Why Running (Still) Sucks...

[Will Brink]

Thirty plus years or so, I have been saying that running is the most overrated form of exercise on the planet, while resistance training (RT), the most underrated. At that time, there was little data to support that position and only dumb muscle heads lifted weights and those truly interested in staying fit, losing weight, and having a healthy cardiovascular system, to add to their sense of superiority, did aerobics, usually in the form of running. The “enlightened” folks ran, the “knuckle draggers” lifted weights, and so it went for a long time. Even to this day, there’s plenty of people out there who think that, and they’re still wrong.

By running, I mean jogging, or what would be a moderate to low steady state type of running. That’s what I mean by running in this context. Other forms of running, such as sprint intervals and such, can be highly beneficial. My plan in this article is to lay out in broad strokes, with links to articles and studies, people can read up on that covers some of the claims and issues around running. The obvious comparison here is RT vs running, but while RT is superior to running for most effects some attribute to running as well as its own benefit, it’s not black and white at all. For example, there’s other modalities people can choose to get similar benefits seen with running in far less time, or less impact on joints*, or more beneficial movement patterns, etc., such as High Intensity Interval Training and such. So, it’s not like doing conditioning oriented work is to be avoided per se, it’s just that running has demonstrated itself to be sub par in most respects. The end of the day, much of it simply comes down to intensity, and most joggers/runners plod along and a lowish intensity for longer durations of time, whereas sprinting, various forms of HIIT/SIT, RT, etc, will be more effective all around for improving body composition (i.e., reduced bodyfat levels and or increased fat free mass) then running, as well as the benefits people associate with running, such as cardiovascular health and cardiorespiratory capacity. As most know by now (hopefully!) the entire concept of “burning more far for fuel with low intensity exercise” to supposedly lose greater amounts of weight as the loss model was debunked a long time ago. You know, the 80’s called and wants it BS aerobics for weight loss claims back. Sorry 80’s, it’s dead and gone for all but the most clueless left clinging to that nonsense. If one wants to lose that belly fat, high intensity excise is what they want.

Personally, I think running – in the form of jogging – simply sucks for most things, and I’m not alone that assessment by many a qualified coach, but more on that later…

Cont:

Why Running (Still!) Sucks... | BrinkZone.com

 

[Gianluca]

if you think about it, when did our ancestors ever run on a steady pace? maybe just once in a while to get somewhere faster? I think the most they did was walking and a sort a HIT training to escaping/hunting animals

 

[Will Brink]

if you think about it, when did out ancestors ever run on a steady pace? maybe just once in a while to get somewhere faster? I think the most they did is walking and a sort a HIT training to escaping/hunting animals

Our ancestors were good steady state runners and hunted some animals by simply running them into the ground, but there's probably a very small % of humans who are similar to those ancestors in stature, etc and are found in Kenya and such. There's a reason the best marathon runners tend to come from a few specific areas. But the res of us, well, we have been altered quite a bit since leaving Africa and of course don't have to run game animals down any more. See:

"The researchers identified a range of physical traits that suggest human ancestors evolved as distance runners. The adaptations helped them chase down prey and compete more effectively with the speedier carnivores on the open plains of Africa, the study says.

The researchers say adaptations for running stretch back more than two million years, allowing humans to evolve from our apelike ancestors Australopithecus.

"We think running is one of the most transforming events in human history," Bramble added. "We are arguing the emergence of humans is tied to the evolution of running."

Humans Were Born to Run, Fossil Study Suggests

 

[Gianluca]

Our ancestors were good steady state runners and hunted some animals by simply running them into the ground, but there's probably a very small % of humans who are similar to those ancestors in stature, etc and are found in Kenya and such. There's a reason the best marathon runners tend to come from a few specific areas. But the res of us, well, we have been altered quite a bit since leaving Africa and of course don't have to run game animals down any more. See:

"The researchers identified a range of physical traits that suggest human ancestors evolved as distance runners. The adaptations helped them chase down prey and compete more effectively with the speedier carnivores on the open plains of Africa, the study says.

