Though it is commonly discussed how running helps with weight loss, there is less emphasis on its impact on muscle growth. Regardless, many runners are curious about whether running can indeed contribute to muscle development and, if it does, which specific muscles are affected.
In this article, our aim is to address the question of whether running helps in building leg muscle and to offer suggestions on how one can build muscle through running.
How Exercise Builds Muscle
In order to determine whether running can contribute to muscle building, it is beneficial to first gain an understanding of how muscles grow. The process of increasing the size of your muscles through exercise, known as hypertrophy training, involves two steps.
When your muscles are overloaded during exercise, microscopic tears occur along the length of the muscle fibers, creating structural damage. This damage serves as a stimulus for myofibrillar protein synthesis or muscle protein synthesis, which is responsible for muscle-building.
The microscopic damage to the muscle fibers happens because the load or force applied to your muscles during your workout is more than what the tissue can handle in terms of functional strength.
It may seem counterintuitive, but damaging your muscle fibers is actually necessary if you want to become a stronger athlete and increase muscle mass. The small tears in your muscle fibers are what stimulate your muscles to adapt and become stronger and thicker, resulting in larger muscles and improved functional ability.
In the absence of any harm to your muscle fibers, there is insufficient stimulation to initiate the process of muscle repair, which is necessary for muscle growth. Once your workout is completed, muscle protein synthesis commences, assuming that your body possesses the necessary resources for this process.
Your body requires amino acids and energy to fix the structural damage in your muscle fibers. Amino acids are obtained from the proteins consumed in your diet, and the necessary energy is provided by the calories you consume.
It is crucial to maintain a post-run refueling strategy by consuming at least 20-30 grams of protein and around 300 calories within the first 30 minutes after completing your workout.
When you run, your body has the ability to break down protein into amino acids, transport them to the muscles involved in running, and use them to create new repairing proteins that strengthen the damaged parts of your muscle fibers.
How To Build Muscle By Running
Here are a few suggestions for developing muscle while engaging in running:
Protein and energy in the form of calories are necessary for the muscle protein synthesis process, as previously stated.
1. Eat Enough Protein
According to the position of The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) regarding protein requirements for athletes, individuals aiming to increase muscle mass should consume a minimum of 1.4–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. It is recommended to distribute protein intake evenly throughout the day, with each meal and snack consisting of 20-40 grams, equivalent to 0.25 g/kg of body weight.
2. Embrace the Process
Are you consistently taking action towards your goal of gaining size and strength, or are you missing the commitment needed to avoid stagnation?
Building muscle requires a considerable amount of time and commitment. Many individuals are not willing to make the necessary sacrifices for this process. The dedication to training and preparing meals, engaging in intense workouts, experiencing fatigue, and prioritizing recovery are all elements of the lifestyle required to achieve significant results.
Nick Bare, Founder and CEO of BPN, has recently been asked a common question: Does running become more difficult when you weigh more? The answer is a definite yes. When you are in a phase of building muscle, your body weight naturally increases. As a result, running becomes more challenging and your maximum running capacity may decrease. However, does this imply that we should stop running?
The answer is provided by the hybrid build approach.
What does it appear like when one embraces the process?
Success requires intentional, deliberate, and strategic action. It involves investing daily into the actions that lead to meaningful results. To achieve the desired outcome, it is important to identify what matters to you and what you are willing to sacrifice. Answering the following questions will guide you in going all in towards success.
In order to not waste your workouts, particularly when you have set a specific goal, it is essential to have a highly focused strategy for planning and carrying out your exercises. The route to improving your running and weightlifting abilities necessitates adopting the hybrid athlete method, which has been successfully tried and tested by Nick and numerous members of our community.
3. Eat Enough Calories
To effectively support significant muscle growth or hypertrophy from running, most health and fitness experts recommend being in a slight caloric surplus. This entails consuming 10-20% more calories per day than you are burning.
