Is Running a Better Way to Build Leg Muscles?  

If you clicked on this article because you’re trying to find new ways to grow your muscles, you aren’t alone. However, if you click on this article because you’re afraid of too much muscle growth, you also aren’t alone. 

The fact of the matter is that running will NOT build your leg muscles to any noticeable degree. Not by itself. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great addition to your fitness routine. Keep reading to learn how long-distance running can create a leaner body as well as help with muscle gains. 

What Running Doesn’t Do 

If you’re looking for visible muscle growth and increased strength, running won’t get you there. Muscle growth has everything to do with time under tension. When you’re doing a weighted squat or lung, your muscle is tensed and activated during the entire movement. This fatigues the muscles faster and allows them to grow back stronger over time. 

However, running doesn’t offer the same amount of tension. As each leg pushes off the ground to propel you forward, your muscles activate in more of a pulsing motion. This means they fatigue at a much slower rate and recover faster. 

If muscle growth is your goal, rather than endurance, it’s best to focus on strength training. Downloading a muscle booster workout planner is a great way to streamline your progress and make sure you are hitting every muscle group correctly. 

What Running Does Do 

If you’re someone who wants to improve their fitness without “getting bigger”, congratulations! Running is the perfect exercise for you.

Running improves all-over strength and endurance. If you’re starting your fitness journey from the very beginning, you will indeed notice leaner legs and increased strength over time. However, if you are already relatively fit, you won’t actually notice much of a difference in your muscle mass. 

As mentioned above, the act of running doesn’t give your muscles enough time under tension for effective hypertrophy. This means you won’t get “bigger” no matter how much you run. 

Combining Running and Strength Training 

It’s always recommended to combine strength training with running. In fact, if your goal is immense muscle growth, running could be integral to your growth journey. This is because running strengthens your heart, increases muscle endurance, and can shorten recovery time. 

Any form of cardio is good for your heart, but running specifically will get you the results you need for improving muscle growth. This is because pumping your arms in coordination with your swinging legs:

• promotes stronger mind-muscle connections 
• keeps joints lubricated
• and stimulates your lymphatic system 

Swimming, cycling, the elliptical, etc. are all great forms of cardio, but none of them improve coordination and flexibility quite like long-distance running.  

Running for Fat Loss 

It goes without saying that running is a great way to promote fat loss. Over time, this will take weight off your joints, strengthen and tone your leg muscles, and leave you looking and feeling better than ever.

However, running for weight loss is even more important if your fitness goals are aesthetic. If you only focus on strength training, you will indeed grow stronger and larger muscles. However, if you want people to be able to SEE those muscles, you also need to keep your body fat percentage low. 

You could lose that body fat by perfecting your diet and only eating chicken and broccoli for the rest of your life. However, if you want a little flexibility in your lifestyle, adding running to your routine is a fun and more realistic alternative. 

Plus, how useful is being shredded if you can’t touch jog across a parking lot, or run to catch up with friends? 

Running for Strength 

There is one way that running can directly build muscle volume: running hills. 

Running up a steep hill as fast as you can is the equivalent of pushing a sled in the gym. You won’t be technically carrying any weight, but you’ll certainly feel like you are. For those who don’t have access to a sled or other gym equipment, this is a great way to increase your speed and explosive power.

How to Add Running to Your Routine 

Whether you’re starting your journey from the beginning, or you’ve been lifting weights for years, it’s best to start your running journey nice and slowly. Just like lifting, if you overload your body too quickly, it can damage your joints and lengthen recovery time. 

Start running 2-3 times per week for 10-15 minutes at a time. In the beginning, always make sure your running route is flat or has minimal hills. After a week or two, you might find this workload getting easier and easier. This means it’s time to lengthen your run. The best method is to add 5 minutes every week until you reach a distance that you’re comfortable with. 

Unless you’re training for a marathon, studies have shown that running 3 miles a few times per week is optimal for building a healthy heart and increasing endurance.

Always remember to pay attention as you run. There’s nothing wrong with pushing through painful muscles. However, painful joints are a clear indicator that you’re attempting to run further than your body can currently handle. 

Running for Well-Rounded Fitness 

At the end of the day, long-distance running won’t directly add to your muscle growth. If your focus is on becoming leaner, this might be great news. However, if your fitness goals revolve around massive gains and getting shredded, you might think you can ignore cardio altogether. 

However, there are still amazing reasons to add long-distance running to your weekly routine. Running can shorten your recovery time and even allow for more sets and reps at the gym. Thus, more muscle growth in a shorter period of time. 

Even if you’ve been lifting for years, it’s never too late to add some light cardio to your routine. Your joints, your muscles, and even your gains will thank you later.