Thicker = more muscular
Thicker = more muscular
absolutely. probably almost twice as big honestly my quads and hams are much larger after started distance training. always thought it was weird considering how much your running..
absolutely. probably almost twice as big honestly my quads and hams are much larger after started distance training. always thought it was weird considering how much your running..[/quote]
Is this ^^ a joke?! You seriously think its "weird" that your legs are more muscular since you began running distance?
not even at all, actually the opposite, they went from normal to sticks
peopleareannoying wrote:
not even at all, actually the opposite, they went from normal to sticks
Now THAT's weird... you definitely sound like an ectomorph (a person who has an extremely fast metabolism, has a slender physique, and also has little muscle due to how quickly the body cycles the calories).
It's frequently shocking how little people on this site know.
Do you really want to compare Rupp's thigh girth with Gatlin's? There's a place in Dr.David Costill's book where he describes a 2:20 marathoner trying to make the OT. His vertical jump at the time was 11.5 inches. That's it, and it wasn't because of all that muscle mass he put on from 100+ mpw.
When you train, the fibers you use tend to hypertrophy and the ones you don't use tend to atrophy. But the ones you don't use in distance running (unless you sprint or weight train) at the larger type II fibers and the ones you hypertrophy are the smaller type I fibers. So your legs get smaller (one of the Kenyans' advantages).
When you run mileage, you lose body fat. You may think you are getting more muscular because you can see muscles more than you used to. But in realty, what you're seeing is more definition due to losing the body fat. You think your leg muscles are getting bigger, but they're getting smaller and weaker.
If you want bigger muscles you have to do what sprinters do: minimum mileage, lots of sprinting and weights. Their 5K times suck.
coach d wrote:
It's frequently shocking how little people on this site know.
Do you really want to compare Rupp's thigh girth with Gatlin's? There's a place in Dr.David Costill's book where he describes a 2:20 marathoner trying to make the OT. His vertical jump at the time was 11.5 inches. That's it, and it wasn't because of all that muscle mass he put on from 100+ mpw.
When you train, the fibers you use tend to hypertrophy and the ones you don't use tend to atrophy. But the ones you don't use in distance running (unless you sprint or weight train) at the larger type II fibers and the ones you hypertrophy are the smaller type I fibers. So your legs get smaller (one of the Kenyans' advantages).
When you run mileage, you lose body fat. You may think you are getting more muscular because you can see muscles more than you used to. But in realty, what you're seeing is more definition due to losing the body fat. You think your leg muscles are getting bigger, but they're getting smaller and weaker.
If you want bigger muscles you have to do what sprinters do: minimum mileage, lots of sprinting and weights. Their 5K times suck.
coach d, I normally like you, but you're talking a lot of nonsense here. Distance running stimulates both slow and fast fibers, though it doesn't stimulate fibers in a way that causes a lot of hypertrophy. However, any sort of stimulation is going to cause more hypertrophy than none, so a distance runner is going to increase muscle size compared to their sedentary self. How much is largely determined by genetics, diet, and training methods.
You are definitely right about the fat though. Whether a person's legs increase or decrease in size upon taking up distance running will depend on their starting point. A sedentary stick will likely increase muscle size. An overweight person or someone who's been doing a lot of anaerobic exercise will likely lose thigh girth.
coach d wrote:
It's frequently shocking how little people on this site know.
Do you really want to compare Rupp's thigh girth with Gatlin's? There's a place in Dr.David Costill's book where he describes a 2:20 marathoner trying to make the OT. His vertical jump at the time was 11.5 inches. That's it, and it wasn't because of all that muscle mass he put on from 100+ mpw.
When you train, the fibers you use tend to hypertrophy and the ones you don't use tend to atrophy. But the ones you don't use in distance running (unless you sprint or weight train) at the larger type II fibers and the ones you hypertrophy are the smaller type I fibers. So your legs get smaller (one of the Kenyans' advantages).
When you run mileage, you lose body fat. You may think you are getting more muscular because you can see muscles more than you used to. But in realty, what you're seeing is more definition due to losing the body fat. You think your leg muscles are getting bigger, but they're getting smaller and weaker.
If you want bigger muscles you have to do what sprinters do: minimum mileage, lots of sprinting and weights. Their 5K times suck.
Just saying, look at Meb Keflezighi's legs. They're visibly striated when shown in slow-mo (while he's running of course), and he's one of the fastest marathoners in the country.
"But in realty, what you're seeing is more definition due to losing the body fat. You think your leg muscles are getting bigger, but they're getting smaller and weaker."
Coach d, you are a moron! Distance running does not make your legs smaller and weaker! No, you do not have to "do what sprinters do: minimum mileage, lots of sprinting and weights" to get bigger muscle. Simple weight exercises such as squats, split squats, lunges etc will build the size of the muscles.
In regard to your comment on Kenyan's having advantages due to smaller legs, this again is rubbish. Its all about minimum body fat as possible ensuring you sufficient muscle for strength. For example, take a thin runner, Megan Goethals, and compare her legs to a stronger runner, eg, Hasay, Infeld. "Larger" legs, more power...
Coach d, any decent distance runner integrates sprinting and weights into their program, or their coach would...unless you're coach d
Mine have gotten thinner. All I can say is I lost fat. I still wear medium shorts for the waist only as splits are huge in the legs for me, and all my shirts are small now.
I believe you've confused running with eating pudding as the cause of your leg thickness.
No. I was a soccer player. My legs got skinnier. Still beefy by runner standards, but smaller.
