Marathon Cardio – Can Do More Damage Than Good

Hey rusty,
this doesnt have much to do with this post which was great by the way, but what if i currently have to go out and eat at some not so unhealthy restaurants at least 3x a week for dinner but am trying to lose some fat. I am 6ft and 170 pounds but still cant see my sixpack. HOw would you handle this. Should i follow the warrior diet and undereat during the day and enjjoy myself at the restaurant or is there another way to stay lean and lose fat while enjoying foods with friends and family 3x a week. Thanks

I AM putting down walking: when people consider it to be exercise, they do short bursts of it – say, 15 minutes – and then consider their workout done. Then they wonder why they don't lose weight. Walking is just normal; unless you do it in huge quantities, you're not going to get true exercise.

I never liked much long distance cardio, i believe that it can damage more than do good, besides dieting with sprints and weight training are the most effective way for me, to burn fat and keep solid muscles.

Walking after sprints is the only way of distance cardio i like, because it produces no damage, unlike running.

Good post Rusty and what a nice view the marina

Love it.

It amazes me to no end how many people still believe that slow-go cardio is the most effective approach. Even more disturbing is the marathon/triathlon trend – while it's great for mental strength, it's absolutely horrid for building your best body.

I just blogged about this myself on a blog that's really more about overall focus than fitness:

http://www.refocuser.com/2009/04/strength-training-101/

I hadn't seen those links before either – great supporting points.

I may have to send this to all my friends and relatives itching to "get in shape" by signing up to run a marathon.

Thx – Mike (a fellow Seattlite)

I'm not a fan of the long slow cardio, especially after I started my own personal fitness/health revolution and realized how useless it was compared to HIIT, but I do understand where those people you see are coming from. When the weather gets nicer, it's great to step out for a jog and just keep it slow while enjoying the scenery. I don't do it often, but when I do run like this, I try to enjoy my surroundings.

We Were Most Likely Meant to Walk and Sprint"
Indeed. Although I think there are some people who were "built to run." I don't think excessive steady-state cardio is right for most. I manage to get much better fat loss results for my clients using circuits, supersets and other arrangements of resistance exercise that leaves little rest time. Steady state running or biking is OK if you are doing everything else right, but shouldn't be the focus if you want optimal results.

You also bring up another good point. You can exercise outside of the gym – in your daily life. I always laugh at the notion of roaming the parking lot at the gym to get the closest possible spot so that you can go walk on a treadmill. This is the ultimate illustration of our upside down lifestyle. To keep moving throughout the day, park as far away as possible, get up and walk to your colleague's desk to ask a question instead of calling or sending an email, and take the stairs that are right beside that set of escalators.

Then, when you get to the gym you don't have to waste time walking on a treadmill. Instead, you can do an intense Metcon circuit workout and reap the benefits of elevated metabolism for days…

Cheers,
Adam

Rusty

I am starting "Warp Speed Fat Loss" on Thursday.

Everything looks great, but I was wondering if you or anyone on here could help me out.

During one of the workouts we are supposed to drink "1 scoop protein powder and 45 grams carbs."

What is 45 grams carbs?

Is the protein and carbs just mixed with water?

I figure this program should get me in peak shape for summer then I will do Eat Stop Eat from now on.

Thanks for the help.

Dan

Another good article, Rusty. I can't handle very much long distance cardio at all. My body seems to be able to handle it (at the time) but my mind can't. I get so bored. Right now I do suicide sprints in the basketball gym and then shoot some hoops. Much more intense and a lot more more. I'm also starting to enjoy jumping rope although I need a lot more practice. I never thought jumping rope for 15 minutes straight would set my calves on fire for two days.

Great post Rusty!
I don't know about other people, but I feel steady state cardio to be a bit on the boring side. I definitely would hate to perform a repetitive movement for more than 40 minutes unless maybe it was outdoors on the beach or a nice trail. I do however understand why some may enjoy this type of training, because it is a great way to clear your head.

