Hey guys I have a quick question, how come no one emphasizes the important of running in their workout. I’ve always considered running to be the best body workout there is, and thought it’s the best way to stay in shape. I also felt that doing circuit training that involves sprints is very beneficial to burning calories.
Is there a reason no one talks about running?
i guess cos most of the editors, writers and coaches on T-Nation are bodybuilders, powerlifters, oly lifters or strongmen competitors, so they woudn’t put running specifically in their workouts cos too much makes you skinny (sort of), look at pictures of any long distance runner-he/she aint big.
Sprints are good for increasing muscle mass, look at the 100m runners at any olympics, but the best way to increase mass and burn fat in the opinion of the majority of people on this site (inc me) is resistance training, so they wouldnt talk about running in any great detail-simple
Because this is a bodybuilding and strength training site, and running does nothing to build muscle or increase strength. Sprinting may do those things to some extent, but squats do it better.
If the fitness qualities built by running are important to you, or you just like to run, or it is your favored method to burn off some extra calories, then by all means incorporate running into your program.
[quote]Mike Benfield wrote:
Because this is a bodybuilding and strength training site, and running does nothing to build muscle or increase strength. Sprinting may do those things to some extent, but squats do it better.
If the fitness qualities built by running are important to you, or you just like to run, or it is your favored method to burn off some extra calories, then by all means incorporate running into your program. [/quote]
I know its a bodybuilding site, but strength also ties in with boxers or fighters. And I realize squats will get you that explosiveness you get with sprints, but to stay agile and not be tired out running’s the best thing to do (but I’d like to see if anyone knows of anything better).
I mean you might have to fight the guy when you steal their girlfriend
as has been said before, this site is primarily about hypertrophy and strength, just different applications. All coaches will certainly agree that running has its benefits, but it won’t be the primary focus of many articles if any.
What the coaches here tend to emphasize is variations of running in a program such that the least amount of muscle is lost. The primary goal will always be strength and size however. Even in a fight, arguably the harder you hit/better you grapple/stronger you are, the quicker you will end it.
Perhaps one of the coaches could comment further.
[quote]Mikel0428 wrote:
as has been said before, this site is primarily about hypertrophy and strength, just different applications. All coaches will certainly agree that running has its benefits, but it won’t be the primary focus of many articles if any.
What the coaches here tend to emphasize is variations of running in a program such that the least amount of muscle is lost. The primary goal will always be strength and size however. Even in a fight, arguably the harder you hit/better you grapple/stronger you are, the quicker you will end it.
Perhaps one of the coaches could comment further.[/quote]
I wrestle for my high school so I disagree that strength is all you need in a fight.
I associate wrestling to fighting without punching, and our high school team never had the time to lift weights, we always did constant motion exercises. Without those I wouldn’t last in a match past the first period.
Unless I feel convinced otherwise, I’m going to stick to running, along with my workout. Because without it, I noticed unwanted weight gain(mostly fat in my stomach) and laziness.
I mean if it’s working for me I should stick to it, right?
/06/theyre-still-everywhere.html
There’s a list of reasons
[quote]yarbo wrote:
/06/theyre-still-everywhere.html
There’s a list of reasons[/quote]
No citations, its a blog, its a random guy, and biased information. That’s my list of reasons for not listening to that guy.
“If you’re running for fat loss, you’ve probably experienced such a phenomenon where you initially dropped some fat but plateaued quickly.”
No that’s the equivalent of having a plateau while lifting, because you don’t increase your running distance.
Even his “friend” Alwyn Cosgrove listed it as one of the top 5 activities for fat loss, he just tried to change the words around by using “at best” and “weak”
Oh yeah and fat old people running? I enjoy getting “hey sexy” from multiple girls whenever I run.
Because people are scared of it. So they make up stupid excuses. They can’t even run a 5:30 mile and think they can tear apart how ineffective it is.
This site targets sports athletes and bodybuilders. Most athletes run enough during practice. In the offseason, athletes can focus on gaining strength and ramp up their running programs when the season approaches. Bodybuilders that run more than is necessary to keep their hearts healthy are just wasting calories.
TC did write a great article on the effectiveness of sprints, though. http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1509385
[quote]benj4 wrote:
Because people are scared of it. So they make up stupid excuses. They can’t even run a 5:30 mile and think they can tear apart how ineffective it is.[/quote]
I can tell you that I have run 17:30 3-mile times but I wasn’t losing fat from all the running it took to reach that level of ability.
Weights are where it’s at.
Alot of people on this site are skinny bastards trying to bulk up, for them running is a terrible idea as it burns more calories and ups your metabolism. If you’re like me, a fat bastard trying to slim down, then it’s an effective part of your workout.
Be aware that it’s not going do much for you in terms of hypertrophy. (well, for me it seems to bulk up my calves, but that probably varies by individual) I run sure, but I still do squats.
In addition I have to say that sprinting or intervals are probably better, and if you are going to run, don’t go for the super long slow distance runs, pick a reasonable length and try to go faster every day instead.
[quote]Chris82362 wrote:
Hey guys I have a quick question, how come no one emphasizes the important of running in their workout. I’ve always considered running to be the best body workout there is, and thought it’s the best way to stay in shape. I also felt that doing circuit training that involves sprints is very beneficial to burning calories.
Is there a reason no one talks about running?[/quote]
Actually, if you read a lot of the articles, they do talk about running. CW, CT, Alwyn Cosgrove, Joel Marion, Joe DeFranco and Dan John have all talked about sprinting in their workouts.
If you want a specific running program, check out the ‘Running Man’ article.
So, who exactly, is not talking about running as part of the workout?
Because this is T-Nation not E-nation
What exactly would the authors write???
RUNNING: Put one foot in front of the other. Repeat.
[quote]Kruiser wrote:
What exactly would the authors write???
RUNNING: Put one foot in front of the other. Repeat.[/quote]
Is that like:
LIFTING: Lift heavy weight, repeat.
I’m no running fanatic, but just because it’s not a big hypertrophy producer doesn’t mean there is no science to it.