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Wednesday, October 18. 2023

Why running for exercise is a bad idea


The Maggie's Farm fitness program does not include road running. There are many reasons, including the serious arthritis problems that often ensue.


A reader sent us the link:  Why You Should Not Be Running


Running as "exercise" was a fad in the 70s.  There are many ways to improve endurance short of running marathons, or even 3-mile morning runs.


Being able to hike 10 miles is a good thing in life. Makes life fun and interesting. But if your interest is in cardiac fitness, HIIT is the way to go. 


Is it worth swimming laps, doing treadmill or elliptical lengths, etc? Certainly, but only as a minor component of fitness. That's my opinion.

Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss in Physical Fitness at 15:26 | Comments (30) | Trackbacks (0)

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Written by people who don't like running for people who don't like running.
As for arthritis you can't be serious!

"Though osteoarthritis of the knee and hip affect 6% and 4% of the adult population, respectively, 1 most research shows that runners are not at a higher risk for arthritis. This is not the case with other sports, like soccer and weight lifting, which do appear to increase risk for knee osteoarthritis later in life."

"The idea that running is bad for your knees is a popular fitness myth, according to many doctors and surgeons who are experts in joint health. https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/what-joint-docs-say-about-running/#:~:text=Contrary%20to%20popular%20belief%2C%20running%20does%20not,cause%20arthritis%20or%20osteoarthritis%20later%20in%20life. Contrary to popular belief, running does not cause arthritis or osteoarthritis later in life.

Look! If you don't like running, than don't run. If you don't like biking than don't bike. If you don't like eating bacon than don't eat bacon. But stop with the fake news.
#1 JustMe on 2022-03-12 16:08 (Reply)
The cause of osteoarthritis is not running. It's bearing too much weight on those joints over long periods of time, i.e. being fat. Running is one antidote for this malady.
#1.1 mike on 2022-03-14 18:34 (Reply)
Another antidote is, of course, strength training: Strength Training Can Crush Arthritis Pain and Strength training in older adults: The benefits for osteoarthritis

As an aside to JustMe, since you didn't give a link to your first quote, I did a search for similar phrases and found that you had left some content out of that quote. In several locations (such as The Journal of Athletic Training, Is Participation in Certain Sports Associated With Knee Osteoarthritis? A Systematic Review:) I found statements like this:

"Conclusions: Participants in soccer (elite and nonelite), elite-level long-distance running, competitive weight lifting, and wrestling had an increased prevalence of knee OA and should be targeted for risk-reduction strategies."

The fact is elite-level and competitve athletes are not in their sports for the health benefits, but let's not leave running out of the equation, shall we?
#1.1.1 RJP on 2022-03-15 01:33 (Reply)
The cause of osteoarthritis is not running. It's bearing too much weight on those joints over long periods of time (being f a t). Running is one antidote for this problem
#1.2 mike on 2022-03-14 18:35 (Reply)
My two cents:
There is nothing wrong with HIIT. Nothing wrong with weight lifting/strength. There is nothing wrong with having a personal trainer. And there is nothing wrong with jogging or running.

This is taking on the appearance of that old argument we used to have as teens about Chevy vs Ford. I'm still a ford man but I have numerous chevys too and pretty much was happy with them all.

If you are happy with your exercise program you wouldn't need to disparage someone else's choice... unless you have doubts about your own choice.

But if you must argue that "your" plan is the best and does everything that someone else's plan can do for them then prove it. Go for a 10K. No need to follow a 6 week running program to get ready because your HIIT program took care of your cardiac fitness. Show up those foolish runners who simply don't know what fitness is. It's only 6.21 miles, easy peasy. Try for 8 minute miles; 50 minutes. That would put you in the middle of the finishers just behind the serious 50-65 year old runners but way ahead of the pack of runners who only run a few miles 3-4 times a week. You won't even see the majority of the serious runners except at the starting line. After 50 minutes they will have finished, showered and gone out to eat. So do it! Show us the HIIT creds.
#2 George on 2022-03-12 16:33 (Reply)
James Fixx was unavailable for comment.
#3 snopercod on 2022-03-12 18:28 (Reply)
Heart disease is mostly genetic.
#3.1 JustMe on 2022-03-13 17:15 (Reply)
I think you guys are missing the point here a bit.

