Running every day?

Question

I've been running every other day for a while now and my weight is starting to plateau. Would running every day increase my muscle mass and actually make me look heavier if I started? I'm around 120 and a little over 5'4" and would like to be a solid 115.

Any ways I can do this?

Answer 1

Running does strengthen the muscles, but running alone should not result in a lot of muscle bulk, especially for the female.  Most women runners have some leg muscle, but it definitely doesn't make them look heavy.  If you're really concerned about putting on muscle bulk, avoid hill running as that seems to result in the most muscle building in my experience.  But almost all serious female runners I know have a lean, toned look, not a muscle bound look.  The ones who do have more muscle tend to work out in the gym in addition to running.  It's hard to bulk up running!

Adding a day or two per week of running (try to keep a day or two for rest) can help accelerate your weight loss as you are burning extra calories.  You could also try cross-training if you're not already on one of your off running days.  Cycling is a good complement to running for example.

Another thing to do is mix up your running routine ... go longer some days, shorter and faster others.  Your body can become efficient at running, which reduces your calorie burn.  By mixing up your workouts, you can burn more calories than by just doing the same workout every single day.

Answer 2

it shouldn't. how long are you running for a distance? balance out your food intake, and what you burn. you may have muscle mass, but i dont think it'd be that great....just keep doing it i think it shold go okay