My friend- Hey man you want to run a 5-k with me in a couple of weeks?
My face- (same type of face you make when you shart, (try to fart, but well figure it out)...
Jogging is something I do not like doing, I find it tedious, and brings back bad memories of my 9th grade gym class always being the last kid to run the mile.....However, as I thought about it i realized that maybe doing a 5-k wouldn’t be such a bad idea.....
Reasons i decided to commit to run the 5-k
1) Support my friend
2) Its a good cause- supporting charity
3) It challenges me, its my biggest weakness as far as fitness
4) I think to be considered fit you should be able to do an array of athletic skills and competitions at least on an average level
4) It challenges mental toughness- doing something you don’t necessarily like or nor particularly skilled at
Reasons why distance running sucks....
1) The human body adapts to a movement after a while, after a while your calorie expenditure will decrease and your body will eat away at anything it can for fuel- muscle...not good.
2) Not the best method of fat loss- Besides the numerous studies and research, ( i got to under 6% percent body fat, never doing more than 20 minutes of direct "cardio")
3) Not the best method to train your heart, or improve athletic ability- Its proven intervals work your heart at a much greater capacity and improve recovery time.
4) Jogging is extremely hard on your knees after 30 or 40 minutes of jogging, your body produces stress hormones that will increase muscle loss and harvest fat....again not good.
Solution
1) Intervel training - mess with your heart rate! No really...do something like sprinting, jump rope, body weight exercises as hard as you can get your heart rate to about 80-95 percent max for a short duration 10-40 seconds and allow it to cool down and repeat. Training like this is not only more beneficial for fat loss and heart health, but it also saves you a ton of time! A session of intervals if done correctly and at full intensity should last anywhere from 10-25 minutes max.
2) Eat better......fat loss comes from diet not cardio....Trust me
3) Strength train- Just one or two strength straining sessions a week will improve your metabolic rate, and keep you lean...even body weight exercises will have positive effects on body fat composition.
The entire post in a picture- can you tell the sprinter vs the jogger?
Ok a bit exaggerated but you get the point...
This is not all about bashing running, I know plenty of super healthy and fit people who run marathons the benefits of smart and properly programmed running programs are its a great way to measure endurance, mental toughness, and heart health....It can also reduce stress.
If your goal is fat loss and muscle preservation- Take a good long look at your training program and make sure your working to achieve those goals and not "running in circles".
So for the next couple weeks, I’ll be hitting the pavement and doing some running, don’t worry i'll still be lifting and training to improve and get stronger, just throwing in a challenge along the way. I challenge you to pick an obstacle, or something you’re not great at doing, and begin to chip away and improve......
How have you made yourself better today?
A-Lev
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