Can I Get 6-Pack Abs from Running?

Short answer?

It definitely couldn’t hurt!  But let’s dive into the details so you don’t put together a bunch of “junk miles,” so to speak.

How Often Should I Run?

It depends, really.

For a runner who likes to do 5k’s, 10k’s, half and full marathons?

Well, probably most days per week.  There is no better way to get better at running than, well, running.

For the person who doesn’t want to participate in road races and is just looking for health?

Most days per week is NOT necessary.  You should actually include a fair amount of strength training as well since this will benefit your health and body composition more than running will.

For the CrossFitter?

Twice per week is sufficient for running specific training.  It’s been shown adding additional running training past twice per week [for a CrossFitter] doesn’t give us any more than this twice per week.

The one big caveat, here, is to someone who is using CrossFit as a cross-training tool.  For someone who is a runner, primarily and likes to CrossFit on the side, add some more running days!

What Type of Running?

To help develop abs your running should consist of aggressive interval sessions.  Some people may know this as HIIT (high intensity interval training).  This means to get your heart rate way up (via hills, sprints, etc.), let it come back down, and do it again for a set amount of intervals or reps.

This HIIT encourages your body to release testosterone and growth hormone [among other hormones], both of which help to build endurance, speed, muscle, and drop body fat.

In fact, this is a lot of what we do in CrossFit (sometimes via running but most often not).

Anybody and everybody should be doing some form of HIIT regardless of the type of runner you want to be and how you want to incorporate it into your daily life.

Lastly…

HIIT, by itself, isn’t going to do it all.  Nutrition carries a vitally important role in this.

Have questions on what types of things you should be eating, how much you should be eating, and what might be the best way to go with your training?  CLICK HERE to schedule your free No-Sweat Intro and we are happy to help!

Happy running!