It's often a topic of debate, and as a trainer, I've been asked many questions surrounding it:
Is it bad for me?" "Will it help me lose weight?" "Don't I need to run for more cardio?"
The truth is that running alone, especially distance, is not a good approach if you're serious about achieving optimal fitness, and while this may be defined in different ways, I'll stick to my own definition of it:
"Optimal fitness is the state of achieving and maintaining ideal body fat, balanced nutrition, human functionality, and strength/power output appropriate to a particular individual."
I'm sorry to disappoint anyone, but distance running is nowhere in the mix. I can say this convincingly having transitioned from marathon running to more high intensity interval and resistance training. If you think about it on a primal level, distance running was never really part of our makeup. Our ancestors sprinted to capture a meal or flee from danger, and walked long distances. Jogging for miles wasn't purposeful nor was it ideal for survival. Let's dive a little deeper into science now to understand 3 important downsides to distance running or steady-state aerobic training as it is often called in fitness circles.
In the 1980's aerobics were what people did on TV to motivate us in our living rooms to lose weight. Well a lot has changed since then. Aerobic by definition means "in the presence of oxygen," and fat burning occurs when oxygen is present, but is it our most effective approach? It's not…especially when you understand anaerobic training, and the EPOC or Excess Post Oxygen Consumption rate that occurs following intense workouts. In Lehman's terms, it's the after burning effect of the body. As a rule of thumb, if you're panting heavily you're using your anaerobic system which uses present and stored blood sugar as energy. If you're jogging while having a conversation with your friend, you're aerobic. In fact, your aerobic right now as you read this, but at a level that's insignificant to burn considerable amounts of body fat. Consider the example below to see why it makes more sense to focus on anaerobic training rather than aerobic training.
Person A - 1 hour aerobic workout | 50% fat for fuel | Total Calories = 300 Calories Total Fat Calories = 150
Person B - 30 minute anaerobic workout | 40% fat for fuel | Total Calories = 500 Total Fat Calories = 200
Anaerobic training burned 50 more fat calories in half the time!
Secondly, one needs to consider the adaptive abilities of the body. There's a reason your three mile run was easier the tenth time than it was the first. Adaptation is not your friend if your goal is fat loss. When you adapt, you stop progressing, and therefore you need to make changes. At the very least, a change in elevation, distance, speed and or a complete abandonment to running and focusing on resistance training would be in order once adaptation has taken place. For me, I know my heart rate will hover around 155 bpm during a jog, but during intervals it fluctuates between 150 and 180 bpm, and that's a lot more purposeful for fat loss. I also know that I can perform certain exercises with weights and achieve the same heart rate intensity while utilizing more muscles than I would running.
I mentioned earlier that optimal fitness means achieving functionality, well running is simply not balanced enough to achieve overall functionality. I once had a thought of sticking a sign in the middle of a corporate gym amidst treadmills and elliptical machines that would read, "You're only moving in one plane." I'm sure I'd be asked to leave the gym, but if it got one person to step off a treadmill and head to the weight room, it would have been worth it. A balanced approach to training needs to utilize all three planes of movement, these are the saggital, frontal and transverse planes. Running resides in the saggital plane, and doing it excessively will most likely create imbalances and ultimately injuries.
Ok, so we've pointed out some cons to running, but before you chuck your running shoes in the garbage, let's now take a look at some of the good points.
The number one reason I find that people run is for fat loss, but we now know that's not the best reason. The second is for their mind, and that's a much better one. Nine years ago, I started my journey into the fitness realm by walking out my door and running on the boardwalk, but it wasn't about fitness as much as it was about clearing my mind. At the time, life presented some challenges and running helped me release some endorphins, level some hormones, and rid some stress that I was feeling. It's no surprise that many serious marathoners come from addictive pasts or have had some type of strife or abuse in their life. Running away from your problems is never the answer, but running to alleviate the mental stress caused from your problems is not such a bad idea.
Besides clearing the mind, running is purposeful to train for a running event, and that just makes sense. You certainly wouldn't train for a marathon by swimming an hour a day (although it would help your endurance) When Lance Armstrong finished the Boston Marathon in 232nd place in 2007 many were shocked after the V02 numbers pointed at a record breaking run. Why? Well obviously there's other factors to consider beyond cardiovascular efficiency, but here's another one…Lance has trained most of his life for cycling, not for marathons. Bottom line, train appropriately to compete.