Anyways, you are going to kill me, but I am still wondering if in telling me to double my volume of lifting for shoulders and triceps to gain mass if you think I should be going to failure or stopping one rep shy. I know that it is important to break down the muscle in order for it to grow and didn't know if a mass gaining workout required going to failure or stopping one rep shy like in my strength training routine. Thanks Rusty look forward to hearing from you.

Rusty,

This was a fantastic article since it addresses a dilemma a lot of people face who are looking for a lean, fit physique. On a different note, I asked you about fruit night a few posts back and really enjoyed your advice. I have read on some fitness websites that eating fruit at night can inhibit or effect fat loss. Is this something that you consider to be accurate. As I mentioned before I am looking to drop around 20-25 pounds over the next couple months and achieve a BF of 6-8%. Is eating the low glycemic fruit (apples, oranges, and berries) at night after my main meal on the WD going to hinder my efforts to lose weight and achieve a low BF percentage? If anyone else would like to comment I would appreciate any advice.

Thanks,

Sam

Early on I went so far as to complete a half marathon, using it as a weight loss tool. It wasn't graceful, but I got through the race. I also learned that cardio doesn't work for weight loss.

Since then I've tried focusing more on total body fitness. I've done a few sprint triathlons, which are much less grueling than the half marathon I ran. Now I'm spending more time in the gym, trying to mix up my routine.

The balanced approach works much better for me.

Rusty,

Glad you posted that video again man, I didn't watch before … good stuff!

Love how simple your "get ready for summer" plan is!

Later,
Caleb

In this sense we are much like a cheetah an animal which walks and sleeps throughout its life and sprints when it needs food much like our ancestors…ever seen an overweight cheetah?

This is not to say that we should do the 100m sprint every time we see McDonald's!

hey Rusty

Would you say an aerobics or step aerobics class are marathon cardio??

I do HIIT and strength training but I do like to do a step class once a week, just for something different.

What do you think?

Hmmm!

Tusc

Gday Rusty from down under,

Those shoes you're wearing what are they called and where can I get a pair? Do you sell them. I run a fair bit on the beach and would like a pair.

Hi Rusty,

I'm currently pregnant, and I recently stopped doing sprints bc it worries me to have my heart rate that high. Do you recommend doing the elliptical or going out for power walks alternating with some incline walking at the gym? Right now I'm doing an hour on the elliptical, and I feel great. So I'm assuming you don't agree with the book Slow Burn? I just read about it in one of my fitness magazines.
Thanks again for a great article!
Christine

I love this site. Im 34 now, but when I was younger 16 and 17 I was a little chubby.. I started to run every other day and got up to 10-15 miles. The days I didnt run I did thousands (yes thousands) of pushups, crunches and pullups. I got lean and strong yes, but as I got older those same methods just didnt do the job anymore, and who has time to go out and run for two hours? Now Im starting to realize harder, faster and more intense workouts are best to jack up the metabolism. Thanks and keep up the good work!

Do you feel that there is a "safe" level of "marathon cardio"? Eg once every 7-10 days?

Everyone reading your page realizes it is an ineffective tool compared to more intense efforts. I also beleive that most any runner will agree when you explain the logic and back it up with the research. Despite this acknowledgement the runner will still however say something along the lines of "but I just love running" or "its good for my head". That is to say they offer some mental health argument for doing it, and are willing to accept the physical detriment. You just can't get them to stop running.

Assuming that runners really love to run, we should start presenting them with safe guidelines. In the same light that we know its not healthy to resistance train 2 hours a day, 7 days a week, and use poor form they need to let them know what safe distances and frequencies and that they need to use correct form rather than telling them not do it at all. Well I guess that's assuming there is any safe means to do marathon cardio (or maybe that was the point of your article)…

Disclaimer: I am not a runner nor do I enjoy running!

