What body shape will your running get you?

Did you know that the type of running that you do will determine exactly what body shape you get after you’ve lost weight?

That’s why one of the main things to consider when using running to lose weight is this…

What do you want to look like when you reach your desired weight?

An important thing to realise is that different running methods have very different effects on your body such as the amount of muscle or fat that they burn, how hard your muscles are worked, and how quickly you improve your fitness.

For example, if you run for lots of miles and train like a marathon runner then that’s the body shape you are training towards.

You’ll lose both fat and muscle which means that when you reach your desired weight you’re likely to still carry excess fat around your stomach, thighs, and bottom due to having a higher body fat percentage than what you could have.

That’s a huge problem for many people who lose weight with running…

Even if they lose weight they are still unhappy and NOT satisfied with their body shape because they look like a miniature version of their previous self.

If you keep training like this and just run lots of miles then eventually you’ll end up with little body fat and you’ll look like a marathon runner.

However, now your weight will be lower than average because you’ll have little fat but you’ll also have little muscle. You only need to look at the skinny body shape of marathon runners to see what type of body you are training to become.

The other disadvantage is that you need to keep up a high mileage in order to maintain your weight. This is because you would have a low metabolism and burn fewer calories due to having little muscle.

If you were to get injured or stop running at any time then you would need to stick to a low calorie diet to avoid putting the weight back on.

Alternatively, the benefit of using shorter and quicker running methods, and even including some longer runs if wanted, is that you can train more towards a toned and athletic look.

By “athletic look” I mean that you’ll have a good amount of attractive and healthy muscle while also having a low body fat percentage.

For example, if you train more like a 400 metre runner then this is the type of athletic body shape that you are working towards. Therefore, when you reach your desired weight you’ll have some muscle but you’ll also have little body fat.

This highlights the fact that quicker running methods maintain more muscle while burning off lots of fat, so you end up with a body that has attractive and healthy muscle but little fat.

Long distance running on the other hand does burn off fat, but it also burns off plenty of muscle.

So just to summarise, your aim when losing weight should be to lose weight from fat ONLY, rather than from fat as well as muscle. This is because you’ll be working towards a more attractive and athletic looking body.

Plus it’s also a lot easier to keep the weight off due to having a good amount of healthy muscle which burns more calories all day long.

Therefore, when using running to lose weight you should always consider the effect that the running methods you use will have on your body shape.

After all, surely after putting all the time and effort into losing weight you want to get the look you desire, rather than losing weight and still being unhappy with your body.

Choose wisely the running methods that you use and how you use them.

James Porter