If there's anything else good to take from running it's the fact that it's convenient. No weights, no gyms, just you and the pavement, boardwalk, trails, whatever. We as Americans like convenience, and it's not like someone needs to come over and start explaining to you how to put one foot in front of the other to propel yourself forward. Variety is always best and lower mileage will spare your body, especially if your mechanics need to be cleaned up a bit. Vary your speed, distances and terrain and that's going to be more beneficial than sticking to the same route/routine each time you head out.
The absolute best form of running with regard to overall fitness is shorter distance running and sprint training. Running faster truly does change the whole playing field. If you don't believe me, compare the physique of a sprinter to a marathon runner. The truth is that sprinting requires greater ranges of motion and is more likely to yield better bio-mechanics than pounding the pavement for 5 miles. Observe any handful of joggers and you'll see some of the things that can go wrong…one arm moving, arms swinging rotationally, leaning to far back, leaning to far forward, poor back and neck posture, feet pointing outwards, knees knocking, the list goes on. These are problems that stem from poor mobility and need to be addressed. I would assume that the reason more people jog than sprint is because it's easy. Let's be honest, you can have a conversation with your friend while you do it. If for no other reason, that should certainly make you wonder if it's even worth it. There's no conversations taking place after a set of 50 yard sprints and standing up straight is often challenging enough as your heart pounds inside you. After all some of the best rewards in life require hard work, and the same applies to fitness.
Well, we haven't yet talked about the downsides of anaerobic training, and the truth is there aren't really any. Obviously if you can't walk up your steps without huffing and puffing you'll need to work up to it, but it won't take long before you can start sprinting short distances even if you need to rest significantly between sets. Also, if you've had your joints compromised in any way from injury that will be a limiting factor as well. My recommendations in that case would be to find yourself a fitness sled to push. In this way you can achieve a high level of intensity without the risk factors involved with unstable joints.
Remember, running is simply one piece of the fitness puzzle. Nutrition, resistance training, yoga, and mobility work are all part of it as well. Incorporate your running sessions with these other elements and you will be well on your way to a more balanced and strong mind and body!
Running…When in doubt, go faster!
It's often a topic of debate, and as a trainer, I've been asked many questions surrounding it:
Is it bad for me?" "Will it help me lose weight?" "Don't I need to run for more cardio?"
The truth is that running alone, especially distance, is not a good approach if you're serious about achieving optimal fitness, and while this may be defined in different ways, I'll stick to my own definition of it:
"Optimal fitness is the state of achieving and maintaining ideal body fat, balanced nutrition, human functionality, and strength/power output appropriate to a particular individual."
I'm sorry to disappoint anyone, but distance running is nowhere in the mix. I can say this convincingly having transitioned from marathon running to more high intensity interval and resistance training. If you think about it on a primal level, distance running was never really part of our makeup. Our ancestors sprinted to capture a meal or flee from danger, and walked long distances. Jogging for miles wasn't purposeful nor was it ideal for survival. Let's dive a little deeper into science now to understand 3 important downsides to distance running or steady-state aerobic training as it is often called in fitness circles.
In the 1980's aerobics were what people did on TV to motivate us in our living rooms to lose weight. Well a lot has changed since then. Aerobic by definition means "in the presence of oxygen," and fat burning occurs when oxygen is present, but is it our most effective approach? It's not…especially when you understand anaerobic training, and the EPOC or Excess Post Oxygen Consumption rate that occurs following intense workouts. In Lehman's terms, it's the after burning effect of the body. As a rule of thumb, if you're panting heavily you're using your anaerobic system which uses present and stored blood sugar as energy. If you're jogging while having a conversation with your friend, you're aerobic. In fact, your aerobic right now as you read this, but at a level that's insignificant to burn considerable amounts of body fat. Consider the example below to see why it makes more sense to focus on anaerobic training rather than aerobic training.
Person A - 1 hour aerobic workout | 50% fat for fuel | Total Calories = 300 Calories Total Fat Calories = 150
Person B - 30 minute anaerobic workout | 40% fat for fuel | Total Calories = 500 Total Fat Calories = 200
Anaerobic training burned 50 more fat calories in half the time!
