees/joints over time if you do too much. Generally that line is drawn at about 20 miles/week. Sustain above that for a long time and chances are you will have joint problems from overuse at some point. If you keep it in the 10-15 miles per week area, you should be able to sustain that for decades without much worry about overuse issues on your joints, above and beyond what you are genetically predisposed to.

    Even if you are overweight, running will help you lose weight quickly, a benefit to your joints that will outweigh the cost of running on the joints (being fat is bad for your joints). Running's effects on your joints is a long term thing, taking many years to show an impact, spending a few months running while overweight is minor in the grand scheme of things. Most overweight people would have a real hard time getting to the mileage where joint damage is a real concern anyway, the training would be extra hard with the extra weight, and you'd burn so many calories the weight would quickly fall off.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    I don't know. My trainer tells me that it'll ruin your knees if you run too much. Maybe it's because I'm overweight and it would put too much pressure on them. XD

    There are actually no studies to support that running ruins otherwise healthy knees. If you already have bad knees, then running is not good for you.
  • Erisad
    Erisad Posts: 1,580
    Oh my, thanks guys. Well, I use the elliptical machine at the gym instead, I find I can do that longer than just walking/running and burn more calories. And it won't mess up my knees, hooray. Not to mention, there's no sidewalks in my area so I had to run in the street or run laps around my house like a crazy person, lol. :)

Categories