Running is so under-ratted. All the people I have met who are into lifting advice not to run cause according to them if you do it too much you ill lose muscle mass.

However, when I tried running it was the best. There is nothing like running. it makes your whole body light, improves your posture, mood and a full body work out. It won't give you muscle mass but the days when I don't run I feel like my full body is not activated.

IMHO the most important factor is effort and intensity. Running offers the advantage that you can't do it without a significant amount of effort while it is pretty easy to become lazy in the gym or on the bike.

Wow its weird you posted this, I've wanted to post this same thing for a while.

For me it comes down to this: if you want to improve your mental health than do CARDIO, not LIFTING. You really hit the nail on the head with this and it's really irked me for a while that lifting is the go to on TRP.

I at one point was swimming 3 miles a week, 66 lengths of the 25m pool I go to and I was feeling GREAT! I felt confident, calm and effective. Fast forward, I now lift 2/3 times a week and I do not have half the confidence I had before, despite the fact my body looks way better. I now am going to lift just two days a week and start swimming again, you've actually given me the motivation so thanks for that dude.

TLDR: CARDIO is way better for your MENTAL HEALTH than lifting. End of.

Don't forget to mention the following regarding running:

1. Run on grass, not concrete;
2. Make sure you know what the effect on your joints will be. Running is often best for people when they reach a certain weight, meaning they aren't overweight.
3. Make sure you have the right shoes for your body;

Also, there are other forms of cardio you can invest in: swimming (salt pools if you can), punching a heavy bag, faster paced dancing, sports that don't involve high risk to your body, jumping rope, etc.

Cardio exercise also helps you gain more muscle from lifting, and I can imagine having good cardio leads to better performances in the bedroom as well.

Op's bro science aside, I've done lifting, striking combat sports, and long-distance running. Distance running (less than an hour a day for most workouts) is the healthiest imo: pure lifting would cause me to be in awful cardio shape, and sparring has the potential to be super bad for the brain (if you want to be a good amateur fighter you have to spar often, and if you want to learn you have to mess up aka get hit in the face a LOT). Downsides however are not being yoked (though I could lift on the side, I'm just lazy tbh), and having less T, as your body generates more by pushing heavy weight or fighting (both from what I've read, and what I've felt personally). HIIT is solid as well (maybe the best option actually, as it will get you all the benefits except looking big). Also, I'm becoming a big fan of yoga (no homo lol), as I (and a lot of "macho" guys) tend to run our bodies into the ground and work our muscles to death without adequate recovery. Stretching the main muscle groups does wonders to relax the mind, and provides this inexplicable renewing energy esp. during a period of hard/relentless training

But nobody wants to look like a skinny distance runner. Running is good but you still need to lift.

I do a mixture of weight training and dancing to get my balance of anaerobic and aerobic exercise. I do sports the odd time also.

Running isn't exactly sexy but it is good for your fitness. I personally can't stand running just for the sake of running so I'd prefer to play sports that bring enjoyment and the aerobic exercise plus it's good social proof if you're good at the sport e.g. soccer.

Dancing for me is the sexy aerobic exercise as it is sexy and increases your fitness - dance for an hour straight and you'll know what I mean. When I say dancing I don't mean mindless dancing in a nightclub, I mean serious Smooth and Rhythm dancing. Professional dancers are fit and flexible plus most definitely have large sex appeal. Most of the women involved are model tier good looking too.

If you can deadlift 500 pounds then knock out a competitive level Tango or Salsa routine for 30 minutes you won't be worried about picking up women.

Dancing is a mating ritual since the dawn of man.

Nah, my father was a runner, now his knees are shot. It's terrible for your knees with the high impact, you're better off cycling.

Most importanly: DO SOMETHING. Lifting is TRP cookie cutter and I'd definitely recommend it for whole host of reasons but there's myriad of other physical stuff one can do, be it running, fighting, hiking, climbing, yoga, goddamn pilates if you want. Just be consistent. Anything goes and every real life experience counts while making you a better version of yourself compared to the version sitting at the computer and reading theories on reddit.

PS: I lift and run.

College Runner Here, Ive been training extensively in long distance running and continue to lift with it as well. If you have the time its a beautiful combination. The cognitive benefits of running are so much higher than the benefits of lifting sorry but its true. BDNF 'brain derived neurotrophic factor" ,possible endocannabinoids receptor activation theres nothing like it. I currently run more than 4miles+ a day and have a lift session in the afternoon. It makes you feel calm, awake, opioid like confident not arrogant. Start with half to 1mile if your new and build up weekly and pace fellas, pace!

