Stop running if your goal is to get lean and toned. I know that for most people, when they get started they say, “I’m gonna go out and start running,” because everyone’s saying, “running is the best way to get lean.”

What most people think in their head when they’re saying lean is they wanna have muscle definition. They want to look good. Guys want their shoulders and arms to pop, or ladies want to put on a dress and look good.

Running is actually not gonna give you that. Imagine a marathon runner, and see what they look like or the picture you have in your head. Now look on the other end of that spectrum, and imagine a sprinter.

You already know, even without seeing a photo in front of you, that the sprinter has way more muscle than the marathon runner. The difference is almost night and day, and it’s all because of how they train.

The Reason Running Won’t Get You Lean

You can’t do a bunch of long-slow distance cardio and expect that you’re gonna have a lean and toned look. If you want to get lean and toned, you have to lift weights training.

Weight training creates hormonal responses within the body that leads to muscle growth. The stress that weight training puts on your body allows the muscle to grow bigger and stronger with every session. Running creates more of a cardiovascular/cardiorespiratory response and a mechanical stress on the bones.

The muscles aren’t used in the same way as if you were weight training, so the end result is much different. Running will improve heart health, bone density, and increased energy expenditure (calories burned) and respiratory endurance, but it won’t give you the chiseled or toned look you are after.

What Types of Training Should I Do?

It can be bodyweight, kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, etc.. Most of the time the barbell is going to be superior for most people. But the point of what I’m making is, you gotta stop running so much and start weight training.

Doing compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, presses, and lunges will be crucial to develop strength and size. Focus on those in the beginning of your session and move to isolated work after that. Doing exercises back to back with minimal rest, called a ‘superset’, will also keep your HR elevated and sweat going!

Make The Switch Now

In the end, if you’re only running you will never achieve what you want. And most of the time people end up throwing their hands up and saying, “Well, I guess I can’t do this because it didn’t work,” when in reality it’s just that you didn’t do the right thing.

You put in a lot of time and effort, which is great, now you need to put that same effort into resistance training. Do a quarter or half the amount of running you were doing when you started, now add it with resistance training and you’ll get the results you were looking for!

Why Weight Training Is So Important

Lifting weights builds muscle and muscle needs energy to function and grow. The more muscle you have, the more lean you will look because your body isn’t storing excess nutrients or calories, it’s using them. A good place to start is weight train 3x per week and do conditioning 2x per week!

Lionheart Knows What To Do

This is our motto at Lionheart Athletic Performance. We not only get people strong, but we get them looking fit! Countless members have dropped pounds of body fat and put on pounds of lean muscle!

If you are looking for a gym in Topeka, KS that will push you to meet your fitness goals, Lionheart APF is the place!! Click the link –> https://lionheartapf.com/join/ to get signed up today!!