Who has quit running and started lifting weights? Results?

john utah wrote:

is lifting weights a gay thing?

Ask Arnold

Yep,

I'm 6'3' was a 1:50 800m, 48sec, 400m guy in my mid 20s. My weight at those times was about 165. Im now 31 and lift most days. with a run maybe once a week of about 8km.

I dead lift and squat about 320 and bench 205 for my max reps. I would say im the change is pretty drastic from what i was to what i look like now.

Thanks man. Much appreciated. I never did running for the social part of it, though a once a month jog with a buddy or two was always nice. I'm looking forward to giving this a go. Thanks again.

I've gotten into lifting a few times over the years due to running injuries

I always come back to running.

I was a 16:50 5k guy. I quit running 3 years ago, I started Crossfit and I gained 50 pounds of muscle. I feel better than ever! I am still aerobically fit and I am strong, too -- that's the best of both worlds! I don't regret my choice at all.

Moby Dick wrote:

I'm a 17:50's 5k guy. I realized, who the heck cares?

Nobody. We've been saying this for years - nobody cares about people who run 17 minute 5ks.

I don't love "running", I simply love fitness.

Heads up - we really don't care about this either.

This week I quit running and did my first full week of weight lifting at the gym. I got to eat more, and it felt good to hit the weights.

Don't care.

I just don't know how to balance the cardio. I'm committing to 2 months of this and then deciding what to do: return to running, or continue to bulk up.

Nobody cares.

Anyone quit running (almost completely) and were able to go from skinny runner to a more fit muscular look but not quite Ryan Hall look?

Yes, lots of people have done this. Typically it is 17 minute 5k guys who suddently realize that all their training efforts in running are only resulting in mediocre 5k times.

I was a 3:45 1500m runner, 29:05 10k runner and weighed 140 to 150. I have always had to avoid the weights when I was a runner as I naturally bulk up fairly easy. I was diagnosed with heart disease at 32 which put an end to any type of racing plans. I still run between 15 and 30 miles a week but tend to hit the weights a lot. As a runner I was able to bench press 10 reps of 155, now that I primarily focus on lifting I have done 10 reps of 225 at 35 years of age and weight typically between 175 and 185. I think the key is to find a challenge in it and it makes it fun if you are only doing it for gains and to have a muscle beach body it will be miserable and unenjoyable.

I went through what you're going through and realized that some type of endurance sport is essential for my mental well being.

I was a 15:30 5K guy in college and was about 145-150 lbs at 5 ft 10 in. I got a bit sick of being skinny and started lifting and eating a shit ton. I responded very well to lifting and blew up to 170+ in a few months.

My beautiful Adonis body was much more attractive to the opposite sex and I proceeded to bag a hot girlfriend and get engaged. After doing so, I decided I missed endurance sports so I took up triathlon and gave up lifting for the most part. I have since stabilized at ~160 lbs, which is the ideal weight for tris (swimming requires some muscle). My fiancée is very open that she prefers me at 170+ lbs, but I don't give a shit. I need the psychological high of endurance training. Plus, 160 lbs is better than 145 lbs and is, in my opinion, the minimum size required to bag and retain a hot woman. If you are much below 160 lbs, your physique is, objectively pathetic. Sorry, but chances are your personality will not make up for it. Now, at 150 lbs you can obtain a woman 7/10 in the looks department, but you won't do any better unless she has a lot of baggage.

So, in summation, I recommend you put on some weight, get a hot GF (be honest, this is the only reason you want to start lifting), then reassess if you still crave endurance training. If so, pick an endurance sport that is not just running.

Mark22 wrote:

I was a 16:50 5k guy. I quit running 3 years ago, I started Crossfit and I gained 50 pounds of muscle. I feel better than ever! I am still aerobically fit and I am strong, too -- that's the best of both worlds! I don't regret my choice at all.

But do the gals find you more hot with your new bod than when you were a scrawny distance runner?

Moby Dick wrote:

This has only been a week, and I already do miss just being outside for at least an hour everyday.

As others have suggested, try calisthenics. You might be able to find a park with the necessary equipment (basically a pull-up bar and parallel/dip bars) nearby with one of these two websites. Then you're outdoors and getting stronger. You *can* get jacked with calisthenics, but it takes more deliberate effort than with weights. It gives you functional strength but also visible gains.

There is a good reddit with a recommended beginners' routine (look in the sidebar on the right):

I would cut jogging out completely. Sprinting is OK.

Walking and sprinting are the only non-lifting conditioning I do. The middle range of 20-40 minute runs at a moderate intensity are what will produce a lot of cortisol, lower testosterone in the long run and mess with your cellular signaling making muscular growth essentially impossible if you are natural.

Sprinting also produces cortisol but increases GH, testosterone and you can even stimulate muscle growth with it, making it quite complementary to building muscle. Just be careful to space it out from squatting, deadlifting and olympic lifting or anything else stressful on knees/hips and the nervous system.

You can do a lot in 6-12 months if you do moderate volume(12-20sets/workout), moderate to high frequency (every muscle group 2-3x/week) and moderate to high intensity (60-80%1RM) on the basic lifts with perfect form, and you stuff 3000-4000kcal down every day.