Christine, just in case this helps. When my wife was pregnant she was in perfect shape and still her GYN/OB told her not to work out. The reason was that when you work out your heart beat may speed up so much that you perspire more to cool down and you cut oxygen to the fetus. She was told to walk for exercise and to do it after sundown. Now, you have cases like that British runner who won the NY Marathon who didn't pay attention to her doctor. So far it looks like the baby is doing ok, but the doctor was very concerned. I know that a lot of women keep exercising until the due date but I think it is very risky. Women want to be in shape when they are pregnant and I think that is a mistake. It is also a mistake when women put the excuse that they are eating for 2 and they lose control of their diet. Give your child all the space your belly can handle (forget about looking like a model), walk and eat a balanced diet. Also, after you give birth don't go insane trying to lose all the weight in 3 months. My wife walked during her pregnancy and ate very healthy and looked like a beach ball. After she gave birth, she continued doing the same thing, walking, eating healthy and enjoying the baby, and she gradually lost the weight. Instead of 3 months it took her a year and everyone was happy…and healthy. So, my suggestion is that you should talk to your GYN/OB first. Be safe.

Rusty-

The Mark Video was epic! Epic? you say… Yes, because I have been sprinting on the beach as my favorite HIIT. But, I noticed that I sprint probably twice as fast as Mark. My question is, is that because he is 50 and I am 29? Or is it that I am over exerting myself? I mean, I get tremendously out of breath and when I do my uphill beach sprints I feel like I am going all out- everything I've got in me.

Thank you.

Adam,

Great comment! I am in total agreement that as long as you are training and eating right on a regular basis, it is OK to take part in some steady state running or cycling. HIIT, circuits, and supersets help you acquire the conditioning you need to be able to do some steady state exercise. For example, I am currently using bodyweight circuits paired with HIIT throughout the week, and then cycling anywhere from 20-60 miles on Sundays and I'm able to "smoke" many of the people that I ride with who are cycling 3-4 times a week. It's all about balance.

I played soccer in college.
I was the fastest guy on the team…..for the first 5-10 yards. For the 40 dash I was in the top 3.
For some reason the coach had us run 3 miles every day…I was always dead last and even got benched a few times for walking and refusing to run anymore (I grew up in Europe, the rigid coaching didn't sit well with me at age 18). I love sprinting, I HATE running.
I just never felt right to me. ]

Rusty, gave you a little shout out today on my blog. Thanks again for your continued GREAT content.

Marc

Hey Rusty,
You often talk about the importance of resistance training and HIIT for fat loss– Right now I'm alternating between HIIT and body circuits, and I'm curious as to if the body circuits will qualify as solid resistance training. Thank you for your advice!

Tyler

Another great article! Any article that can sell me on the idea of not spending hours on cardio is a good one. The secret gem, for me, of this article is on Mark Scissions video. It’s those Vibram Five Fingers shoes. Ever since I read your Tarzan verse Conan article I have wanted to run through the woods like a mad man, but knew I would ultimately be too much of a dandy for the rocks and twigs. Those shoes might be a good transition before I go totally barefoot. Of course if I do any forest running it will be light jogs rotated with quick bursts of speed, and not hours of light jogging. Thanks again.

Sam,

You can eat berries and other low glycemic fruits before bed time in moderation. Berries are light in calories and will probably be burned up after two hours of sleep and then you will start burning fat again. Remember 95 percent of your weight loss comes from consistent calorie deficits. I lost my first thirty pounds eating whatever foods I wanted (I just maintained a large calorie deficit). I started eating low glycemic foods to keep my weight loss consistent (ten pounds per month) as my body size decreased and my smaller body burned fewer calories. However my calorie intake is always the main consideration when I plan a meal. Example: If you had a five hundred calorie breakfast and no lunch and dinner then you could eat a thousand calories of berries at night and still lose weight that day.

I have an off topic question… I have come to notice that my chest is alot stronger than my back, so I was wondering what the ratio should be between flat bench press and seated cable rows. I can use 225 lbs for sets of 5 for the bench press but only 120 lbs for the seated row. Is this too much of an imbalance in strength or is it usual to be able to bench more weight than to be able to use for seated rows? Also, what is a good way to correct these imbalances?

Hey Rusty, sorry I havnt chimed in on the last few posts, my mum has been taken to hospital for alcohol rehab. Having a few fitness problems along the way too! She wants different take away everynight and I'm having to sit there and eat it all with her! Im guessing my best plan would be to make that my only meal of each day.

