Should I Run?

To run or not to run, that is the question.  Running/jogging is something people having been doing for years and years.  And I believe it is something that people looking to drop a few pounds will continue to do ’til the end of time.  But, is running the best way to “get in shape” and lose weight?  Is it even a good way at all?  While reading my thoughts below, please don’t think I am biased towards the weight room and power/strength activities due to the fact that I am a strength coach.  If anything, my natural bias would be towards distance running as I grew up in a house where my dad was a cross country coach.  And one of my brothers is currently the head cross country coach at a high school.  I’ve completely thought about both sides of the discussion – running is the best way EVER to lose some weight; and running is a crap form of cardio for weight loss.  I’m not saying I have all answers, but again, I’ve put a ton of thought into this over the years, worked with a ton of clients and talked with many other coaches in this field about this topic.  So, if at the end of this you disagree with me, that is fine.  All I ask is that you read with an open mind and  consider my thoughts when making up your mind whether or not you should put much time into running to accomplish your goals.   For the sake of this post, I’m talking about a distance that takes 20 minutes or more of non-stop running.

Different “Types” of People

Running For Sports – (Remember, throughout this piece I am speaking of going out on runs/jogs that last 20 minutes or more, non-stop) For most sports, I think running is a bad idea.  What sport do you know that involves 20 + minutes of non-stop running?  I can think of cross country.  If I think hard enough I may be able to come up with a couple more.  But most sports involve quick bursts followed by a brief rest.  i.e. player sprints all out for 10-15 seconds, the ball goes out of bounds, he/she takes a break, the ball is thrown in bounds and this is repeated throughout the course of the game.  For cross country, heck yeah you need to get your distance running in.  If you compete in cross country, make sure you run distance, but also make sure you incorporate sprints and weight lifting.  If all you do is run long distance at a slower than race pace, you’ll become good at running slow.  Not good!  Here is a great read from strength coach Eric Cressey for cross country (or those that are out of high school and enjoy competing in road races) runners and coaches talking about the importance of resistance training for runners.

The Person Looking to Drop Some LBS. – I think I first heard this quote from Strength Coach Mike Boyle; “Don’t run to get fit, get fit to run.”  In other words, if you have weight to lose, and you decide, “hey, I think I am going to start running on Wednesday,” then you are probably not making a wise decision.  Any form of cardio we decide to do is going to cause stress to our joints.  But some forms of cardio will cause more than others.  And for a person that is a bit heavier, running will cause a high amount of stress to the joints.  It will also increase the chance of stress fractures and all kinds of other problems.  Not only that, but running is VERY repetitive.  I believe it is estimated that running one mile takes about 2000 steps.  Go out and run 3 miles, two times per week and we’re talking about 12,000 steps in the same fashion… you are basically an injury waiting to happen.  In this case, I’d suggest lower impact activities like using the Airdyne Bike.

The Already Fit Person  – For the person that is lean, and in good shape (although that is very subjective), I still don’t like the idea of long(er) steady state running a whole lot.  The exception is the person that truly loves running.  He/she gets a whole lot of joy out of it and looks forward to his/her weekly (or even daily) running sessions.  However, from the people I’ve talked to and worked with, the majority (read: not ALL) of people run because they think this is the best, or only option of cardio for fat loss – rather than running because they truly enjoy it.  Hey, we only live one life, and who and am to take away one of your loves in life?!?  But for those of you that are reading this that fit in the category of; “I hate going out for long runs but I’ve always done it because I thought I was supposed to in order to lose weight,” you’re in luck.  Like I’ve been alluding to, there are other forms of cardio that have you losing just as much, if not more fat, while sparing your joints.

Even if you fit in the, “I love running camp,” I highly suggest you mix it up and do NOT just do long(er) steady state runs for your cardio.  Think of the example I gave above… 12,000 steps per week (and something tells me that if you love to run, you are probably running more than 2 times per week, and more than 3 miles per pop.  If that is the case, you are taking WAY more than 12,000 joint pounding, repetitve steps per week).  If you love it, my suggestion is to still do it, but reduce the amount considerably.  Maybe one day is a 6 mile run.  The second day you do some interval sprints (yes, your joints still take a pounding with sprints, but if you do ten 50-meter sprints, think about how much you reduce the total amount of steps you take).

 

And on the 3rd day, you mix up the form of cardio you are going to perform.  This is my favorite way, because you more evenly distribute the force throughout your body, greatly reducing the force placed on a joint(s).  In part II of “Should I Run,” I will go over a few examples of how to make cardio more fun (at least myself and the majority of my clients say it is more fun ).  And more importantly, ways to make cardio more joint friendly.

Conclusion

As you can see, besides a few exceptions (cross country runners and those that truly love it) I’m not a big fan of steady state running/jogging.  In my opinion, the risk:reward ratio is way out of whack for the majority of people.  As Memorial Day Weekend, and hot summer days approach, I KNOW the #1 goal for most people is to lean out and look good at those pool parties.  If you dread running as a form a cardio, you are not alone.  Be sure to check back later this week for some “fun,” very effective alternatives.  Beach-ready bodies, here we come – no excuses!