Vishen LakhianiFounder of Mindvalley | NYT Bestselling Author | Transforming Lives Globally

Why Running is Bad for Your Muscle Growth

10 May 2024 · 1 min

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Vishen Lakhiani argues that long-distance aerobic running reduces muscle mass—claiming it burns type 2 muscle fibers—and therefore is "negative exercise" (he cites exercise pioneer Doug McGuff). He advocates replacing long-distance running with high-intensity interval training (HIIT), stating a specific recommendation of 30 minutes of HIIT per week; he notes he personally trains about three hours per week for enjoyment.

Questions this video answers

30 minutes per week.

Three hours per week.

Doug McGuff.

Type 2 muscle fiber.

Chapters

You do not build muscle mass from aerobic. You actually destroy muscle mass if you do long distance running. Long distance running, According to Doug McGuff, the exercise pioneer, it is actually negative exercise. I'm sorry to be so blunt for those of you who are training for a marathon, but I would never do that. It actually hurts your body because your body will burn off type 2 muscle fiber. You need muscle. Long distance running is not exercise at all. You only need to do high intensity interval training for 30 minutes a week. That's it. 30 minutes a week. I do it for three hours a week because I enjoy it and I go with friends and we love working out in the gym. But you only need to do it for 30 minutes a week.