Secondly, one needs to consider the adaptive abilities of the body. There's a reason your three mile run was easier the tenth time than it was the first. Adaptation is not your friend if your goal is fat loss. When you adapt, you stop progressing, and therefore you need to make changes. At the very least, a change in elevation, distance, speed and or a complete abandonment to running and focusing on resistance training would be in order once adaptation has taken place. For me, I know my heart rate will hover around 155 bpm during a jog, but during intervals it fluctuates between 150 and 180 bpm, and that's a lot more purposeful for fat loss. I also know that I can perform certain exercises with weights and achieve the same heart rate intensity while utilizing more muscles than I would running.
I mentioned earlier that optimal fitness means achieving functionality, well running is simply not balanced enough to achieve overall functionality. I once had a thought of sticking a sign in the middle of a corporate gym amidst treadmills and elliptical machines that would read, "You're only moving in one plane." I'm sure I'd be asked to leave the gym, but if it got one person to step off a treadmill and head to the weight room, it would have been worth it. A balanced approach to training needs to utilize all three planes of movement, these are the saggital, frontal and transverse planes. Running resides in the saggital plane, and doing it excessively will most likely create imbalances and ultimately injuries.
Ok, so we've pointed out some cons to running, but before you chuck your running shoes in the garbage, let's now take a look at some of the good points.
The number one reason I find that people run is for fat loss, but we now know that's not the best reason. The second is for their mind, and that's a much better one. Nine years ago, I started my journey into the fitness realm by walking out my door and running on the boardwalk, but it wasn't about fitness as much as it was about clearing my mind. At the time, life presented some challenges and running helped me release some endorphins, level some hormones, and rid some stress that I was feeling. It's no surprise that many serious marathoners come from addictive pasts or have had some type of strife or abuse in their life. Running away from your problems is never the answer, but running to alleviate the mental stress caused from your problems is not such a bad idea.
Besides clearing the mind, running is purposeful to train for a running event, and that just makes sense. You certainly wouldn't train for a marathon by swimming an hour a day (although it would help your endurance) When Lance Armstrong finished the Boston Marathon in 232nd place in 2007 many were shocked after the V02 numbers pointed at a record breaking run. Why? Well obviously there's other factors to consider beyond cardiovascular efficiency, but here's another one…Lance has trained most of his life for cycling, not for marathons. Bottom line, train appropriately to compete.
If there's anything else good to take from running it's the fact that it's convenient. No weights, no gyms, just you and the pavement, boardwalk, trails, whatever. We as Americans like convenience, and it's not like someone needs to come over and start explaining to you how to put one foot in front of the other to propel yourself forward. Variety is always best and lower mileage will spare your body, especially if your mechanics need to be cleaned up a bit. Vary your speed, distances and terrain and that's going to be more beneficial than sticking to the same route/routine each time you head out.
The absolute best form of running with regard to overall fitness is shorter distance running and sprint training. Running faster truly does change the whole playing field. If you don't believe me, compare the physique of a sprinter to a marathon runner. The truth is that sprinting requires greater ranges of motion and is more likely to yield better bio-mechanics than pounding the pavement for 5 miles. Observe any handful of joggers and you'll see some of the things that can go wrong…one arm moving, arms swinging rotationally, leaning to far back, leaning to far forward, poor back and neck posture, feet pointing outwards, knees knocking, the list goes on. These are problems that stem from poor mobility and need to be addressed. I would assume that the reason more people jog than sprint is because it's easy. Let's be honest, you can have a conversation with your friend while you do it. If for no other reason, that should certainly make you wonder if it's even worth it. There's no conversations taking place after a set of 50 yard sprints and standing up straight is often challenging enough as your heart pounds inside you. After all some of the best rewards in life require hard work, and the same applies to fitness.
Well, we haven't yet talked about the downsides of anaerobic training, and the truth is there aren't really any. Obviously if you can't walk up your steps without huffing and puffing you'll need to work up to it, but it won't take long before you can start sprinting short distances even if you need to rest significantly between sets. Also, if you've had your joints compromised in any way from injury that will be a limiting factor as well. My recommendations in that case would be to find yourself a fitness sled to push. In this way you can achieve a high level of intensity without the risk factors involved with unstable joints.
Remember, running is simply one piece of the fitness puzzle. Nutrition, resistance training, yoga, and mobility work are all part of it as well. Incorporate your running sessions with these other elements and you will be well on your way to a more balanced and strong mind and body!