On the topic of long cardio, My university is by the docks on the south coast of england, and I find it quite refreshing to run round there on the mornings if i need my head cleared. And if i do it whilst fasted(which i do) i seem to get good results if i throw that in a couple of times a week, along with my my HIIT and weight training.

Hope your okay! And glad to hear that you managed to give up your job! Sorry to hear about your grandma.

-Kane

Keith,

I wouldn't recommend the Warrior Diet Approach. Think more along the lines of Eat Stop Eat. Just two of these fast per week. Also…you will just have to eat a bit lighter the rest of the time. I sometimes take this same approach…especially in summer with all the bbq's and camping trips. You have to make up for the excess calories from these meals by eating less at other points during the week. The biggest mistake people think is that they will just have to exercise more…and that never works.

Andrew,

Yeah…I hear what you are saying. If people to see true results, they need to add some intensity. I think a good mix of intense activity with walking is a great approach. It is the intense activity that allows people to get a little bit more out of walking.

Helder,

I have a bunch of cool marina's around me, it is a good feeling. Now I just need a boat! Luckily I have friends that have boats, but that will be a future purchase for me. I agree with you about what it takes to stay lean. Sometimes I'll jog just to maintain the ability to jog, I don't think it helps that much in the fat burning department…I can do much better with intense HIIT followed by mellow steady state cardio.

Mike,

What is funny is that a lot of these same people who can't lose fat walking on a treadmill, think lean people are just genetically gifted. I once hopped on a treadmill and did intervals for 10 minutes and jumped off. The guy next to me said "must be nice"…I asked him what he meant. He told me that it "must be nice to be able to stay lean with only 10-15 of cardio". He said that he had to put in 60 minutes per day and still couldn't drop below 15% body fat. Good post over on your site, by the way!

Yash,

I'm glad there are so many well-informed people, like you who read this site. It is a nice change to see people who understand what it really takes to get lean and healthy. I really appreciate all your contributions over the past few months. I can't wait for the nice weather to come!

Adam,

I love your pet-peeve about people finding the closest parking space to the gym. I am to the point now that whenever I go into a parking lot, I park in the back of the lot. I simply can't stand getting stuck behind a car that is waiting for someone to pull out. The ironic thing is a lot of the times these people who seek the closest parking spot are the ones who need the exercise the most!

Dan,

Most protein shakes already have carbs in them…you can check the label. Milk also has carbs in it. If you are short on carbs you can add in a banana or strawberries. Craig Ballanyne drink chocolate milk as his protein shake…believe it or not it is a good and cheap alternative to expensive protein powders.

Bryan,

Me and my friends joke that jumping rope exposes your "weak points". A few of us started jumping rope 8-9 years ago and I remember having calves that were sore for days. My buddy had sore quads…another friend had sore delts. It will get better with time.

Arya,

I'm not going to kill you…good question. I think I already answered it, but I'll answer it again because you have earned it with all of your great comments on the site. If muscle mass is your goal you can go to failure and even do the ocassional forced rep (stuff I typically don't recommend). You should be a bit more sore than normal, which is fine, but don't overdue it. The downside about training to failure is that it will limit your strength gains. You will gain a bit of strength, but will plateau over time. Go back to the lower reps and stop short of failure once you hit your size goals.

Sam,

One summer when I as trying to get as lean as possible, I ate a Fuji Apple right before bed. The reason I did this was because I was on an agressive low calorie diet and didn't want to wake up due to a growling stomach. I got extremely ripped following this approach (4% body fat…I never try to go that low anymore). You definitely can eat fruit before bed, provided that you have a big enough calorie deficit.

Greg,

I love hearing from people who are recovering marathon runners. I have never trained or ran a marathon. I think it would kill me. I do respect the discipline it takes, but it is pretty darn brutal.

Caleb,

I'm all about keeping it simple. This is a great video that Mark put out.

MrBunny,

Maybe we should require people to sprint if they want to eat McDonalds. Half the people I see walking into that place have a hard time walking.

Tuscanystone,

I think those aerobic classes are great. I used to have a different opinon until I began doing body weight circuits. Mix those in with a bit of strength training and stay active outside of the gym and you will get great results.

