You can be a skinny and lean runner or a fat runner.
There are plenty of both kinds of runners, and they train in different ways What's the difference?
We could just as easily be cyclists or swimmers or any kind of endurance athlete. What ever the endurance training, there are two ways to do it – one that makes you lean and one that makes you fat.
The Fat Runner's Training Week 
(don't do this)
This is the schedule for either a fat-fat runner or a skinny-fat runner.
Monday: Long slow run, 60 minutes
Tuesday: Slow run, 30 minutes
Wednesday: Slow run, 30 minutes
Thursday: Slow run, 60 minutes
Friday: Slow run, 30 minutes
Saturday: Slow run, 45 minuts
Sunday: Off
The difference between whether this creates a fat-fat runner or a skinny-fat runner:
a.) The Fat-Fat Runner eats crap
b.) The Skinny-Fat runner keeps a food journal and eats less/better food
The Skinny Lean Runner's Training Week
(do this)
This is the schedule for either a skinny-lean runner or a lean-athletic runner
Monday: Long slow run, 60 minutes
Tuesday: Speed training, intervals on the track
Wednesday: Slow easy run, 15-30 minutes
Thursday: Speed training intervals on the track OR Hill sprints
Friday: Slow easy run, 15-20 minutes
Saturday: 5k Race
Sunday: Off or easy walk
The difference between the skinny-lean runner or the lean runner
a.) Skinny-Lean Runner keeps a food journal and eats good food/less of it
b.) The Lean-Athletic Runner (not skinny) keeps a food journal and eats good food, eats more of it than the skinny one.
Lean and Toned or Lean and Athletic Runner's Training Week
(do this)
This is the schedule for either a lean-toned runner or a lean-athletic runner
Monday: Long slow run, 60 minutes
Tuesday: Strength Training, Followed By Sprint Intervals
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Strength Training, Followed By Sprint Intervals OR Hill sprints
Friday: Slow easy run, 15-20 minutes
Saturday: Strength Training, Followed By Sprint Intervals OR Hill sprints
Sunday: Off or easy walk
The difference between the Lean and Toned runner or Lean and Athletic runner
a.) The Lean-Toned Runner keeps a food journal and eats good food/less of it
b.) The Lean-Athletic Runner keeps a food journal and eats good food, eats more of it than the "toned" one.
***For all the trainers who are now flipping out because I said "toned", look we all know that "toned" is just code that clients use for being lean and fit (low bodyfat percentage. And athletic is just code for having a little more muscle, but not looking like a bodybuilder (Gasp! As if!). In other words, low bodyfat percentage, but with more muscle. Since this blog is read by about 90% workout girls and dudes, and 10% trainers, I'm writing in their language, but I have to have this translation
I know I added a third runner, but I had to!
I just wanted to illustrate what I see most often. I normally see Runner #1 (the fat runner) or Runner #3 (the gym workout runner), I very rarely see Runner #2 (the smart runner who doesn't work out at the gym).
But once I started, I had to give you all of 'em!
Enjoy!
Josh Hillis
Hi Josh,
Can you recommend some guidelines for me to start doing sprints? I currently run 3-4 days and lift weights/kettlebells 2-3 days. I took to heart a while ago your advice to not just run longer, but try to run shorter distances faster. It has worked and I have lost weight and cut my standard 3.3 mile running loop time from 32 to 28 minutes! I get bored running longer than 40 minutes so I like where you’re going with this. I have not sprinted in a couple of years but would like to ease into it and not get hurt…any advice? Also, I’d rather look like the girl in the 2nd pic..are you saying she doesn’t lift weights???
I wasn’t saying the girl in the second pic doesn’t lift weights – I was saying she eats less than the girl in the third pic.
The way to start sprints is conservatively.
Start adding at the end of every run, 4 strides. A stride is where you take 100 meters or so (distance does not need to be exact) and you build up for the first 25 meters from 0 to about75% of your max sprint, run at that 75% for 50 meters, then slowly ease off the last 25 meters.
After a couple weeks, you can work up to 80%, then in a couple weeks 85%, then in a couple weeks 90% for the middle 50 meters.
Once every four or five runs you can even do 95% or 100% for a couple strides.
This will get your legs ready for the faster turnover. After you’ve been doing strides for a while and you feel ready, you can start doing workouts that are all sprint repeats. Since you aren’t competing, you can mix it up and keep it fun: Play with 100m sprint repeats, 200m sprint repeats, even 400m repeats. 400 isn’t technically a “sprint” it’s edging on “middle distance”, but I think it works great for fat loss.
One other thing about sprints – they’re supposed to be fast.
So if you were doing a workout that was supposed to be 6 x 400 meters with 3 minutes rest in between, that would be just a guideline.
If your speed dropped off significantly on the 4rth or 5th repeat, you’d call it a day. You wouldn’t *grind out* another 400 meter repeat just because that’s what was in the plan.
So the rule is to keep the sprint repeats fast, efficient, and beautiful.
You can break the rule and throttle yourself once in a while (once every three to five sprint workouts or so).
Josh, thanks for the info! Exactly how little cardio can I get away with and still look good/be healthy? For example, could I do 3 weight routines a week and run my 3.3 mile loop as fast as I can one day a week, and that’s it? I go through phases where I can’t stand running or cardio. I always like weights and kettlebells tho. What do you think of Jim Karas and his book “The Cardio-Free Diet” ?
Truth is, I’ve had female clients get under 20% bodyfat with two weight training workouts and one cardio workout per week. I’ve had clients get that lean with 3 weight training workouts and no cardio.
The one thing they all had in common – the food was right.
I personally dropped 17lbs in the last two months without doing any cardio at all. If you’re strength training, and you’re eating right, cardio is just extra credit.
the obese photo where did you get it from? trying to contact the artist
Back in the day I got everything from iStockPhoto.com, so I assume it’s from there. At some point I switched over to BigStockPhoto.com, so it could potentially be from there also.