Running can help build muscle, but its effect on muscle growth is minimal. Running is most effective in building muscle endurance, not necessarily muscle mass.
However, adding some elements of strengh exercise to your running routine can help you build muscle. If you wish to build muscle without deviating from your running routine, consider running with a weighted vest. A weighted vest will definitely help build muscle and improve muslce strength especially in your lower body and core.
So, to what extent does running contribute to muscle growth? And why is running with a weighted vest better for building muscle? Let's explore the differences between running with a weighted vest and running without one and explain why running with a weighted vest can increase your muscle-building gains.
Does Running Build Muscle?
Running can help build muscle groups in certain areas of the body, especially those in the lower body and some in the core area. Running works out major muscle groups in the legs, including these:
- the quadriceps (front of the thighs)
- hamstrings (back of the thighs)
- glutes (buttocks),
- calves (gastrocnemius and Soleus)
- hip flexors.
In the core area, running helps build the following muscle groups:
- Abdominals and obliques
- lower back muscles
How Running Helps Build Your Leg Muscles
Here’s how each of these muscles is activated when you run:
- The quadriceps are responsible for extending the knee and so are heavily engaged during each stride as you run, especially when you push off the ground.
- The hamstrings help in bending the knee and extending the hip. They work with the quads to propel you forward as you run.
- Glutes drive your legs forward and power your strides, especially when you run uphill
- The calves (gastrocnemius and soleus) help push off and control your body as you lower yourself during each running stride.
How Running Helps Build Core Muscles
The impact of running on the core muscles is not as strong as the leg muscles. However, the abdominals, obliques and lower back muscles help stabilize your body and support your posture while you run-hence getting a good workout.
Here’s how running helps build your core muscles:
- The abdominals and obliques engage to prevent excessive swinging of your arms and torso.
- The lower back muscles support your posture and help maintain body balance.
Does Running Impact Arm Muscles?
While running does engage your arm muscles, it’s not going to build significant arm muscle. The motion of swinging your arms helps with balance and rhythm but doesn't provide much resistance for muscle growth.
To specifically target arm muscles, consider incorporating upper-body strength training exercises, such as push-ups, pull-ups, or dumbbell exercises, into your routine.
Is Running and Effective Strategy to Build Muscle?
While running does help build certain muscles in your body, it is not the most effective strategy for building your muscles.
Running is an effective strategy for building muscle endurance, but not necessarily muscle mass. It helps tone your muscles, giving them definition, strength, and shape.
If your objective is to build more muscle, it would be better to engage in strength training exercises like squats, deadlifts and lunges which have more resistance, and directly target muscle growth.
With a Weighted Vest, Running Can Help Build Muscle
An effective strategy to maximize the muscle building gains from your running routine is to run with a weighted vest. The additional weight of a weighted vest creates extra resistance, which forces your muscles to work harder, leading to increased muscle activation and potential muscle growth over time.
Benefits of Running for the Muscles
Here’s how running benefits your muscles:
- Running improves muscle tone in the legs, hips, and core.
- Consistent running builds the endurance of all the muscles involved, from leg muscles to core muscles.
- Running helps burn calories and reduces body fat, which leads to more defined muscle.s
- Running also increases blood flow, which is essential for muscle recovery.
Tips to Maximize Muscle Growth While Running
If your goal is to build muscle while running, you can maximize muscle gain by incorporating interval training, varying your pace, and supplementing your routine with strength training.
Follow these tips:
- Alternate between high-intensity running and low-intensity recovering: it helps active more muscle groups.
- Run uphill and in places that place more demand on your muscles
- And plyometric exercises such as jumps, squats, box jumps and lunge jumps to build strength while running.
- Eat enough protein and take in enough calories to support muscle-building
- Sleep well and have rest days to prevent muscle fatigue or injuries. Rest is crucial for muscle growth.
However, there are marginal muscle building gains associated with running, and if you can incorporate some aspects of strength training into your running, you might get the benefits of both cardiovascular fitness and muscle growth.
Running With a Weighted Vest
Running with a weighted vest not only improves cardiovascular fitness but also combines the benefits of strength training with aerobic exercise. It’s a great way to build muscle while also burning fat, making it an efficient workout.
Over time, the added weight will improve your overall running strength. Once you remove the vest, running will feel easier, and you may notice better speed, stamina, and muscle endurance due to the increased resistance you've been training with.
How a Weighted Vest Affects Muscle Building When You Run
A weighted vest increases the intensity of your run, making your muscles work harder to propel you forward, engage your core, and maintain balance.
The added resistance from the weighted vest places more stress on your quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes.
Running with a weighted vest requires more core stability. Your abs, obliques, and lower back muscles need to work harder to keep your body upright and maintain proper form.
This constant activation of your core muscles can help build muscle endurance and strength in your midsection.
Tips for Maximizing Muscle Building with a Weighted Vest
- Begin with a lighter vest (around 5–10% of your body weight) to allow your body to adapt to the added resistance.
- Keep your back straight, engage your core, and avoid excessive leaning forward or backward.
- Poor posture or running with bad mechanics can lead to injury, especially with the added load.
- If you’re new to running with a weighted vest, consider alternating between regular running days and weighted vest days.
- Adding weight while sprinting or running uphill increases the intensity and helps build muscle more effectively. Sprints, in particular, engage fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are responsible for muscle growth and strength.
- Combine running with strength training, plyometric exercises (like jump squats or box jumps), and other forms of resistance training to target different muscle groups.
- Allow your body time to rest and recover after running with a weighted vest. This is essential for muscle repair and growth.
- Make sure to hydrate, stretch, and get enough sleep for optimal muscle recovery.
Weighted Vests for Running
For running, you need a weighted vest that is between 5%-10% of your body weight. Zelus has the following weighted vests perfect for running:
Running with a weighted vest is an effective way to build muscle, especially in the legs and core. The added resistance increases the intensity of the workout, promoting muscle activation and strength development.
Just be sure to start gradually, maintain proper form, and complement it with strength training for the best results.