Trying to Get in Shape? Stop Running!

When most people think of getting into shape, the prevailing notion is that this will necessarily be a cardio-based routine. Examples of cardio are walking, swimming, rowing, cycling, stair climbers, elliptical machines and the dreaded but ubiquitously recommended … running. Traditional cardiovascular training (or “cardio” as it’s called) is characterized by anywhere from 20 to 40-minute bouts (sometimes longer) of steady-state, aerobic activity that keeps the heart rate continuously elevated, and you, the person doing it, in constant motion. There are many trainers – dare I say most – who still prioritize cardio. This may be in part because of the many doctors, when confronted with a patient who needs to lose weight and improve their health, will advise the patient to engage in cardiovascular exercise as the gold standard of physical fitness. Everyone at least gives a nod to the benefit of some “strength training” in addition to the hours of mindless & monotonous cardio. This usually means a few pushups or lightweight, high-rep isolation exercises performed on machines for the sake of “safety”. At one time, many years ago, I too bought into this way of thinking. I have spent hundreds, dare I say thousands of hours running, not to mention cycling, swimming, rowing and you name it, in pursuit of fitness. I threw in some pushups and pullups along with some “arms”, and when it came time to test my fitness, I failed to measure up where I thought I would. I’m here to lay it on the line and say what few others will: you should not be running! For some, that is the best news you’ve heard all day, while others are already so angry you’re about to fire off hate emails to my inbox. At any rate, I must speak the truth and let the chips fall where they may. When it comes to getting in shape, you shouldn’t be running!

There’s simply a better way to improve your fitness. That’s not to say you shouldn’t run at all, but it should not compose the majority of your time spent exercising. You can have excellent health and fitness and do no running, but you can’t do a lot of running and have it equal optimal fitness or health. These statements are based on the belief that you can’t be weak and healthy at the same time. Sadly, excessive running (most steady-state-cardio training in general) is done at the expense of your total fitness. It will compromise your strength, speed, and power and will do little to nothing in the development of your balance, coordination, flexibility or agility. Running will develop your cardio-respiratory endurance and to some extent your stamina as it relates specifically to the activity of running, but virtually nothing else. Running by itself is just not a comprehensive form of training to improve your fitness.

The big question you need to ask yourself is, “Why do I believe I need to run?” If it’s because that’s what you want to do or like to do or because you want to run in a marathon perhaps, then that is what you should do. There is no judgment here about what you prefer. On the other hand, if your goal is to improve your overall fitness, then you need to reconsider your choice to spend the majority of your energy engaging in steady-state-cardiovascular training such as running to achieve your goal. Optimal fitness is achieved by improving your capacity across the following ten general physical skills: strength, cardiovascular endurance, stamina, flexibility, speed, power, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. If you want to positively affect your overall health through training, then you will want to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to time spent exercising. That means you will want to focus the majority of your training time doing what will check the most boxes at one time. That will be to focus primarily on getting stronger. Strength is like the golden key that gives you improved capacity at virtually all the other skills on the list. Running and cardio do have a role to play in your overall health and fitness, but they just are not where the emphasis should be. A better balance would be to spend 70-80% of your training time working on improving your strength and 20-30% on your cardio. If you do this intelligently, I think you may even find your cardiovascular endurance is better than it would have been had you been only running – but that’s a discussion for another time.

I know this information brings about a paradigm shift. If it rubs you the wrong way, give it time as you mull it over. Hopefully, you are willing to consider a new way of looking at health and fitness. If you never really liked cardio training in the first place, this is not to be construed as a license to neglect that aspect of your fitness. Hopefully this article helps put in perspective proper balance when you consider how best to chart your course on your fitness journey.