Why is everyone down on running ?

Look I know we are not training to be long distance runners, we are training to be martial artists. But surely running say 5km once or twice a week can't be bad. Running up and down hills in fresh air - it must be a good thing. If nothing else running does improve your overall fitness and help keep your heart strong. How is that bad ?

Running up and down hills in fresh air isn't 'bad' for you, it just isn't a particularly efficient way of training yourself to become faster and stronger and sustain more intense effort for 3-5 minutes at a time. Too much long distance work can actually get in the way of developing speed and strength (as scrapper is reporting).

You can keep your heart strong in other ways that are a better fit for martial arts performance. Personally, I find 2-3 martial arts training sessions a week to be sufficient cardio/endurance training as long as they're intense enough.

If you want stronger, longer, quicker sparring time, train like a boxer.

Boxers run an awful lot as well, he could do the rope-skipping and shadowboxing and the like that they do, but boxers put in a lot of roadwork. More so back in the older days, where they would run dozens of miles a week, but they still do their fair share.

I get cardio from forms. Much better than running.

I get cardio from forms. Much better than running.

Is it mantis forms you get cardio from ? I have an old buddy who's being doing mantis for years, and the forms he's shown me have some fast agile footwork in them

Isn't that impossible? The only thing that shortens a muscle is putting stress on it with a reduced range of motion. Like doing half a curl, etc. Correct?

The only willful act I know of that will alter muscle length is surgery.

If my muscles were to shorten, would my tendons grow longer to accomodate? Or my bones become shorter? Or would I just be curled up in a crippled fetal position? Likewise to the lengthening premise...do I get taller, or do I just pile up like so many stacks of pastrami? These notions quickly become absurd when put through analysis.

So then putting a muscle through a reduced rom just lessens its ability to stretch which gives it a shorter and more compact look?

So then putting a muscle through a reduced rom just lessens its ability to stretch which gives it a shorter and more compact look?

Loading musculature through a partial ROM will limit development outside of that ROM, possibly resulting in decreased flexibility at the joint.

I'm not sure what you mean by LOOKING shorter. It's still the same muscle attached to the same tendon attached to the same bone. Perhaps people (erroneously) characterize the look as "shorter" since muscular growth adds thickness (diameter) to a muscle rather than length, thus changing the proportions.

OK...back on topic for a sec:

I found this piece of the article Akira had me look at to be particularly enlightening:


If you're one of those gym rats that always hammers a workout no matter how stressed, sick or busy you are, all I can ask is, "How's that plateau? Is the view nice from there?"

Pegged me.

Good find Akira!

For the past year I've been sponging as much knowledge as possible about all things lifting and nutrition. I have about 18 windows on my desktop right now about different training things. T-nation is good stuff.

Well, #1 it won't **** up my cuffs that much, and #2 cause if I do follow through with re-enlisting and going into the Navy this time with the SEAL Challenge package, most of the swimming they do is sidestroke.


Actually, you'd best be working on your breast stroke or you won't get far in any of the Navy DiveFarer Programs (if they still call them that). Not a racing breast stroke, but a good long pull/long glide stroke. Sidestroke is a resting stroke. It's also not as hard on the shoulders as the racing strokes (back, butter, and crawl).

Dont' you remember:

Never
Again
Volunteer
Yourself.


Scrapper - have you tried running what we called "straights and corners?"

Basically, you sprint down the straight portion of a track, walk around the corner, sprint down the backstretch, walk around the corner, wash-rinse-repeat. Start with 10 times around the track.

Also, the Versa-Climber is a kick-ass cardio machine.

Does anyone have a favourite specific link to an article about why muscles do not lengthen?

I read a breakdown on this years ago and can't remember where I saw it, thanks.

I provided that article.

The question is, what have you done for me lately?

I suggest you positively rep me. Yes, I know "the system" doesn't allow it.

How effective is cycling for cardio? I'm a bit surprised it hasn't come up yet considering the range of different options that have. It's good fun and doesn't stress the joints too much.

How effective is cycling for cardio? I'm a bit surprised it hasn't come up yet considering the range of different options that have. It's good fun and doesn't stress the joints too much.

Dunno, but it's one of my favorites; I used to be a crazy cyclist, did century rides all the time, and just stopped when school and work got too busy. Have a $2000 roadbike that I haven't ridden in almost a year, but I feel the need coming back, and now that I'm 'just' a student, I actually have time to bike, rather than just bouncing between school and work.

That, and with gas prices continuing to rise ($2.22/gal in my neck of California), it's definitely a money saver -- takes me as long to go to the store on the bike as it does in the car, I get better parking, and a little exercise and fresh air to boot. I guess that's what I love most about cycling -- the fact that you can actually tackle a reasonable distance within a reasonable amount of time. Running twenty miles is no easy task; biking twenty miles takes an hour and a half if you're lazy. Two hours if you stop at Starbucks on the way.

Instaed of all that runing..maybe you should try some swiming. It might be easier on you. :new_blueg

god its grazy how manny different things you hear about good cardio training..
personaly i sprint for 10 minutes(if i make it)then do things like rope skipping and shadow boxing,then run again for a while and do a lot of basic power training.
The word at taekwondo is that riding a bike is better then running because it keeps the muscles long,but i guess thats just BS..