Run Smarter Not Harder: AI Training for Fitness Runners [65b1]

Many people have encountered this situation—when you enthusiastically engage in exercise, only to hear some statement that makes you doubt your current exercise method and its effectiveness, causing hesitation and stagnation.

After running for many years, we often hear various strange statements, such as: Does running help with weight loss or not? Does running make your calves thicker? Does running damage your knees? Will running on a treadmill cause injury? Does long-term running make you age faster? Should you land on the front of your foot or your heel? Does lactic acid removal running eliminate lactic acid...

As the saying goes, rumors stop at the wise. Today, I will play the role of a rumor terminator and help everyone discern some of the running-related rumors~

What are the most common running rumors?

Does running help with weight loss?

Actually, running is a form of exercise, not a method. Whether it helps with weight loss depends on the intensity, duration, and external environment of the running. Different intensities of running have different effects on weight loss. Generally speaking, the most recognized effective weight loss activities are long-distance aerobic exercises, such as long-distance running and jogging.

For running aimed at weight loss and fitness, the duration should not be less than 20 minutes, and the speed should be slower to maintain even breathing. A 20-minute slow long run not only depletes a large amount of glycogen in the body but also mobilizes body fat. And because slow long runs are not very intense, they do not cause excessive oxygen deprivation in the body, which helps with fat consumption and thus achieves the goal of weight loss.

In addition, the running environment is also very important. Generally speaking, running on slopes or in the wild consumes more calories than running on a treadmill in a gym, because both uphill running and wind resistance consume more calories, leading to better weight loss results.

Does running make your calves thicker?

First of all, it is important to clarify that the engine for running is the hips, not the calves. Muscle hypertrophy requires certain conditions: first, a certain level of male hormones, and second, a certain level of intensity load. Most of our running friends, especially girls, do not meet these conditions. The reason calves may appear thicker is not due to too much muscle but due to fat accumulation.

Fat reduction is a whole-body process; there is no such thing as localized fat reduction. To burn fat, you need to engage in aerobic exercise. Therefore, running does not make your calves thicker; on the contrary, if you persist, your calves will become thinner. There are two situations where running makes calves appear thicker: one is blood congestion after exercise, which will recover after rest. The other is incorrect running posture, which stimulates the calves.

Does running severely damage the knees?

Running causes knee damage due to incorrect methods, mostly due to excessive running, incorrect posture,and insufficient warm-up and stretching.Previous research has conducted extensive data testing, showing that 20% of runners have arthritis, while 32% of non-runners have arthritis.

So, not only knee injuries but also other injuries, such as ankle injuries or muscle strains, are not caused by the activity of running itself but by improper running techniques.

Is running on a treadmill more likely to cause injury?

Actually, many times the treadmill is wrongly blamed. Various theories about treadmill injuries, such as: the body not moving forward, high knee pressure, the belt driving the run causing shearing force, etc. But experiments have shown that the injury probability of treadmill running is the same as road running. The treadmill is indoors, so there is no wind resistance, making it less strenuous than outdoor running.

Is longer running time better?

Whether for training or weight loss, the longer the single running time, the greater the pressure on the body, increasing the probability of injury.

Does running affect sexual function?

Previous research has shown that most runners have better harmony with their partners in this aspect. Running produces endorphins that make people happy and help with relationships. So, don't blame running for this!

Does long-term running make you age faster?

Exercise itself makes people younger, but aerobic exercise produces free radicals, which can damage the immune system, so long-term aerobic exercise can make people look older. Athletes often feel fatigued, weak, and lack energy after a period of intense exercise, losing the good feeling they usually have after exercise, which is due to excessive free radicals lowering the body's immunity.

Free radicals, also known as free radicals, refer to groups, ions, atoms, or molecules with unpaired electrons in their outer orbit. They are chemically active and highly oxidative, capable of taking electrons from normal cells and tissues, thereby damaging cells and body tissues. Excessive production or slow clearance of free radicals can cause various damages at the molecular, cellular, and tissue-organ levels, leading to multiple injuries to the body.

Is lactic acid removal running necessary after a marathon?

Lactic acid is an acidic substance that accumulates during exercise, causing the body to acidify and leading to fatigue. It was previously believed that increased lactic acid production during exercise was due to anaerobic glycolysis caused by oxygen deficiency in the muscles. However, recent research shows that lactic acid production increases when exercise intensity reaches 50%~60% of maximum oxygen uptake.

The main reason is either oxygen deficiency in the exercising muscles or an imbalance between glycolysis and aerobic oxidation rates, or both. Lactic acid produced by skeletal muscles during exercise is distributed throughout the body for metabolism.

Therefore, many people engage in lactic acid removal training two to three days after a marathon, but what they are removing is not lactic acid but other metabolic byproducts. Lactic acid is eliminated within two hours after intense exercise, so there is no need to wait until the next day for lactic acid removal.