I’ve had a couple of discussions lately with people who are “regular” runners, about whether running burns off muscle. As with most things, it really depends what your goals are in order to determine how much cardio and weight training you should do (see my previous article on lifting heavy or light). My personal belief is that everyone needs to do cardio, weight training, stretching and relaxation in order to achieve wellness and to help them meet their personal goals.
Many of my friends in the Rockwall Running Club are strictly runners, they can get up in the morning and run ten miles right out of the shoot, but they don’t do any weight training or yoga, so they may want to add a weight training program to increase their leg strength, shape their body, or for bone health reasons. Many runners I know also suffer from shin splints, hairline fractures, plantar fasciitis and other ailments). Yoga or a stretching program is also important for runner to help maintain flexibility and decrease soreness, cramping, etc.
On the other foot are my body builder and power lifting friends. Many of the people I know who compete, especially the power lifters, focus more on their weight training and do not include much cardio in their training plan. You can weight train intensely enough to raise your heart rate to achieve health benefits, but that takes careful planning. Most body builders also need to do enough cardio to achieve heart health and fat burning benefits. The same philosophy applies to body builders doing yoga and stretching, it helps them to feel better as well as excel in their sport.
One fear body builders/fitness/figure/power lifters have is that doing too much cardio will burn away hard-earned muscle. In some cases that is true and when working to add muscle while getting lean, it is a balancing act to be able to increase lean muscle mass, while being lean enough to see muscular definition. How much cardio you need also depends on your diet, what types of foods you are consuming and the volume of food and beverages you ingest.
I don’t mean to generalize any category of fitness folk, but these are some known trends in various sports. I encourage you to have a well-balanced fitness program along with a mostly clean diet, no matter what your passion.
Liz Jones is a wellness professional in Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie and surrounding areas. She is a writer, certified yoga instructor, personal trainer and wellness coach. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Strategic Management, with a graduate certificate in Ethics and Leadership. Her undergraduate studies included communication, business, writing, art, fitness, and dance. Liz Jones can be reached at: [email protected].