Thomas,

I love hearing from "down under"…you guys all seem friendly (even online). Okay…for the Vibram shoes…just head over to Mark's site marksdailyapple.com. He is the guy in the video and sells them on his site. While you are over there make sure and read some of his excellent articles!

Christine,

You should probably consult your doctor. I really don't have expertise in this area at all. "The Spaniard" addressed this further down in the comment section. It looks like solid advice.

John King,

Thanks for the compliment. I like the idea of getting the same or better results with putting in less time. "Half the time and twice the results"…that has to be a slogan for something!

Timinthewater,

It is so hard to know what a safe level is for marathon cardio. My guess is that it wouldn't tax the body to go for a long run once per week. Possibly some people could do more and some could do less. It is so hard to give guidelines for everyone. I know if I do any more than once per week it runs me down.

The Spaniard,

Thanks for taking the time to answer Christine's question. This isn't a topic I know a lot about.

Brad,

You can go a bit harder than Mark did in his video. My guess is that he backed off a bit so he could speak at the end of the sprint. Also, the final sprints make you breathe like crazy no matter what. I also go a bit harder than what he demonstrates.

Marc,

Thanks for mentioning me on your site. I will visit after dinner, because your site always makes me really hungry. You may just have some of the best looking healthy meals on the Internet. I'll make sure I promote that post (stumbleupon, delicious, etc.). Thanks a bunch! As far as running 3 miles for a sport that is based around interval sprinting…I'm not sure if that is necessary. If I was chosing people for my team, I'd want the sprinters.

Tyler,

I did nothing but these circuits this past winter and maintained every last bit of muscle tone and stayed lean. You could consider these a resistance workout. The ideal thing would be to mix this with a few days of strength training with weights and some HIIT. This is what I'm doing now with fantastic results.

Jason G,

There are quite a few readers of this site who have purchased these shoes. I may buy a pair for skimboarding. There is a place I go with a lot of shells and my feet get sliced after an hour or two. Would be good for river rafting as well. I also want to run through the forrest. That video was inspiring.

Brian,

I don't think there is an exact ratio. What I've noticed is the short armed guys are great at pressing and not as good at rowing. The long armed guys have the opposite problem. What I would recommend you do is begin with your back if you are working back and chest on the same day.

Kane,

Great to hear from you (did miss your comments). That morning jog sounds fine, I don't want to discourage people who enjoy running…just maybe give people a different point of view on crazy amounts of cardio. What you are doing sounds great. Sorry to hear about your mom. Life without a job is great. I highly recommend it!

Cheers,

Rusty

Seattle, huh? Any idea if the original Soundgarden(art that inspired the band) still stands? If so, I may have to make a "hajj" to it one day as I was as obsessed as a kid my age could be with that band for ages.

Rusty,
Thank you for your help. I just have one follow-up question– how exactly would I mix all these elements together in a weekly routine? I like the two-day resistance training routine you've outlined in previous posts. Should I just throw in body circuits AFTER strength training on some days, as opposed to HIIT?

Hey Rusty,

Great post. Quick question: you mentioned that marathon cardio (i.e. damaging cardio) is any sustained jogging above 30 minutes.

Does this preclude low intensity longer duration (40 min – 1 hr) work? Just from personal observations, I see myself and others getting more ripped as the duration of cardio is upped….certainly I wouldn't be doing cardio for more than 30 min at a time from now on if it involves any sort of bodily/metabolic damage.

Cheers,
Bob

Great article again, Rusty. This point really can't be hit on enough. Stop the marathon cardio! The Army is absolutely horrible for doing chronic cardio, day after day. It really needs to change.

I wrote an article with some easy sprint workouts for beginners a little while back if anyone is interested in some good ways to mix in some sprints.

Hi Rusty,

I've started doing HIIT after reading your views on it, its been a few weeks and I just love it; especially the 40 sec interval at speed 15 .

Rusty, what are views on taking L-Carnitine caps for regulating or facilitating fat burning? I've been working out for almost 18 months where i am loosing inches but not weight. Hence I need help.

Thanks for sharing your views.

