Running and Fat loss

I will try to explain this topic as simple as possible .

I want to explain why working out longer and getting “fitter” whilst performing low-medium intensity cardio exercise such as running will not help you in shredding body fat and can actually be counter productive

This topic is
nothing revolutionary ,but is still a very misunderstood topic.

Only recently I was training in a public gym in Dublin and seen a line left to right of personal trainers training overweight clients on treadmills mindlessly pressing buttons.

Why oh why have personal trainers and people who want to lose fat not caught on about running and fat loss.

There are many study’s and fact’s that back my claims and many other well-known personal trainers and respected coaches that will agree with this topic and my points.

Also just to make one thing clear when I say running and cardio I am referring to Long distance running and regular aerobic exercise such as step classes etc.

Here Goes …….

Lean Muscle Loss

When running on a regular basis at low – medium intensity’s levels your body will look to find ways of burning fewer calories each time you do this.

One way of doing this is to break down muscle .

Muscle burns calories and that’s not a good thing for a runner or aerobic trainee .

Have you ever seen a marathon runner with large amounts of muscle and is lean ?

ANSWER = NO

.

The more you run the more muscle you will lose . I know people will say that muscle breaks down with any exercise , but the difference is it grows back bigger and stronger.

Your body doesn’t need muscle for running and aerobic exercise. So it simply gets rid of it and doesn’t bother growing any new muscle.

You can help counter muscle loss with clever nutrition consumption. Example consuming carbs pre and post workout will help with muscle breakdown , but if fat loss is your goal then its kind of counter productive to eat a load of carbs pre workout.

At the end of the day consistent lengthy running aerobic exercise alone such as step classes and running will cause muscle loss.

<<< Work More to Burn Less >>>

I bet your thinking WTF how does this work .

It’s Simple,the more you run the more efficient your body becomes at burning calories and utilizing fat as fuel .

Every time you perform a run or aerobic exercise your body gets “fitter” and better at performing that type of exercise . It finds way’s to burn fewer calories each time and becomes a bit like a German very efficient at expanding calories for energy.

Example

Week 1 – 8km Run 300 calories – You wrecked and can hardly breathe

Week 2 – 8km Run 280 Calories – You feel better this week and allot fitter

Week 3 – 8km Run 250 Calories – Its getting easy now and you knocked 2 minutes of your last time.

You get the idea …. The more you work the less you burn, Not good if you want to lose body-fat .

Surely you want to burn more for less work ?

This is easily achievable with a well constructed strength and conditioning program. Not only that, but the more you work the more you burn with resistance training and higher intensity training such as sprints .

The more resistance training and High intensity training you perform the stronger and more powerful you will get growing new muscle.

The stronger and more powerful you are the more calories you will expand during your workout .

Your body will burn more calories to repair muscle tissue damage and then use even more calories again to build new muscle to ensure you can perform this type of exercises next time .

 Its Boring

Personally I find running and most aerobic exercise boring .

Running on a treadmill for 30-40 mins constantly looking at a timer isn’t my idea of training .

People generally quite at things they don’t enjoy ,hence why so many people quite the gym after a few weeks.

If your workouts are boring and you’re not getting results.

Why would you stick at it ?

Injuries 

Ask any long-term runner and I bet they have a knee or Hip injury.

The constant high impact from running will result in these injuries .

You may not get have them now but they will come .

Would you bang your head of a counter top for 30-40 mins 3-5 times a week ?

No you wouldn’t because it will result in an injury .

Smashing your joints whilst running is the same.

Here are a few of the most common injuries occurred with runners .

Hip Bursitis

Snapping Hip syndrome

Pulled Hamstrings

Hip Stress fractures

Shin Splints

Plica syndrome

Exercise induced compartment syndrome

Achilles tendon

Arch foot

You can get injured from any sport or exercise,

But generally it’s from an accident or poor technique .

The best runners in the world with perfect technique suffer from these injuries does that not say something ?

 Post Workout Effect 

So you’ve just finished your run or aerobic class . You now feel hungry and want to eat, your think you can have that chocolate bar, biscuit or treat

now you’ve done your exercise for the day .

Well guess what your wrong.

Running and aerobic exercise has NO after effect on your metabolism or calorie expenditure .

As soon as you stop running your body returns to a normal state and awaits food to replenish the fat cells you have just used .

The only time you burn the extra calories than normal is whilst you are performing your run or aerobic exercise .

Dont be fooled in thinking you can eat more because your running or stepping .You only burn a few hundred calories an hour whilst performing running and aerobic work .

There’s in the region of 3500-4000 calories in 1 lb a fat.

Not very productive for fat loss :-(

Running and the fat burning zone

This one is a bit confusing but I try my best to explain as simple as I can .

Just to clear one thing up there is no fat burning zone .

Your body will always burn a combination of carbs and fat as its primary fuel and will only use protein as a last resort.

Certain intensity levels and types of exercise will determine what ratio of carbs and fat that is used for that exercise.

You body will always use carbs initially as its energy source then will gradually switch to using fat as it breaks down fat stores whilst performing low – medium intensity exercise (running).

On the surface this sounds good but it’s not as simple as it sounds .

Your body will simply replenish the fat stores it has used whilst running the moment you eat. Remember it has no muscle damage to repair so what else has it got to do with your food except live and store fat .

Why does it do this ?

Well one of the main reasons is you.

If you’re performing regular aerobic workouts and running workouts that burn fat your body will then need to keep fat aside for this and constantly ensure fat cells are replenished for the next time.

It’s similar to a persons finances lets say you had 3 direct debits leaving your bank every week (3 x 5m runs) you will ensure you have money in your account to cover these direct debits. Every time you get paid or receive money (eat food ) you will put money into your account (replenish fat stores). So instead of burning fat you are training your body to store fat .

OH DEAR !!!!

The difference with resistance training and high intensity training is that you burn carbs / sugars and damages muscle fibres.

Your body then has to repair these muscle fibres and replenish muscle stores. This is a priority to your body more than storing fat as it will try to recover as quick as possible , It will use as many calories as it needs with no thought about being conservative and will also use extra calories to grow bigger and stronger muscles.

Combine this with a low carb diet and regular resistance and high Intensity training and your body will soon start eating into them fat stores and developing a leaner physique.

I hope you have got something from this post and now understand why running for fat loss is counter productive . If you really enjoy running then do it. If you simply run for fat loss then I seriously suggest changing your exercise selection.

However I must state that running and aerobic training combined alongside a regular resistance or strength training plan will not have these effects.

Running and Aerobic training will have very little impact if any on fat loss and physique development.

This type of training will only hinder recovery periods between resistance sessions and in my opinion should only be performed for enjoyment purposes and not in an attempt to change their physique

I was a competitive runner whilst in the Army and can honestly say that since I stopped the steady state cardio and started training with resistance and more Intensity such as sprints I have developed a better more athletic physique .

Jay Farrant Personal Trainer Dublin

The Easy Day Was Yesterday

The ABS Gym Personal Training Studio Dublin

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