Try running without using your arms, ** ULTRAFILTER **
“Less muscle growth” does not mean no muscle growth or catabolism.
Epithmetheus, that site is simplistic. Some fat burning is always going on. No running is purely aerobic. In a sprint, the ATP-CP energy is used. But otherwise, it’s always a combination of glucose and fat. Glucose primarily because it’s easier for the body to use it (less pathways), but fat is also used as the fuel for the ATP chemical breakdown. Once you’ve exhausted your glucose stores, fat must be used exclusively, but there has to be sufficient oxygen and the process is more involved. Hence, you slow down.
The difference between fast twitch and slow twitch is not the size, but the oxygen capacity in the fibers. Fast twitch relies on sufficient oxygen for the speed work, and if you examine them, they are red. Slow twitch appears white.
Too much sprinting, as well as long distance running, does not cause catabolism, unless you’ve depleted your carbs and fats.
Now wait just a second. It’s true, you do move your arms when you’re running. But are you trying to tell me that it’s the same as using your arms to propel yourself through the water? I find that very hard to believe.
And there’s no need to shout. I’m just trying to educate myself, not challenge you.
3 quick questions: Does jogging do much for the tone and size of your leg
muscles, or is really only for cardio? Do I have to work out with weights in
addition if I really want to get better legs? And will weight workouts then help my
running ability?
Simple answer SmackFu:
Jogging will burn calories and the eventual result of burning calories will be to reduce fat. I believe the reduction begins with the specific place in the body that has the most fat. At least this is where the reduction begins. To be more clear - a cardio workout such as jogging will, over time, reduce the fat composition of the body. If I remember correctly, the specific area of the body that contains the most fat will be where the reduction occurs first. I believe there is some reduction that occurs gradually everywhere, but most significantly in the area that is most fat. Remember this will be a gradual event and will be influenced by other variables…diet, metabolism, genetics, body type.
Better legs - does this mean more tone, lean muscle or more bulk? Strength training is a good idea. The type of strength training you choose will determine the outcome. Basically, lower weight and higher reps produce the leaner look. Higher weight and lower reps produce more bulk. The muscles you isolate and the range of motion will influence the shape of the muscles as well. Also, your body type plays a bid part.
Running ability - your ability to run will increase with training. I would suggest that you consider working on building your endurance in a couple of ways. This gives your muscles and your mind some variety. Maybe swimming and running, or cycling and running, or aerobics and running. Build your flexibility by stretching before and after your work outs. Tight hamstrings can cause lower back problems. You can avoid many injuries and aches by following a good stretch program.
Strength training is great. An overall approach would be best. Include arms, legs, chest, back, and yes, the abs.
And again…good luck.
Before training, you might consider visiting your doctor and or a personal trainer.
I wasn’t shouting, ** ULTRAFILTER **. Only your name was in bold. I’m sorry if you thought I was shouting. You don’t use your arms as much, but you do use them somewhat, and when your legs get tired, your arms can help a lot. As I said before, it’s the leg muscles that exert the heart the most, since they are larger, and you don’t use your legs that much in swimming unless you are doing sprints.
I had the colors of the twitch muscles reverse. [url=“http://home.hia.no/~stephens/fibtype2.htm” This gives a good statement of the different muscle fibers and other useful info.
So tell me Barbitu8, why do marathon runners have slim, relatively unmuscular bodies (and legs), while sprinters are huge?
I can show you all kinds of comparison pictures. Theory is great and all, but if what you say is true, a person that runs 26 miles all the time should have Arnold sized leg muscles. They don’t. (perhaps the odd genetic freak, but thats the exception not the rule.)
No, I didn’t pick and choose, I did try to get a varied selection. If you feel that I maniuplated my results feel free to search your own. You will discover that those that run distance (i.e marathon runners) have smaller muscles and less builds than those that only run sprints. Why is this? Because running long distance burns the protien in the muscles.(The reason Bodybuilders do not do lots of running.) This may not be true for large people with high bodyfat percents, but then again, you don’t get to see thier muscles.
Well my legs do not look like that. But I can sprint. When I do sprint, there would probably be a fire or maybe someone with a gun. But, I can sprint. Not fast. And my point is that perhaps those that find success in sprinting, probably have some physical characteristics that have more to do with genetics than training. I do not mean to imply that training is not going to be important. It is. There are, I think, three body types…endomorph and … ? But anyway. the point I make is that sprinters could be sprinters because their genetic traits are such that, with training, they can be very fast. I think I could train 24/7 and I would still be slow.
Bodytypes do play a major factor in it, but I don’t think even a mesomorph that runs marathons will look hard and muscular.
I could be absolutely wrong. All the evidence I have seen, most of which is articles on bodybuilding sites (which do use science to write thier articles), have suggested to not run alot when trying to gain or maintain muscle mass. 15 min, high intensity running is optimal, anything over 30 mins is bad to a bodybuilder. I have not linked such articles because of the bad response this site has towards those articles. Powerlifters and bodybuilders alike both suggest sprinting and not alot of long distance running for muscle gains.
Running is not going to kill anybody, and it is certainly healthy, but it will NOT build muscle mass. That is my only point. I am not advocating NOT running, just saying how it is.
I am not going to belabor the point. Your body uses protein as fuel only as a last resort. The better ultramarathoners that I’ve known have all been muscular. Sprinters do a lot of weight training in addition to running. Marathoners don’t do as much weight training and don’t go into body building. So there is no cause and effect between muscular sprinters vs thinner marathoners as far as running is concerned. You have to look at the total exercise that each group does.
I will say for the last time, and you won’t find a link that says otherwise, that protein is not used for energy unless the person is on a starvation diet. Protein is a very inefficient fuel source.
So, body builders do sprint work outs? I would prefer to do almost any kind of exercise rather than sprinting. Well, maybe not sword fighting. :rolleyes:
Actually, I’ve seen recommendations from some bodybuilders to do sprint workouts, claiming that they burn more fat this way than with endurance running. Take that as you will.
Sprinting burns glucose, not fat. In order to use fat as a fuel, there has to be enough oxygen. That’s why one should not go out too fast at the beginning of a race, as you will use up a lot of glucose unnecessarily. That’s also why it is stated that to burn fat, jog slowly. So, the truth is the exact opposite of what some bodybuilders recommend, if that be the case.
Do you mean RB’s? The faster quarterback is becoming more and more of a reality but speed in a running back, or even better, a wide receiver, is nearly essential.
But I can sprint. When I do sprint, there would probably be a fire or maybe someone with a gun. But, I can sprint. Not fast. And my point is that perhaps those that find success in sprinting, probably have some physical characteristics that have more to do with genetics than training. I do not mean to imply that training is not going to be important. It is. There are, I think, three body types…endomorph and … ? But anyway. the point I make is that sprinters could be sprinters because their genetic traits are such that, with training, they can be very fast. I think I could train 24/7 and I would still be slow.