I'm sitting here, trying to think of any activity I partake of in my normal day to day life that would be improved by a faster 5K time, and I'm coming up empty. Nothing I do involves running a significant distance or requires significant aerobic endurance. I think that is probably true for most people as well. (If you participate in a sport, that's an entirely different situation and not relevant to this discussion.) However, strength improves any number of normal activities (not the least of which is the increased bone density that will benefit me all the rest of my days). From bringing the grocery bags into the house, to picking up grandchildren, to loading the propane tank in the trunk, to picking up cut down trees, to putting suitcases in the overhead storage bins, to picking up bags of fertilizer at the garden center, to moving furniture around the house, to helping up an aged parent who has fallen to the floor and can't get up, to keeping me from falling as I get older. Running doesn't help in any meaningful way with any of that. Done correctly, weight training gives you all the cardio health benefits needed for a healthy, active life. Sure, adding some dedicated HIIT is a good idea, I won't argue against that at all.

We have a limited amount of time to dedicate to getting fit. Why not put that time to use getting the biggest, most useful, bang for your buck?
#4 RJP on 2022-03-12 18:29 (Reply)
What you say applies to all exercise. And THIS might surprise you but my 89 YO female neighbor can bring in groceries and she has never even been near a gym. You are still thinking like the Chevy Ford argument and are convinced that the other car is no good.

"Why not put that time to use getting the biggest, most useful, bang for your buck?"
You have just described running.
#4.1 George on 2022-03-12 19:59 (Reply)
You didn't address my point, George. Which routine, day to day activity of yours is significantly improved by running?
#4.1.1 RJP on 2022-03-12 20:30 (Reply)
my health and longevity.
#4.1.1.1 George on 2022-03-12 23:00 (Reply)
Thank you for proving my point.
#4.1.1.1.1 RJP on 2022-03-12 23:56 (Reply)
You had a point?
#4.1.1.1.1.1 George on 2022-03-13 11:15 (Reply)
Pfft.
#4.1.1.1.1.1.1 RJP on 2022-03-14 02:16 (Reply)
That all depends. One can easily make an argument that most people don't need to lift or carry anything heavier than 35 pounds for any ADL. I'll generously toss in a 50# limit if you want to include giant size bags of dog food. You can even up that to 55# for airline carry-on bags, but most have wheels,

I agree that when it comes to strength, more is better and it's wise to build a reserve when you're young, but with limited training time, there's always a trade-off.

In a similar manner, building a great reserve in terms of VOs max when you're young gives you added capability as you age.

Neglecting any component of physical fitness - strength, power (yes, it's different than strength and needs to be trained separately), mobility, speed, endurance - is myopic. You are only as strong (no pun intended) as your weakest length.

Lifters should run and runners should lift.
#4.1.1.2 mike on 2022-03-14 08:48 (Reply)
I think one can even more easily make the argument that most people don't need to run, ever, for any distance, let alone 5K. When's the last time you ran in a non-recreational or sport setting? Offhand I can't think of any time that I have. Maybe a rapid jog to the airport gate, but not much else. Again I ask, how does running improve any aspect of your day to day life? No one seems to want to answer that, other than some vague references to 'health', whereas I've given multiple examples of where added strength is generally useful (and the cardiovascular health benefits of strength training are not in dispute).

Yes, everything is most definitely a trade-off. We agree on this and a lot of other things, differences being mostly in the details. But read this explanation of the connections between Jim Cawley's 10 aspects of fitness (which you seem to be alluding to) and then come back and tell me why I (or anyone else) should be doing more than strength training and some HIIT with my valuable and limited training time.

You say "Lifters should run and runners should lift." While the latter is obvious, the former seems to be less well founded.
#4.1.1.2.1 RJP on 2022-03-15 02:07 (Reply)
Ok, I'll stop running.
#5 Larry Huffman on 2022-03-13 09:40 (Reply)
There are a wide variety of different body types. What may be 'best' for one person may not be for another.
#6 Zachriel on 2022-03-13 10:02 (Reply)
For which body type, exactly, is it “best” to be weaker than it could be? Or, put another way, which body type does not benefit from being stronger?
#6.1 RJP on 2022-03-13 11:01 (Reply)
RJP: For which body type, exactly, is it “best” to be weaker than it could be?

Some people just have weak knees (perhaps due to genetics or previous injury). That doesn't mean they shouldn't exercise the knee, but that they should try to avoid any activity that can lead to catastrophic failure. Running, especially over rough terrain, can be problematic for some people. As with any exercise program, one should start slowly and work up, while staying attuned to the body.
#6.1.1 Zachriel on 2022-03-13 11:15 (Reply)
HIIT doesn't have the same effects that "zone two" training does.

It isn't just the heart, it's lots of other things "downstream". HIIT--because of the short duration--won't have the same effects on mitochondria utilization of energy substrates (e.g. glucose and fatty acids), and won't improve lactic acid recycling. Getting the cells to produce more glut4 transporters and a bunch of stuff I can't remember.

It's pretty clear that 3 to 4 sessions of 45 minutes in "zone two" has ENORMOUS health benefits.