In terms of enjoy ability they are different sports, with different feelings. Weightlifting you need to be able to "turn it on" for a set, then shut it off. Running you are just sort of on for long periods of time. Both are nice in that you can do them by yourself and everything is on YOU. If you get injured, it's your fault, if you hit a PR, it's something YOU did, not someone else. I like that in a sport and I think lifting weights is an excellent choice for ex-runners whose legs have a lot of miles in them or just want something new.

Stuff the gym.

High school xc champion, then pro triathlete. Retired and then did a few years of pure running over 100 miles every week (inspired by LetsRun looneys). Stopped that as I got a bit bored of it. I was always around 155 and very very ripped and lean with almost world record low skin fold measurements.

Run and ride a little now but turned unto an OMPC fanatic. OldMan ParCour (TM). If I run it is up crazy steep mountains, swimming rivers and jumping and climbing stuff. I am always looking for things to climb. Also do a lot of finger tip pullups.

That said, I know I am old and not that nimble, and try to hide my dirty little secret. I also knocked myself out once and got way more careful after that.

Have put on 10 pounds on my upper body and look and feel much better than I have ever felt.

I am still getting my fresh air and not stuck in a gym, and it is a lot of fun.

So please consider OldMan ParCour.

Went from running to lifting to running.

Ran track in high school until age 16. Nothing special. Real skinny, something of an eating disorder too.

Began lifting and quit all running. Quickly crossed over to mostly strength-oriented lifting, powerlifting and olympic weightlifting. Pure bodybuilding and its competition was not my bag. Weighted between 165-170lbs at 5'7 usually. Won a few national contests and have a national record that still stands. Best lifts: 200kg squat (445lbs), 117,5kg bench press (270lbs - my weakest lift), 250kg deadlift (550lbs), 235kg (515lbs) in a three-lift meet in the 75kg (now 74kg due to change in classes a few years ago) weight class (165lbs). All lifts are done in competition, with IPF Standards.

Eventually grew sick of powerlifting competitions (they take a day and basically you're sitting on your ass for about 99% of it, plus you know the outcome usually anyway. Races are more exciting), injuries and the general lack of athleticism in the sport. The macho sh*t here and there isn't my thing either. Then again, there's that in running too, but different.

Began running again. Joined a club about 7 months ago and feeling great. Still lifting two days a week, but seeking out a balance. I've always been "light" for a powerlifter (even in my weight class), now I'm "big" for runner standards, but still not huge. Feeling like and looking like an athlete and doing fine.

I went from running to weights, to a mix of both.

College - 5-9, 133 lbs. 49 400, 1:51 800, 3:54 1500. We had a lifting program in college, and definitely got a lot stronger during college, but the running goals kept my weight down.

20s - didn't run but continued lifted weights, 5-9 usually around 155 lbs (maxed out at 165). body fat % the same as college when I focused on my nutrition. I have a skinny frame and never put up too impressive weight lifting stats, but had fun continually getting stronger and looking better. Focused mostly on compound movements. My dad was a pro body builder - so I definitely got my frame from my mom!

now (late 30s) - run when and as long as i feel like it (10-25 miles/week throughout the year, all on trails). lift less intensely than I used to (in terms of the frequency I lift to failure or go for PRs), but still lift most days for a few exercises. current weight is still 155. I do all my lifting in my basement now - gradually invested in bench, squat rack, platform, and enough free weights throughout the years. I can run a 18:00 5k if I spent a couple months on some specific paced stuff (probably only around 20minutes currently, as my mileage has been way down - but i can usually drop a few minutes pretty quickly with speed work - which i do in the summers), but who cares, I'm not trying to win any races. Still enjoy getting out on trails with friends and 8min pace can feel quick these days on trails - just as fun as it was when i'd run much faster paces. I'm happy with my running as long as I can survive a 5-7 miler on trails with the bros on their easy days or with women that are on the faster side. I really have no desire to train for races anymore. If I had dropped weight, ran for years, stayed injury free - could I be running 5ks sub 16 right now? Probably - maybe even faster. But at the end of the day I DEFINITELY wouldn't want to have 15 lbs less muscle and a lot less time for other activities or family (I never lift for more than 40min), just for some age group wins at some small local 5ks a few times a year or chase some times that I know I could have crushed 10 years earlier. I'd rather chase some lifting PRs and have my body look better than other dads at the neighborhood pool parties.

So you quit running out of vanity.

Shows a lack of confidence & without that you will get nowhere with women.

It's like people who start smoking to look cool.

Unless you don't like running then quit.

Ridiculous. wrote:

Stamina of a runner. Good one. Ever had sex son? I didn't realize aerobic capacity related to sexual prowess.

You're doing it wrong.

Ryan Hall...check him out..

Good thread. There are plenty of former runners that transformed their passion for working out into something they can actually be proud of.

E.g. Adam Charlton, former world class UK runner. He now just lifts and it shows:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/db/63/1e/db631ec80682cc4f14485ee407ea7799.jpg

As a long distance runner, he always looked scrawny/like a girl but now he basically makes your jaw drop.

for some reason, image didn't come through but here is another great before/after:

http://cdn.simplyshredded.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/5.jpg