The key factor that determines the success or failure of a building phase is your ability to consume a surplus of calories. Many individuals, often referred to as “hard gainers,” who find it difficult to increase their size and strength, unintentionally consume insufficient calories.
To effectively build, one must consistently consume an excess of calories. It is necessary to consume a greater amount of calories than what is needed to maintain one’s current bodyweight week after week and month after month. Although this may seem simple from an external perspective, it actually demands meticulous attention to detail in practice.
After determining the appropriate daily calorie intake to reach your objective, you can strategize the most suitable course of action for your lifestyle. It is essential to consider the number of meals required, the specific foods that will aid in consuming enough calories, and effective preparation techniques to ensure success on any given day, particularly for athletes who often find it challenging to consume sufficient amounts of food.
Nick, the founder and CEO of BPN and also a new father, has jam-packed days. Despite this, he puts in effort to cook meals, anticipate challenges, and manages to squeeze in one of his five daily meals whenever he can, making sure to follow the belief that if something is important, time can always be made for it.
If you find it difficult to eat enough high-quality food sources consistently, it is important to prepare well and think about how to manage your time more efficiently. The ultimate truth remains unchanged – in order to increase your size, you must consume more calories than you burn. However, it is possible to alter your strategy in order to achieve this objective.
4. Focus on Your Post-Workout Nutrition Strategy
In order to initiate muscle protein synthesis and promote muscle growth from running, it is important to refuel your body promptly after your workout with a nourishing post-run snack or meal.
The recommended post-workout nutrition by most sports dietitians and protein fueling research for athletes is to consume a snack within 30 minutes after exercise that consists of a ratio of carbohydrates to protein of 3:1 or 4:1, with at least 20-30 grams of protein.
The protein provides the amino acids needed for creating new proteins in order to repair, reconstruct, and enhance muscle fibers; carbohydrates aid in replenishing exhausted glycogen stores in the muscles and liver, and sufficient calories are necessary to support the process of muscle protein synthesis.
In order to achieve a minimum protein intake of 20 grams while maintaining a ratio of 3 parts carbohydrates to 1 part protein, you will need to consume a total of 60 grams of carbohydrates, which amounts to 320 calories since both protein and carbohydrates contribute 4 kcal/gram.
To ensure maximum muscle building from running, it is recommended to enhance protein, carbohydrate, and calorie intake in your post-run snack, as these guidelines represent the minimum requirement.
5. Add Hill Workouts
Hill workouts have the ability to develop leg muscles in the glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
6. Do Not Run In a Fasted State
The percentage of energy supplied by protein will be increased by engaging in fasted running.
7. Add Strength Training to Your Workout Routine
To support hypertrophy, engage in strength training exercises that require lifting loads that are equivalent to 65-85% of your 1-repetition maximum (1RM) for three sets consisting of 8-12 repetitions. While it is feasible to develop muscle through running, prioritize your nutrition to optimize your progress.
If you want to effectively increase muscle mass while continuing to run, consider examining our 7-day meal plan designed to optimize nutrition for muscle growth.
8. Train with Enough Volume
The right stimulus is necessary for positive muscle and strength adaptations to occur. Measuring the stimuli placed on a muscle is most effective through total training volume. For Nick, his methodology places three indicators at the forefront when it comes to training.
Each of the aforementioned methods offers a way to measure the gradual increase in overall training volume over time. By gradually increasing the volume of training for different muscle groups and essential exercises, we provide the required stimulus for muscle growth.
The main point is the gradual increase in volume. Some people have a mentality of doing everything or nothing, where they try to lift excessively heavy weights and do more sets and repetitions than necessary for their current capability.
To achieve muscle growth, strength development, and overall athletic ability as a hybrid athlete, the most crucial aspect is maintaining consistent training over the course of months and years.
Do you have the goal of increasing your strength and muscle mass while also running weekly miles? It is important for you to adopt a gradual and consistent method of progress. Keep track of the weight you lift, the sets you complete, and the repetitions you perform. Gradually increase your total training volume over time and continue to develop as a hybrid athlete.