You had to be able to run long distances to survive and be a valuable person, and therefore a valuable mate.

Those guys were the ancient version of the Beta Bucks.

The crux of your fallacious thinking is that Alpha-Beta is not an inter-species competition. It's an intra-species contest. What good does running do in that regard? If running were sexy, the most attractive male body would be pretty skinny. The only benefit to running in a fight with a stronger man is that you're able to flee...a pretty Beta thing to do, obviously.

Go ahead and run if it makes you feel good. But it won't help you get laid, except indirectly as part of a fat loss routine or something of the sort. Only lifting can turn you into Chad.

If you are trying to get bigger do not run at all. Running puts the body in a catabolic state. Lift, eat, walk 3 times per day, and sleep. If you just want to be 'fit' yes run.

RUN your way to the GYM. Simple

I used to run pretty much every day, but I switched to swimming every day and running once or twice a week. Swimming is easier on the joints, you work more muscle groups, and unlike running where you have to deal with a variety of surfaces and weather conditions, the pool is always the same 25m and 88ºF, so I know my PRs are legitimate and not because I had a 15MPH tailwind or something.

Lifting for the muscles, running and HIIT for the heart and yoga and stretching for the ligaments, and calisthenics for compound strength. Swimming is great. So is biking.

It's a good life with so many options. I don't see why people are so opinionated about these things. Plenty of people can lift heavy and also have endurance in absolute numbers.

And OP, don't kid about your attempts at lifting. I could already run 10 K before I started lifting (though my times were dreadful), and after lifting and HIIT, my running speed is significantly more. Runner's high is for real, but you know what, the real problem is that you aren't to happy to work indoors in one place.

What's with all of you guys that every one of you seems to be suffering from depression like it's some right of passage?

Here we go, another example of a guy who does activity X and, sure enough, activity X is somehow alpha.

You don’t get it kid. TRP tells people to lift because we’ve figured that women want to fuck masculinity and that physical strength is pure concentrated masculinity cue.

Run if you want. Or do yoga. Or crochet. Or play the bagpipe if that’s your thing. But don’t go thinking that your hobbie is somehow an activity that deserves special status in TRP theory. If it’s not something that feels typically masculine, then you’ve just got a hobbie on your hands.

I can never find the balance. I'd rather be running than lifting. It'd be nice to have bigger muscles. It's either one or the other for me every day. Running has been a God send for me, it's my little treat every time. "ughh I can't believe you run every day, I hate running" is what I am always being told. I am addicted to the meditation it gives me and the awesome feeling I have when I am done.

Running sucks when you are just getting started. Get yourself an app. RunKeeper is what I use, it keeps track of your pace, distance and time. It's a nice little hobby to see if you can push yourself faster.

HIIT is great, any program is fine. I recommend the 17 minutes program as outlined in this paper. Long-distance running is retarded though. Have you seen how those runners look like? Thanks but no thanks.

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You can't build a skyscraper on a shitty foundation. Base level strength will make your other activities way more easier because of increase in force production. If you don't even have a bodyweight squat and 1.5 x bw deadlift then in my opinion you're just avoiding hard work.

Any of you who are suffering from depression at all, it is HIIT/cardio/running that is going to get you out of the slump, not lifting.

I get a lifters high. If you aren’t, you’re need to bump up your lifting intensity

if you try to go at the fastest speed at the highest incline, you’ll last like 30 seconds assuming you don’t face plant first

If you wanna run do HIIT with sprints. More efficienct for fat burn than that long distance shit

And of course this is downvoted.

Since the retards here put women on pedestal, the only thing they care is if exercise makes them more attractive so that women finally accept them.

Such minutiae as cardiovascular health never enters the picture—again, the only thing they care is how quickly cardio burns fat, so that they finally can have a six pack, so that women finally accept them.

Interesting that the examples of real cavemen are easily accessible, as there are still primitive hunter-gatherers even now, and they aren’t any big, they mostly look like endurance runners indeed. But since it’s not alpha shmalpha broscience, it doesn’t count.

a healthy balance should be the goal. both cardio and lifting.

still running will wreck your knees, but the again lifting will too.

It will help you stay lean, but the core of lifting is to make you more appealing. Women like their men bigger, they want to feel small and secure with you. Hardly any girl likes a scrawny guy for his size. Combine lifting (primary) with running (secondary) or any other form of relevant cardio for optimal results.

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Optimal is to be between 7-10% bodyfat.

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After just running my second marathon, I can confidently say that running has changed my life in incredibly positive ways.

It teaches persistence and determination and is an incredible way to clear your mind.

Highly advised.

I agree with you for sure. The only problem with distance running is the ridiculous strain it puts on your lower body.