The researchers say adaptations for running stretch back more than two million years, allowing humans to evolve from our apelike ancestors Australopithecus.

"We think running is one of the most transforming events in human history," Bramble added. "We are arguing the emergence of humans is tied to the evolution of running."

Humans Were Born to Run, Fossil Study Suggests

interesting

 

[JohnTaylorHK]

Thirty plus years or so, I have been saying that running is the most overrated form of exercise on the planet, while resistance training (RT), the most underrated.

If one wants to lose that belly fat, high intensity excise is what they want.

I would say that the misunderstanding of fitness in general is the issue, whether it be cardio or resistance training. Add to this unqualified trainers, proliferation of misinformation in magazines/books/websites that are clearly product oriented, and you have a generally abysmal picture.

If you look at the way elite military soldiers are trained, read books about Bruce Lee (some!) and the way he trained, books by Vladimir Zatsiorsky, Yuri Verkhoshansky, Naked Warrior by Pavel Tsatsouline (amongst others), you will begin to notice a pattern.

Fitness is about purpose. You may be able to bench twice your bodyweight, but can you run 5 miles in a decent time? Do you need to? If you need to, then steady state running may be part of your training. If you are a runner, why are you training on a running machine or a stationary cycle either of which don't mirror running on a regular surface? If you are a martial artist, sprinting, jumping rope may give you more benefit.

Chacun a son gout. Namaste.

 

[CuriousG1]

The short of it is...I was running about 25-30 miles a week (at 44 years old) about 4 years ago and my test was low normal at best. Cut my distance to about 6 miles/week & incorporated sprints. Also, switched focus to HIIT and free weights (after a couple rounds of clomid monotherapy which sucked) . Now test levels are mid-normal. I'm leaving out alot of details buy I think my reduction in long runs is the primary reason for better labs.

 

[DragonBits]

I find intense cardio of any kind to be more difficult than intense weight lifting.

Running for me is the most intense form of cardio.

Either intense cardio or weightlifting can result in different kinds of overuse injuries if you aren't careful.

I tend to aim for a pulse rate of 120-150 when doing cardio.

HIIT is demanding also, I have tried moving from weight machine / free weights without any rest period between exercises, outside of the time it takes to change machines, it really raises my pulse rate.

I don't have any sort of rigid pattern of exercise since I tend to focus for a month or two on either strength or cardio, or try to mix up both.

Generally i focus on increasing strength or with cardio endurance.

Lately the last couple of weeks I have been doing a lot of yard work, building a fire pit, moving around 1000 lbs of bricks, landscape timbers, repeating lifting up 22 lb bricks. I think if I went to the gym to weight lift it would only limit my ability to work in the yard.

Weightlifting has made the yard work easier, swinging a small sledge hammer is much easier now than a few years ago.

 

[Blashy]

if you think about it, when did our ancestors ever run on a steady pace? maybe just once in a while to get somewhere faster? I think the most they did was walking and a sort a HIT training to escaping/hunting animals

Some persistence hunting is still happening and when you look at how it's done. It's really more of a very light jog and walking. The goal is to just keep the animal moving to tire it out.

That was the "long runs". Nowhere close to those crazy marathons that people do, which is harmful to their health.
Short BBC video on it

Running is overrated for sure. Years ago I only lifted weights for less than 45 hour a week and in a 5K Spartan race I beat my friends who were half-marathon and marathon runners.

They were surprised my cardio was so good on such little training. High Intensity Training pumps the cardio big time.

 

[Kiyoshimellor]

AWESOME !!!!!!!!!!