Cheers,
Rahul

Rusty

Our bodies are amazing as you know, they can adjust quickly to any state you put it into. from your very earlier posts you have always said eat right train right and it all works out. I cant count how many faddy diets ive been on throughout the years, pills also exclaiming they work miracles but the bottom line is whatever cardio, or weights etc you do, unless you continously alter it, your body adjusts. its what its designed to do. If you lose an arm or leg, same applies. the body learns how to deal with it. did you ever hear about that guy who was felling a tree got his leg crushed under it. he knew he'd die if he stayed there so he hacked through his thigh to get free, his body adapted to the situation to survive. by the way it was a pocket knife. can you imagine???? that was grim i know but just proves the point.

I agree with what you are saying 100%, but just felt the need to chime in with the fact that I am about to run my 5th marathon in May. (San Diego) I am by no means a skinny winny marathon runner..I played baseball in college and am 5'10" and weigh anywhere from 165 to 175 (depends on how good of a weekend I have, ha), but my point is that I love the challenge of the marathon. I mean, I have always worked out, for the past 6 months I have been crossfitting and loving it, but it is nothing new. Ever since highschool I have had a focus on sprinting and HIIT type workouts. Marathons are something that I can train specifically for, over a period of time and then there is a finishing point where you have accomplished something. That's really all I wanted to state, they are not paticularlly fun. They actually are a pain in the ass, but my girlfriend and I do them always away from our home in ausitn and turn each one into a nice vacation. Always making sure to arrive the day before and leave 3 or 4 days afterward for the fun stuff. Thanks for the post and I really enjoy you site.

Regards,

Matt

Thanks Rusty,
Ill keep you updated on my progress.

I have done 3 Ironman tris, numerous marathons, an ultra marathon, and all kinds of stuff in between. Why? Because I think it's fun! BUT…I know it is not helping me optimize my HEALTH AND LONGEVITY so I have stopped and moved over to HIIT and strength training with kettlebells.
Whereas I used to spend 15 hours a week on cardio, now I spend about 3 hours a week on HIIT and kettlebell and I weight less, have less body fat, and best of all I FEEL awesome and can enjoy my fitness. I am not run down and tired all the time. I love it!
Lots of my friends are triathletes and I don't try to change their minds too much. What I hate to see is people who try to use triathlon training to lose weight. But if you ask most people, I don't think their goals are optimal fitness, but rather having fun and challenging themselves through exercise.
HIIT is fun, but doing a race is a unique and valuable experience, too. Not every decision we make has to be based on what is optimal for overall health and longevity. Emotional satisfaction is legitimate reason to do things, too. I wish more triathletes would understand that long distance training and racing is not optimal, but I also wish my paleo buddies would acknowledge that everything is not about what is best for general fitness and that the joy people can experience from sport-specific training is worthwhile. Just because we don't see it as fun doesn't mean nobody else can!

I recently ran my first marathon, but I did it just to be able to have that under my belt and for the sense of accomplishment. I love running, but I knew going in that I was never going to do another one because I could tell it would be pretty damaging. I also did it because I wanted to lose weight, but I lost a grand total of … 3 lbs! In that sense, I was a bit despondent, because here I was running for an ungodly number of hours and couldn't get lean. If that wasn't going to do it, what would? I'm really happy I found this site, I finally feel like I have the key to weight management. I'm doing HIIT in the morning 3 times a week, lifting twice a week, and watching my diet, and and I'm finally getting some results. The marathon did have one big benefit – I used to hate running in the morning, and I also used to think 3 miles was "long". Now I can crank out as many miles as I want at 6am, there's no longer a mental block there. Keep up the good work everyone!

hey rusty, love the post!

i have just a quick question. i hear a lot about "fasted workouts" so i decided to give it a go, so the last month or so i have been doing them. but just how "fasted" should you be??? usually i do intermittent fasting, so i dont eat anything except fruit or veggies for like 18 hours before i run. lately when i sprint i feel "sluggish" also i am aware that burning fat for energy is not as efficient as burning carbs. so although im burning fat during my workout, my workout is not as efficient, and so it is less intensive. but its also useless to eat a ton of carbs before a workout as well. so what in your opinion is an optimal fasted state to workout? 6 hours of no food maybe? maybe someone else can help me out!

also i read somewhere that running on your toes means the impact is absorbed by your calves (good), whereas running with heels impacting the ground means your knees absorb most of the impact (bad). so i run on my toes!