You don't have to run, you can bicycle, you can swim, do any of the gerbil wheels at the gym. Heck, if you can walk fast enough to get your heart rate up there, go for it.

This isn't to say that weight lifting and/or HIIT isn't useful and good, you should do those too.
#7 William O. B'Livion on 2022-03-13 10:55 (Reply)
I think most everyone would agree that some form of exercise is better than not doing any exercise at all. With that as a starting point, then doing whatever exercise you enjoy will be more likely to lead to long term benefits from the continuity of your exercise program.
Personally, I think some form of "mixed" program like Maggie's recommends is probably optimal, but again only if you keep at it consistently. So, if you enjoy running, do that (and mix in some push- ups and do some faster stuff from time to time); if you prefer lifting weights, do that (but it wouldn't hurt to get on a spin bike once or twice a week either).
#8 b k on 2022-03-14 13:36 (Reply)
Some people love weight training, some love biking, some love running, some love tennis or soccer or basketball … so I really wish everyone would just shut up and let people do whatever they like that keeps them active.

Stop recommending types of exercise to people you don’t know and are not related to. It’s irresponsible and none of your business, frankly.

Most of the challenge with any kind of exercise is continuing to do it year after year, and often the very thing that keeps people going is how much they like the specific type of exercise itself. Whether you agree with it isn’t relevant in the slightest.

Any exercise you actually do for years is far, far better than a slightly better one that you won’t.
#9 Jeff Brokaw (Link) on 2022-03-16 12:41 (Reply)
Reflect first upon that great law of our nature, that exercise is the chief source of improvement in all our faculties. ~Hugh Blair (1718–1800

Get some exercise every day to keep your body happy... Keeping your body happy helps to keep the rest of you happy. ~Pat Palmer (1928–2015), Liking Myself, 1977
#10 RL on 2023-10-18 17:40 (Reply)
I hate running.
#11 John on 2023-10-19 05:47 (Reply)
What is being said in favor of one ecercise over another applies equally to all types of exercise. It doesn't benefit you unless you enjoy it as a hobby. Collecting stamps or bee keeping doesn't benefit you unless you enjoy these activities, either.

Exercise isn't going to benefit me because I don't enjoy it. I think it's a boring and unpleasant hobby.

The real question is, why do people who exercise insist that others should do it too? This is why birdwatchers aren't despised the same way runners and weight lifters are. Bird watchers enjoy the hobby for what it is and don't fell a need to proselytize.

I suppose we should all be thankful that none of you appear to enjoy wearing ridiculous court jester outfits while using a bicycle to slow down traffice. Can we all agree they are the worst?
#12 jack walter on 2023-10-19 09:57 (Reply)
Sprints, however, are a fabulous excersise.

Low joint impact, muscle building, anaerobic conditioning.
#13 Laconia17 on 2023-10-19 10:42 (Reply)
101st Pappy got into it at midlife crisis point and ended up being sponsored by the local running show store.
Participated in the Ultimate Runner in MI as a youth and won a jogging suit and shoes for my finishing place.
It was the terrible awfulness with not being able to find the right breathing and just the wear and tear on feet, joints, legs.
It is good to distinguish exercise and weight loss.
Weight loss is a program of portion control, supplements, strict reading of labels looking for Frankenfood synthetics and discipline as the kitchen is closed after supper.
Exercise is about maintaining your fitness level IMHO and if you stop the pounds will show up just as anything eaten after supper time half hour is going right to the waistline.
Rained all day so time for ScotchGard treated puffy coat and boots with watch cap and proper gloves/mittens.
Yay! BBL-Heel and Toe time. Wooo! Fresh air is good.
Keep calm and carry on, seek shelter from the storm if you need it.
#14 Keep Striding on 2023-10-19 19:16 (Reply)
I’ve traded my lackluster jogging attempts for rucking with a GoRuck weight vest. There are benefits from backpack style to vest, and I have both, just sometimes it feels more balanced with having weight in front and back. I’m seeing enormous benefit from it, may be a lot of that is psychological but that’s fine, and my knees appreciate it more.
#15 Hoss on 2023-10-19 21:15 (Reply)
response to RJP question...how does running improve any aspect of your day to day life?

When I'm running, I'm usually not drinking beer. So by running sometimes 2,000+ miles per year, I've reduced my beer drinking somewhat - of course, the truth is I drink more beer after long runs, and for a longer period of time.

Lately, I've been attempting this new fangled invention called The Beer Mile - where you run 4 laps on a track, but drink a 12 oz can before each lap - boy, I wish they had this when I was running in high school in the early seventies...practice makes perfect!
#16 maddog on 2023-10-21 18:39 (Reply)

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