[jorvi]

> That said, running 400m sprints with small rest intervals is extremely hard on every part of the body and I found the muscle stress from running far greater than from swimming.

This surprises me greatly. If you look at the body of a professional runner vs. a professional swimmer the swimmer is much, much more built.

[frankbreetz]

If you look at sprinters compared to swimmers, I would say the sprinters are much more built. If you compare marathon runners to swimmers, it is the swimmer that is more built.

This brings up the interesting topic of anaerobic vs. aerobic exercise which running can be either. Typically one would think of anaerobic exercise as lifting weight or strength training, but sprinting is also anaerobic, meaning you are building muscles.

When you run at a slower pace you are conditioning your lungs and not your muscles as much. This is aerobic exercise, and why marathon runners are so skinny because they are more focus on lung capacity than muscle building.

When you sprint your muscles are actually being broken down and then when you stop they get rebuilt as stronger and larger muscles. This is the reason no one can sprint a marathon.

What is curious to me is that elite marathon runners "jog" at what I would consider being a sprint for myself. So, I wonder if sprinting would be an anaerobic or aerobic exercise for myself?

[hobbyjogger]

> What is curious to me is that elite marathon runners "jog" at what I would consider being a sprint for myself. So, I wonder if sprinting would be an anaerobic or aerobic exercise for myself?

Everyone has an anaerobic threshold (the level of exertion at which the body transitions from aerobic to anaerobic systems).[0] But your AnT is much, much lower than an elite marathon runner's due to years of training designed to increase running economy.[1]

So what is a sprint to you (e.g. anaerobic exercise) would be a jog to Kipchoge or Bekele (e.g. aerobic exercise). If you are able to run fast enough to make yourself gasp for air, you've just done some aerobic exercise!

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactate_threshold#Lactate_meas... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_economy

[tarsinge]

> What is curious to me is that elite marathon runners "jog" at what I would consider being a sprint for myself. So, I wonder if sprinting would be an anaerobic or aerobic exercise for myself?

As a rule of thumb, if you fail because specific muscles are burning and not working anymore it’s anaerobic (muscle limited), and if it’s because you’re out of breath and it’s more of a generalized pain it’s aerobic (cardio limited)

[DonaldPShimoda]

> If you look at sprinters compared to swimmers, I would say the sprinters are much more built. If you compare marathon runners to swimmers, it is the swimmer that is more built.

This comparison puts all swimmers in the same category, but there are sprint swims and distance swims too. Do you mean that most land sprinters are more built than all swimmers — both sprinters and distance?

(Just seeking clarification is all.)

[frankbreetz]

Yes, sprinters on land or water will be more built than distance swimmers/runners.

[anthonypasq]

yes

[nradov]

Who are you looking at? Professional 400m runners tend to be quite muscular, although more in the legs whereas swimmers have stronger upper bodies. It's only the long distance runners who look scrawny.

[dwighttk]

jacked torsos are often more visually impressive than jacked legs

[artwr]

True, but don't neglect leg day :)

[dwighttk]

I'm on a t-rex workout plan :D

[magic_beans]

That's not true. Guys with chicken legs look plain silly.

[dwighttk]

They do, but average legs and extreme torso looks more impressive than average torso and extreme legs.

[guiomie]

I think this applies for long distance runners, but sprinters are usually built.