 

[Cataceous]

Running as a Key Lifestyle Medicine for Longevity

Running is a popular and convenient leisure-time physical activity (PA) with a significant impact on longevity. In general, runners have a 25%–40% reduced risk of premature mortality and live approximately 3 years longer than non-runners. Recently, specific questions have emerged regarding the extent of the health benefits of running versus other types of PA, and perhaps more critically, whether there are diminishing returns on health and mortality outcomes with higher amounts of running. This review details the findings surrounding the impact of running on various health outcomes and premature mortality, highlights plausible underlying mechanisms linking running with chronic disease prevention and longevity, identifies the estimated additional life expectancy among runners and other active individuals, and discusses whether there is adequate evidence to suggest that longevity benefits are attenuated with higher doses of running.
...
We compared three well-known running studies to answer the question of whether more running is better or worse for longevity.[62] All studies indicated significant mortality benefits with light-to-moderate running compared with no running. These benefits were lost at the highest dose of running suggesting that more running may not be better for longevity and raises the possibility that “more could be worse” for CVD and all-cause mortality. Nevertheless, all three studies indicated no significantly increased risk of mortality, even at the highest dose of running compared with no running. Therefore, more running is not necessarily worse, although there may be no further mortality benefits in excessive running.
...

 

[Will Brink]

The short of it is...I was running about 25-30 miles a week (at 44 years old) about 4 years ago and my test was low normal at best. Cut my distance to about 6 miles/week & incorporated sprints. Also, switched focus to HIIT and free weights (after a couple rounds of clomid monotherapy which sucked) . Now test levels are mid-normal. I'm leaving out alot of details buy I think my reduction in long runs is the primary reason for better labs.

I have seen that effect of reducing miles run many times. Some of the elite long distance runners I worked with had T levels of a 12 year old girl.

 

[JohnTaylorHK]

Years ago I only lifted weights for less than 45 hour a week and in a 5K Spartan race I beat my friends who were half-marathon and marathon runners.

I also lift weights for less that 45 hours per week. Much less in fact, maybe 3 hours per week. (LoL)

In the 80's I competed in half marathons. Did a lot of damage to my joints, and definitely lowered my fecundity. At the time, the "experts" said I could never have children. Since I stopped the long distance running, I now have 7 children.

 

[Cataceous]

There's now evidence that jogging is the best exercise for people whose genes make them more likely to be obese

• A study of more than 18,000 adults found certain types of exercise are useful for mitigating weight gain and obesity related to genetics.
• Jogging was the most effective, followed by mountain climbing, power walking, walking, and long yoga sessions.
• Other research has suggested exercise in general can help combat the effects of so-called "obesity genes," but this was the first to evaluate 18 different types of exercise.
• No matter your genetics or weight, jogging can have health benefits.

...
If you have a family history of obesity, a good jogging routine might be your best bet to stay healthy, according to a new study.
...
They found that people who had a regular routine of jogging were significantly more likely to have healthier BMIs, body fat percentages, and other weight indicators, in spite of their high-risk genes, researchers found. This suggests that jogging allowed them to mitigate the negative impacts of their genetics, along with losing weight.
...
The researchers concluded that while jogging and exercise are good for everyone, the people who could benefit most are those with a high genetic risk of obesity.
...

 

[Will Brink]

There's now evidence that jogging is the best exercise for people whose genes make them more likely to be obese

• A study of more than 18,000 adults found certain types of exercise are useful for mitigating weight gain and obesity related to genetics.
• Jogging was the most effective, followed by mountain climbing, power walking, walking, and long yoga sessions.
• Other research has suggested exercise in general can help combat the effects of so-called "obesity genes," but this was the first to evaluate 18 different types of exercise.
• No matter your genetics or weight, jogging can have health benefits.

...
If you have a family history of obesity, a good jogging routine might be your best bet to stay healthy, according to a new study.
...
They found that people who had a regular routine of jogging were significantly more likely to have healthier BMIs, body fat percentages, and other weight indicators, in spite of their high-risk genes, researchers found. This suggests that jogging allowed them to mitigate the negative impacts of their genetics, along with losing weight.
...
The researchers concluded that while jogging and exercise are good for everyone, the people who could benefit most are those with a high genetic risk of obesity.
...

Any form of regular exercise will have health benefits all things being equal. Study itself is interesting, but of little real world utility. Exercise/genetic interplay/cause and effect, etc, is still a very early science. I'm sure that at some point, they will be able to test your genes and tell you what types of exercise you'll respond best to, but regardless of what some claim, we're not there yet.