Hi Rusty,

Nice article. Thanks.

I couldn't agree more. Jogging is extremely hard on the body & those that do it routinely are in for a rude awakening as they get older.

BTW, I live north of you near Mount Vernon. Although I live just a short walk from Lake McMurray & can see it through the trees on sunny days before the trees leaf out, I certainly envy you your water view.

Hey rusty, just a quick one. Whats your thoughts on swimming for fitness? As ive said ive come back to my parents old house to help out while my mums away at hospital, and there is a swimming pool pretty much next door, I think this owuld be a perfect time to mix up my routine. Do you have any suggestions or other input on swimming for the lean look?

Thanks
-Kane

Great post (again!)

I used to run for miles and miles and yes I did lose lots of unwanted body fat but I developed the scrawny runner look – my genetics are party responsible as I was a teenager and growing to be a lanky build but the running definitely made my long legs look even more matchstick like. Fortunately, I now train in a smarter way and have not been on a run > 5km for a long long time but I am in 'better' shape (in my opinion). I think that the bottom line is that unless you are a professional marathon runner, there is no need to train like one. (Though I will agree that the odd slow longer run can be quite a nice escape from the stresses of life – just don't do it too often if you want to achieve a muscular look of any sort).

Oh and of course – marathon cardio takes marathon time! Very few people have hours to spare for their workouts. So I tally agree with working fast & smart by sprinting and not jogging.

Great post as usual Rusty.
I've showed this post to a couple of my friends already. Whenever they go on long cross-country style runs I ask them if they are training for a marathon. So many people run like this, and its good that you've addressed it again. Other than helping your endurance, I don't see long running is a valuable exercise anyway, and you can build the same endurance with sprints.

Semper Phi,

Soundgarden is dead, but Chris Cornell is still putting out the good tunes. For some reason I think he lives part of the time in Europe now.

Tyler,

You gave me an idea to post my detailed workout routine. Thanks for the idea…it is up now.

Bob,

You can go low intensity for much longer periods of time (as long as you have the time). I like to hike in the summer and sometimes it lasts 4-6 hours. I don't feel any negatives whatsoever from it.

Nate,

Yeah…part of the army workouts are great, such as all the bodyweight stuff…but that marathon stuff is brutal. Maybe the reason why is so that they have the ability to jog long distances in battle. Who knows?

Rahul,

I don't think you need that supplement. If you are losing inches it sounds like you are making positive progress.

myra,

I forgot about the guy who cut his leg off with a pocket knife. That is brutal! I'm not sure I could have done that, but if it was life or death…then maybe?

McBreal,

I could see doing a marathon just for the challenge of it. That actually makes sense to me. I like to do things that test my will, just for the fun of it.

Jessica,

Yeah…we should have fun doing activities and not just doing stuff to stay in shape. Great point.

Addison,

I'm glad you found the best methods to get is shape. It is shocking how inefficient marathon style running is for fat loss. It is a lot of effort, for very little pay-off.

Justin,

You can still get results without being fully fasted. Here is what I recommend for people who are feeling sluggish due to fasting before their workout. Eat an apple…I like Fuji…they are only 60 calories and give you a decent energy boost. By the time you get into HIIT it will be burned off and you will be good to go.

Rod,

Mount Vernon is a pretty area…especially just a bit north. I have driven through hundreds of times on the way to Vancouver, BC. That whole area is incredible.

Kane,

I have mixed feelings on swimming. It is great for creating nice looking muscles and sculpting the body, it is a healthy activity and fun…it isn't the best fat loss exercise. Google "swimming and fat loss" and you will find several studies on this topic, showing that it is hard to lose that last bit of body fat swimming. So my advice is swim part of the time, but also do HIIT out-of-water.

Luke,

I am way too impatient for running for hours on end. It bores me, but I like to hike from time to time. I guess it is just a matter of preference for what someone finds fun. I'm glad that short sprints work better for fat loss. It would be a bummer if it took hours to lose fat.

