Is running catabolic?

[TitanWIP]

I just read a quote on another forum from a bodybuilder and he said that running was catabolic. Is it really a catabolic if you're only doing 20 minutes a day?

[Soldier]

Lots of things we do are catabolic, but I would just say that long distance steady state running is definitely not conducive to building mass. I do know, however, that I am forced to do some running and I don't feel like it's cost me much mass.

[LtL]

Originally Posted by TitanWIP

I just read a quote on another forum from a bodybuilder and he said that running was catabolic. Is it really a catabolic if you're only doing 20 minutes a day?

I don't think it is but I'm not going to risk it just in case

LtL

[BendtheBar]

There was a time in my life where I was very paranoid about things that were catabolic. Some of these are old school, so I'm sure they will date me.

--Running
--Staying active on rest days
--Caffeine
--Training longer than an hour

My opinion...

If you're not cutting you can pretty much do anything in moderation as long as you are training hard and eating right.

If you are cutting then you might want to limit excesses that might be considered catabolic.

[bruteforce]

According to the physiology texts I am neck deep in these days, running would be catabolic, but not a significant detriment to nitrogen balance as the muscles and other organs should prefer fatty acids and glucose for fuel. Suppose it depends a lot on how long you run, and in my case, how much wind I am sucking (which is a lot)

[Off Road]

I don't see running as catabolic, rather i see it as asking my body to do the opposite of what I want it to do. When I strength train I'm asking my body to get bigger and more powerful (maximal force). If I was to start running distances I'd be asking my body to get smaller and and have greater endurance (minimal force). I would find it hard to be successful at either one if I was asking it to do polar opposites.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Off Road

I don't see running as catabolic, rather i see it as asking my body to do the opposite of what I want it to do. When I strength train I'm asking my body to get bigger and more powerful (maximal force). If I was to start running distances I'd be asking my body to get smaller and and have greater endurance (minimal force). I would find it hard to be successful at either one if I was asking it to do polar opposites.

Very good point, and a quote to remember.

[Shadowschmadow]

20 minutes a day isn't going to hurt your gains if you're eating appropriately, and if its not inhibiting your ability to train/recover.

[Kuytrider]

I do 15-30 minutes of jogging 3 times a week on non training days. I sit on my ass all day as I work from home. There is something very wrong if such a minimal amount of activity had a major effect. I basically do it for conditioning.

[piatraelfa]

It may be, but it's not that catabolic as you may think.
Ask any good doctor and he will say that it is very hard to activate catabolism, especially with 30-40 minutes cardio sessions.
From my point of view, extreme dieting is more catabolic than running.