You follow 3-4 “fitfluencers” on Instagram and every day when you see their abs cut with a knife, you wonder how it is possible to have abs like this? You then analyze the activities you do and ask yourself if running on a regular basis could also give you abs that look like chocolate bars?
First of all, I allow myself a little editorial: having abs of steel is neither a guarantee of health nor of happiness. Obviously, each person is free to choose their goals, but I believe that it would be beneficial to promote intuitive eating and natural weight. This is the subject of the podcast with Karine Gravel: How can we improve our relationship with food?
Why are abdominal muscles more visible in some people?
As you can see in the image above, the abdominal muscles have a rather elongated shape. These are not muscles that are easy to gain muscle mass. The factor that makes us see your abdominals or not is therefore the thickness of the layer of fat and skin that is located above the abdominals.
The appearance of the abdominals is therefore directly related to the percentage of body fat. The strength of your abdominals, on the other hand, is not related to the percentage of body fat!
Does running exercise the abdominal muscles?
The good news is that it doesn't matter if you see your abs since running allows you to work this muscle region.
Just about every exercise in the world will, in one way or another, strain your abdominal muscles. This is normal since these are stabilizing muscles that work most of the day.
While running, you will be using your oblique abdominal muscles a lot, which will work to stabilize your pelvis. The faster you run, as in quick intervals or in sprints, the more you will use your obliques, because the range of motion will be increased.
The central abdominals, the muscle we call "long rectus abdominis", are also more used during the fast run than when jogging lightly.
Will running improve the aesthetics of your abdominal muscles?
The real answer is: maybe. As the race makes it possible to burn a lot of calories quickly, it might allow you to possibly lose weight.
Perhaps because, generally, an increase in energy expenditure is offset by an increase in appetite, which can make weight loss more difficult.
In summary, we can consider running as an excellent exercise that will allow you to work on your aerobic capacities and the endurance of your stabilizing muscles, including the abdominals. This is without mentioning all the benefits of this type of physical activity.
However, this improvement may not translate into a decrease in your body fat level, so your abdominal muscles will not be more prominent. This is not dramatic since the greatest benefits of physical activity are on the Mental Health anyway!
Bjr, thanks for this article. So if I understand correctly, no need to cruncher to run for a long time (ultra trail)?
On the other hand, strengthening the core muscles can help you on ultra. Here is an article precisely on the respiratory muscles: https://defis.ca/2014/03/07/ameliorez-vos-performances-en-course-a-pied-grace-a-lentrainement-des-muscles-respiratoires/
Hello, I read sites on jogging more and more and it motivated me. now it's been 7 months since I started I started with 4 kms and now I'm at 9 kms I extend my circuits every 3 months. I do about 10 JOGGINGS per month and I have lost 4 kilos. I feel better physically and morally less stress.
When think you're what my program and good