Is running an ultra marathon bad for the body?

[TimeToTrain]

To complete 100 miles is elite level cardio, but is it overall bad for the body in the long term?

 

[Jkillah]

I imagine yes. Anything that pushes the body to it's absolutely limits long term is probably bad.

 

[gspieler]

To complete 100 miles is elite level cardio, but is it overall bad for the body in the long term?

Do you intend to complete one? What happens to physiological markers as a result of an ultra probably depends a lot on individual genetics and training experience. For a first-timer, I imagine it'd wreak havoc on the immune, endocrine, and musculoskeletal systems. Trained marathoners, though, might be able to fly under the radar, for lack of a better term.

 

[Sano]

Yes.

 

[teepsandbarleywine]

I imagine yes. Anything that pushes the body to it's absolutely limits long term is probably bad.

Exactly. Performance and health are two separate goals when you get to high level competitions. At the high end of anything there's always more wear and tear, risk of injury, etc.

 

[biscuitsbrah]

I’d say it’s less bad for the body than being a coach potato. Still pretty crazy though. Just thinking about it hurts my joints

 

[TerryMCLOOPS]

Not as bad as drinking beer or being a whiney piece of shit materialist.

 

[vision1]

Not as bad as drinking beer or being a whiney piece of shit materialist.

Tough guy like you doesn't drink beer? pffft

 

[dissectingaorticaneurysm]

It's probably not as bad as one would think simply because they're self selected from a pool of competitors who find the regular marathon too easy. Their bodies are built (and adapted) for an activity that would most likely kill the average exercise hobbyist. Those would all be weeded out when they faint from attempting a normal marathon.

It's still not great for your health, but most of the top guys seem to recover just fine the day after.

 

[ThunderL1ps]

I'd think it would depend on the body you brought to the marathon. If you have issues with your body already, have fun adding to your injuries.

 

[SandaKicker]

Better than being a couch potato but bad if you are serious about competing in any sport (other than an endurance athlete, even for a standard marathon runner it would bad).

 

[RightToBareKnuckles]

it can have some serious risks at least in the short-term. it's not unheard of for people doing them to have temporary blindness, kidney failure, and other issues can occur

 

[PRYMAYTE]

To complete 100 miles is elite level cardio, but is it overall bad for the body in the long term?

Running (especially on pavement) is bad for the body and should never be engaged in for a combat athlete because steady-state cardiovascular training destroys fast twitch muscle fibers and replaces it with slow twitch muscle fibers while lowering your body's natural levels of testosterone

If you're dumb enough to believe you have to leave the MMA gym and train in another sport to become better at MMA at least do Hill Sprints or ride a bike perhaps swim but whatever you do going for a stupid archaic jog is a total waste of time

 

[vision1]

Running (especially on pavement) is bad for the body and should never be engaged in for a combat athlete because steady-state cardiovascular training destroys fast twitch muscle fibers and replaces it with slow twitch muscle fibers while lowering your body's natural levels of testosterone

If you're dumb enough to believe you have to leave the MMA gym and train in another sport to become better at MMA at least do Hill Sprints or ride a bike perhaps swim but whatever you do going for a stupid archaic jog is a total waste of time

Are you also a conspiracy theorist?

 

[PRYMAYTE]

Are you also a conspiracy theorist?

Nope...just into sports science

 

[vision1]

So many issues with your interpretation of that video and how you use it to validate the dumb post above.
Don't know where to begin.

 

[gspieler]

Cliffs of that vid:
-LISS running decreases T
-HIIT/sprinting increases T, directly through increased blood levels of T post-run, and indirectly through increased fat loss
-Marathoners are “skinny fat”

 

[Sano]

Nope...just into sports science

Nonsense.

 

[vision1]

Cliffs of that vid:
-LISS running decreases T
-HIIT/sprinting increases T, directly through increased blood levels of T post-run, and indirectly through increased fat loss
-Marathoners are “skinny fat”

The guy in this video has no clue what he's talking about and he interprets the studies in a way that suits his youtube video.
He also uses the word massive way too often

Those cliff notes are his interpretations but are not accurate and they are not reason to ignore the benefits of steady state jogging.

I like how he mentioned elevated T-levels after sprinting were temporary but didn't consider that for marathon runners who were measured immediately after finishing a race.

 

[gspieler]

The guy in this video has no clue what he's talking about and he interprets the studies in a way that suits his youtube video.
He also uses the word massive way too often

Those cliff notes are his interpretations but are not accurate and they are not reason to ignore the benefits of steady state jogging.

I like how he mentioned elevated T-levels after sprinting were temporary but didn't consider that for marathon runners who were measured immediately after finishing a race.

Yeah, the info he provides is too vague to draw any valid conclusions from. He also doesn't cite the actual studies in the video; rather just uses phrases like "a recent study". He may have them linked in the description; idk. But I'd wager if you went back and dissected each claim, you could find many flaws though.

In any case, as someone who enjoys steady state running, and have personally experienced both health and performance benefits from it, I don't really care if the research states that, on average, runners have slightly lower T levels, post-race.