It’s a commonly held belief that running makes your legs bulkier. Given the repetitive nature of the activity, it’s understandable that many people assume this must be due to an increase in muscle mass. If you Google ‘does running make your legs bigger?’ you will find dozens of articles and answers saying something like “it does if you keep doing it regularly” as if everyone knows this is the case with every other kind of exercise. There are several reasons why people think that running has this effect on the legs. Firstly, many amateur runners experience some degree of knee pain after training for a 5K or 10K race, which leads them to believe that their knees have gotten bigger from all that pounding. Secondly, distance runners have large leg muscles, but not because they run a lot; just because their bodies are built that way. Lastly, runners who stop tend to gain weight in their upper body but not their legs supporting the theory that running makes your legs bigger only if you continue.
Does Running Make Your Legs Bigger?
No, running does not make your legs bigger. In fact, running can actually help to slim down your legs. This is because running is a great cardio workout that helps to burn calories and fat. So, if you are looking to slim down your legs, then running is a great exercise to do!
The Truth About Running And Making Your Legs Bigger
The Myth: Running Makes Your Legs Bigger
We have all heard this one before and it is the most common myth about running. While running can help to burn calories and fat, it does not make your legs bulkier.
The Truth: Running Helps to Burn Calories and Make Your Legs Slimmer
Running helps to burn calories and fat because of the amount of effort you have to put in while doing a run. If you were to run on flat ground, then you would not get that much benefit from doing so. You would be burning a lot of calories just going at a slow pace. However, if you were to run on hills or up and down stairs etc then your heart rate will increase drastically as well as the intensity of your workout which will lead to more calories being burned. This is why many people find that they lose weight when they start running regularly as their metabolism goes crazy!
How To Make Your Leg Bigger?
1. Do not skip leg day
Even if you are a runner, you still need to spend at least an hour a week on your legs. If you only spend an hour on your legs then you will not see any results in terms of making your legs bigger. You must make sure that you spend at least an hour on your legs each week and that means that if you are a runner then you must do both running and weight training. If you want to make your leg bigger then make sure that you do at least 45 minutes of cardio each day.
2. Running is not enough
If all you do is run, then there is no way that this will help to make your leg bigger when it comes to the girth of the muscle tissue. You have to combine running with other exercises like weight training so that the muscles can get a good workout whilst also building up some bulk!
3. Weight lifting is important too!
Weight lifting is important for those who want to build up their muscle strength and size as well as increase the size of their biceps, triceps, calves, etc. This will increase the size of these areas in addition to making them look better overall too!
4. Eat lots of protein-rich foods
Protein-rich foods are very important when building up bulkier muscles such as legs and arms as well as adding mass back onto those areas after they have lost it through losing weight or aging etc. It is very important that those who want to build up their body to look better in the gym and also to increase their muscle strength and size eat lots of protein-rich foods such as whey protein shakes, meat, eggs, and more!
5. Get some cardio exercise in too!
It is important that you get some cardio exercise in as well so that your heart rate will remain healthy. If you do not get enough cardio exercise then this will lead to you getting a heart problem such as a heart attack. Therefore it is very important that you get your cardio exercises in each day so that this does not happen. You can do this by running, walking, or even doing dance classes, etc.
6. Start eating healthier
It is also very important that you start eating healthier as well so that your body can use the food better which will lead to better results when it comes to building up bulkier muscles such as your legs and arms! You should start eating more whole foods such as fruit and vegetables, lean meats such as chicken breast or fish, etc. There are many other things that are beneficial for healthy living too but these are just some of the best ones for increasing leg size when it comes to weight lifting too!
7. Find a workout buddy
If you are finding it difficult to get to the gym, then you could try finding a workout buddy or a training partner who will help you out so that you can both work out together! This will make it easier for you to keep going and also to push yourself harder so that you can achieve your goals!
8. Always give yourself time to recover
It is also very important that when you are working out, especially if it is weight lifting, always give yourself time to recover. It is very easy when we are trying to bulk up our muscles too quickly so we don’t always think about how much time we need. However, if we just give ourselves enough time, then these results will come faster rather than having them take longer! You should always be giving yourself at least 2-3 days of rest after each workout session. This will allow your muscles and body time to repair themselves and also allow your body to build up some muscle size and strength as well!
9. Use proper form
It is also very important that you use proper form when you are lifting weights. This will help to prevent injury and also keep your body healthy as well!
10. Always get enough sleep
It is also very important that you get enough sleep too! This will help to keep your body healthy and also allow your muscles to recover properly so that they can grow stronger!
Conclusion
If you have been running for a long time and your calves and quads are not noticeably bigger than when you started, then the muscles are not growing. In other words, if you want to grow your calves through running, they have to be working at a high level of intensity. Aside from that, distance running is simply not intense enough to stimulate muscle growth, so if you want thicker legs, you are better off strength training than you are hitting the pavement.
