can running regularly lead to a good figure

Summer is here, and as the weather gets hotter, people are dressing more lightly. If a guyhasa strong and well-defined muscular body, he will undoubtedly become the focal point of many girls' attention. Moreover, well-defined abs will make you stand out from the crowd.

Many slightly overweight people or those with less defined muscles also want to develop enviable muscle lines. At this time, many people often think of running first! They start their fitness plan through running.

However, many people also have doubts. Although running is a great aerobic exercise, can it really develop well-defined abs? Today, the editor will answer whether running can increase muscle mass~

How hard is it to develop perfect abs?

Actually, everyone has abs; they are just hidden under your abdominal fat. But why can't many people's abs be seen? The answer is: only when your body fat percentage is below 15% can your abs start to show. If you want well-defined six-pack abs, you must have a body fat percentage below 10% to be considered qualified.

The waist and abdomen are indeed the hardest parts of the body to slim down, and they are the last line of defense for fat.Without reducing the fat layer over your abs through aerobic exercise and lowering your body fat percentage, you will never see your six-pack abs.

If you only want to develop abs through running, one possible outcome is that you can have abs, but your body will look very thin and won't have that well-defined effect.

Can running develop muscles?

Running, as a full-body exercise, can train all the muscles in your body during the exercise process. Because running requires you to raise your center of gravity, tighten your waist and abdomen, and maintain a moderate level of tension. With the swinging of your legs and arms during running, the core of the movement is your waist and abdomen. So, running can moderately enhance your abs.

You may also notice that people who run a lot don't have very prominent abs. Running can train your abs to a certain extent, giving you a basic muscle shape, but it cannot make your abs very developed. To achieve better abs, you need to do specialized abdominal exercises.

However, regular running plays a very important auxiliary role in developing abs. Running is an easy-to-implement aerobic exercise. After 30 minutes of running, fat metabolism enters a high-speed consumption phase. Therefore, running can help us reduce body fat and effectively lower body fat percentage.

Can excessive running consume muscles?

The three main functional substances in the human body are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. From the perspective of energy supply, whether the body is at rest or in motion, energy is primarily supplied by the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats, while protein consumption is minimized. Our bodies are very smart and will not consume large amounts of protein unless absolutely necessary.

The energy supply characteristics of these three substances during running are also quite evident. In endurance sports, because glycogen reserves in the body are relatively high, muscle glycogen is only depleted after 1-2 hours of low-intensity exercise. The proportion of fat energy supply decreases as exercise intensity increases and increases as exercise duration extends.

Protein only participates in energy supply during high-intensity exercise lasting more than 30 minutes. When glycogen reserves are sufficient, protein energy supply accounts for only about 5% of total energy; when muscle glycogen is depleted, protein energy supply accounts for 10%-15% of total energy.

Since muscles are primarily composed of protein, the answer is obvious: running may consume muscle protein, but it is not that easy. Without prolonged intense exercise, it is difficult to activate protein for energy supply, and even if it does, the proportion is very small. Therefore, most amateur runners don't need to worry about their muscles disappearing.

How should you build muscle?

The scientific way to develop abs and achieve a well-defined body is: aerobic exercise + anaerobic exercise + scientific diet. That is, aerobic fat loss, anaerobic muscle gain, combined with a strict diet plan, to achieve six-pack abs and a tight, muscular body.

1. Do aerobic exercise

Running may be one of the simplest methods of physical exercise, and it is also a great aerobic exercise. Running a certain distance every day can also help you develop strong muscles. Running is a full-body exercise, engaging all muscle groups. Increasing the intensity of running is the foundation for quickly developing well-defined muscles.

In addition to running, other aerobic exercises include walking, hiking, swimming, cycling, aerobics, yoga, and spinning. Currently, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is quite popular and is also very effective for fat loss.

2. Do anaerobic exercise

Exercise is the way to increase muscle volume, especially equipment exercises that can enlarge muscle volume. Equipment exercises are instant and intense anaerobic exercises, and the characteristic of anaerobic exercise is that it can improve explosive power and load capacity, which can effectively train your muscles. If you have never done equipment training before, it is best to do so under the guidance of a coach.

Anaerobic exercise generally recommends doing some strength resistance training. For example, crunches and planks for the abdomen, push-ups and bench presses for the chest, pull-ups and barbell deadlifts for the back, lunges and squats for the glutes, and so on.

3. Eat a scientific and reasonable diet

Your daily diet is closely related to muscle growth. Eating more protein-rich foods is beneficial for muscle growth. Your diet should be high in protein, low in carbohydrates, low in fat, and consist of small, frequent meals. A high-protein diet means eating more fish, lean meat (preferably beef and chicken breast), soy products, milk, etc.

A low-carb diet means reducing the portion of staple foods (rice, noodles), especially finely processed flour products. These carbohydrates are not fats, but they are digested by the body to provide energy for daily activities, and the excess is stored as fat in your abdomen. This is why some people have a 'lifesaver ring' around their waist even if they don't eat fatty or greasy foods.

At the same time, during muscle growth, you should also practice eating small, frequent meals. This means turning three meals into five meals without changing the total daily intake, eating every 2-3 hours. For example, at 9:30 AM, eat a fruit and a few nuts as a morning snack, and at 3:00 PM, eat a slice of whole grain bread and yogurt as an afternoon snack. The benefit of this is to prevent overeating in one meal, and it is easier to absorb nutrients.