Anthony,

I need to address the point about the ability of sprints to build endurance. There have been several great studies on this.

Thanks guys!

Rusty

hey rusty do you think you could do a deatailed post about ur diet like the one u posted about your workout.

Thanks for the response, Spaniard and Rusty. I know there isn't much research on pregnant people and fitness. My OB says I can keep up doing whatever I did BEFORE i was pregnant, just not to start anything new, and to try not to sweat/get overheated in the warmer months. So I think 1 hour on the elliptical with interval training on there will be fine for the next 5 or 6 months. Towards the end I may have to start walking. I just feel like walking is such a waste of time, although I know that's how New Yorkers and Europeans stay fit.
I look forward to being back doing your HIIT plan, Rusty after I give birth.

The sport of ice/street/dek hockey is one with a great workout as there are quick, short sprints. This is basically where you run as hard and fast as you can (chasing a puck/ball) for 40-60 seconds and take a couple minute sit-down break.. then do it again.. for about an hour.

Having a blast doing it is the side benefit.

What I'd like to know is what the ladies think about the guy's body in the video above…:)

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I love long steady state (marathon training). I think it gets a bad rap because strength trainers/bodybuilders simply don't like it. so when some evidence comes along to show that HIIT is better, they cling to it. Like confirmation bias.

But the thing is, because so few true bodybuilders do it, there isn't enough science to show (what I believe to be true, on personal experience) that if you time your SS cardio right, and time your nutrition right, you can have the best of both worlds: muscle gain and super endurance.

Wow! Mark does look great. That stretch he did reminds me of the horse stance we have to hold in martial arts (basically a squat with the feet pointing straight ahead and the back ramrod straight). I can't go nearly as low as Mark though. Unfortunately, my martial arts school requires us to run 5 miles as red belts and 7 miles as black belts. I'm not built for running as I have flat feet, bunions, hammertoes and they cause all kinds of problems. Training like that put a lot of stress on the joints. Right now, I'm doing speedwalking and using my elliptical. I'm going to see if my Sa Ba Nim will let me speedwalk instead of jog/run.

There is a fellow in my neighborhood who does distance running. He has an awful-looking physique. He's very emaciated. I assume much of his muscle has been catabolized…or maybe that's what I'm seeing, muscle with skin stretched tightly across it. Hmmm. I wonder if he might be extremely healthy though???

The classic indicator of why marathon cardio sucks:

Look at sprinters, and then look at marathon runners. Enough said!

Olympic sprinters tend to have the type of body everyone would like. Marathon runners tend to be skinny-fat or just very "normal" looking.

On top of all of this, I have seen quite a number of people get knee surgery due to marathon-style cardio!

HIIT is where it's at if you want to run. Sure it's more intense, but it's also far more effective and healthy for your joints!

It's too bad that people are brainwashed into thinking that traditional cardio is the only answer.

Whether we evolved to sprint or run long distances probably depends on whether our roots are the east or west of Africa. (Yes, white guys too.)

An African colleague recounts stories of east African hunters running down game over several hours until the animal exhausts itself, allowing an eventual kill.

It is a myth that we were meant to sprint and walk. Having said that, and having been both a sprinter and a marathoner, from a health perspective, sprinting is my preferred training mode past 50.

Hey Rusty,

I'm a cyclist so often I can be riding for up to four or five hours say two or three times a week. Do you think long distance cycling is damaging? And to add, do you think it's ineffective for fat burning?

For many the alternatives such as longer but slower paced walking are a great option. As well as swimming of course, however many people I have met find a sport activity that incorporates fun is the best way for them to exercise. The reason being is they don't actually want to exercise and when they find something that they enjoy, but don't feel as a chore, they get more out of it. Marathon running is definitely not for everyone and you have to find your individual niche to get the right mix of action and attitude?? At least thats what I think!
Cheers
Steve

I agree with Steve that Marathon running is definitely not for everyone. Speaking about myself, I don't have enough will power to exercise in the gym. I choose such kind of sport like tennis, biking or swimming. I think it also helps me to stay slim and healthy. Thanks for the interesting article!

Jenifer