I box and when I'm training for a bout I'm running 4-5 miles 3 days a week, and doing HIIT sprints 2 days a week. I can already feel the damage it's doing to my knees lol.

Best cardio I've found is swimming although I hate every moment of it.

Daniel Wolpert: The real reason for brains

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s0CpRfyYp8

Lift weights, learn a martial arts, learn to dance, run, do yoga, have sex in multiple positions

It doesn't have to be running, any form of cardio works. My knees are fucked from running but I get plenty of cardio from kickboxing and sparring.

Running puts significant stress on the joints. Weightlifting puts stress on the joints too, but weightlifting actually makes you look more attractive. Running might make you feel good, but it does jack shit for your appearance, especially long distance runners who look skinny and weak as fuck - not a good look for picking up women. Weightlifting makes you feel good AND look sexier. Win win.

If you really want to run, the best thing to do is sprints + weightlifting combined. Long distance running is a complete disaster, just never do it under any circumstances.

Swimming is actually a far better alternative to all these things. Swimming puts no stress on the joints and is a great cardiovascular workout.

Bro you are so fucking spot on. Anyone who was an ex-athlete likely fully agrees with you. Lifting is easy. The real alphaness comes from running, from pushing your body to those extremes that only the true winners will ever be willing to go to. It's not hard to throw a bit of weight above your body. Try shredding your lungs into oblivion on a hard run, if you want to know what winners are made of. You're completely right with this post.

But let's be honest, a lot of the guys on this sub have never exercised in their life. For them, lifting is what makes them stop feeling like a weakling. Ex-athletes understand that lifting isn't remotely difficult compared to all-out, lung-bursting cardio. But a lot of guys here will never get that, because they spent their entire lives doing zero exercise, and could maybe never even train their body to run with peak intensity. For them, lifting is enough to make them feel like a new person. They don't know about the next realm that comes with peak running, but that's ok, their T-levels are probably lower too. Can't blame them, everyone has their limit, and they won't push theirs to the max.

The truest alpha exercise IMO is all-out sprinting. Hill sprints if you can. Nothing comes close, if you've actually done it properly. Distance running is good too, but nothing can touch the all-out, nausea-inducing, limit-pushing level of sprinting.

Here's some advice from a boomer: Don't overdo it..you will need those knees and hips later in life..and don't try to lose weight by exercising, your diet is way more important than your activity level.

Important note: learn HOW to run. So many people run heels first, and then have joint pain few years in. I remember reading that 70% people who run for hobby, have problems with knee joints.

I HATE running, unless I'm playing sports.

The running that I is SPRINTING, it works better and is faster than running several miles.

Can't wait for the new fad of 'just run, bro' as a fix for everything.

As someone with knees that creak / make noises (like the cartilage is a bit spent) but does not feel any pain at all and can lift just fine: is long distance running recommended?

It's all about barefoot too. It's so much better for you. Less impact, fewer injuries. Ease into it, then it's smooth sailing

I do exactly this plus lifting. Both are important. Running helps you, not feel alpha, but keep in control of your life. After I run I'm calm, collected, clear headed, and focused. Sometimes I'll go home from work and feel like breaking my diet or binging on crap or even breaking nofap, then I know "I need to run today or I'll go insane" and after a run I'm always better.

Aye, see you at Boston! I love running and big distance, long runs. You can't do them forever but a few years of marathon level training is a ton of fun. Make sure to taper off as you get older so your joints don't vanish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICNaSah5bAs

I’ve been been loving the row machine in the gym as a form of cardio. It really is full body including mental. Cardio and weight resistance.

Running is fine if you accept the fact that you'll need to get knee replacements.

You're right: Our bodies were made to run... for about forty years. Then die.

Running outside is a great way to get some fresh air and clear your mind. I do it once a week, it's a great mood enhancer and good way to mix up the workouts .

Except if you are already really skinny then running will make you disappear. Don't overdo the cardio, man. Get a balance between that and weight lifting.

This is immensely true all of y’all thinking nothing but easy pussy and weights don’t know the purpose of redpill.

Red pill is about making better men, not PUA bs. Running helps you stay fit and CAPABLE. Yea you lift a lotta rocks but you can’t even catch up to that punk who just jacked your shit. And that’s just a basic example why to run/sprint.

So why not do both?

Just google David Goggins then come back to this

Fighting or other sports >>>>>> doing conditioning (like running) and never actually using ) it because you don’t play sports .

Cardio is a meme overdone by stereotypical roided freaks who would tear their shoulders off trying to throw anything overhand .

Leave the treadmill for women .