Long distance running and Muscle..

[unstoppabl3]

I have recently got into long distance running which I want to take as far as possible, the only problem is that I also love gaining muscle and could not bare to sacrifice muscle for my running goals.

I know that almost every long distance runner you see are skinny as hell but I don't see why it has to be the case. Surely if I keep my calorie levels high, maybe take some dextrose supplements with me on my runs too I can maintain and continue to put on muscle while training for long distances?

Can anyone give me any experience or views on this? Thanks!

[wakechica]

I have recently got into long distance running which I want to take as far as possible, the only problem is that I also love gaining muscle and could not bare to sacrifice muscle for my running goals.

I know that almost every long distance runner you see are skinny as hell but I don't see why it has to be the case. Surely if I keep my calorie levels high, maybe take some dextrose supplements with me on my runs too I can maintain and continue to put on muscle while training for long distances?

Can anyone give me any experience or views on this? Thanks!

Think you posted in the wrong forum. This is the chicks bit.

[unstoppabl3]

Think you posted in the wrong forum. This is the chicks bit.

ohhhh yeah my bad! haha

[gwnorth]

I have recently got into long distance running which I want to take as far as possible, the only problem is that I also love gaining muscle and could not bare to sacrifice muscle for my running goals.

I know that almost every long distance runner you see are skinny as hell but I don't see why it has to be the case. Surely if I keep my calorie levels high, maybe take some dextrose supplements with me on my runs too I can maintain and continue to put on muscle while training for long distances?

Can anyone give me any experience or views on this? Thanks!

You mean elite long distance runners. Take a look at the finish line of any local marathon and you'll see all sorts of body shapes come accross. The reason elite distance runners are skinny is because extra muscle = extra weight = slower finishing times. They don't need the physique of a body builder to run, and to be competitive, it would actually be detrimental. Ultimately while they are very lean, they don't strength train, so no extra muscle. For sprinters it's different. They need the extra muscle for power production so they do strength train.

If you want to run distance and strength train, you can, but just be prepared for the fact that you won't see ultimate results in either endevour. You also have to be careful of how you work out your training schedule that your lifting doesn't interefere with your running and your running doesn't interfere with your lifting.

Good-luck

[catskills]

I know that almost every long distance runner you see are skinny as hell but I don't see why it has to be the case.

This happens because they restrict calories and do a lot of cardio which burns off muscle and body fat. It is not necessary to do that. I run distances up to half marathon and I am pretty bulky. But I also lift weights and eat a lot of food. I might be faster if I shed some more mass (muscle and fat), but I don't really like looking like a skeleton. It is all about priorities.

[Miranda]

This happens because they restrict calories and do a lot of cardio which burns off muscle and body fat.

you've posted this a few times now if i'm correct.

why would you think ANYONE who wants to perform optimally would consciously restrict their calorie intake? you can't run well if you're short on fuel.

unless your goal is not to be a good runner, but to use running as an excuse for an eating disorder, which isn't the same thing.

[catskills]

You can't get skinny without restricting calories. There are a lot of long distance runners who aren't skinny, they just eat more.

[Miranda]

You can't get skinny without restricting calories.

define 'restricting calories'.

professional endurance athletes eat a ton, because they burn a ton. they look 'skinny' because their bodies reflect their sport and training, as gwnorth pointed out. not because all the 'cardio' they do burned off their muscle whilst training on restricted calorie intake.

[catskills]

I know that almost every long distance runner you see are skinny as hell but I don't see why it has to be the case. Surely if I keep my calorie levels high, maybe take some dextrose supplements with me on my runs too I can maintain and continue to put on muscle while training for long distances?

Can anyone give me any experience or views on this? Thanks!

I was responding to this in the OP. He wants to keep doing long distance running but doesn't want to sacrifice muscle or become too skinny. He asked for our opinions on this topic to help him out. I was trying to give him advice so that he could continue to enjoy long distance running. I was basically saying that being skinny is not a function of long distance running. It has to do with restricting calories. As long as you are eating at maintenance or slightly above, you will not get too skinny.

[HyphenZ]

Well if you want to be great at distance running you will have to sacrifice muscle. If you look at people like Steve Prefontaine you will see that he is skinny. And could have great physique if he weight lifted. You see all the pro's are skinny because they do very little weight lifting. So if you weight lift and run you still keep alot of the muscle you build. You just need to eat like a bodybuilder and run like a runner. Cavemen were jacked to heck and they only survived if they ran(to hunt and such).

[sweetmelissa]

i've run 7 marathons. I get BODPODs every 3 months.

If you keep lifting you can minimize muscle loss. The last season I ran (last fall and winter), I lost 2 lbs of muscle when lifting 3 times a week during my training. When I compare this to my first season when I ran 2 marathons, I slacked on the strength training and lost 6 lbs of muscle and gained a bit of fat (no scale weight change).

I was eating at maintenance for all of them.

I am done with marathons, scaling back on the distance.

[yogadancefit123]

Woa!!! News to me. You saying my push ups are going to vanish after my daily 6 mile run?