18/05/2026
As a coach, one mistake I see many people make when trying to lose weight is relying too much on long-distance running.
Yes, running burns calories.
But excessive long-duration cardio — especially beyond 5km regularly — can also come with downsides if fat loss and body composition are your goals.
I often see people end up with:
❌ Muscle loss
❌ Increased hunger & cravings
❌ Knee, ankle & lower back pain
❌ Elevated cortisol (stress hormone)
❌ Slower metabolism over time
Here’s the science👇
Your muscle mass is one of the biggest drivers of metabolic rate. The more muscle you preserve, the easier it is to maintain fat loss long term.
But excessive cardio without proper recovery or nutrition can push the body into a catabolic state, where muscle tissue is broken down for energy.
On top of that, repetitive impact from long-distance running places significant stress on the joints — especially for beginners, overweight individuals, or those above 30.
That’s why for most people, I recommend focusing more on:
✅ Strength training
✅ Higher protein intake
✅ Low-impact conditioning
✅ Better sleep & recovery
✅ Sustainable nutrition habits
The goal shouldn’t just be “burn more calories.”
The goal is to build a body that burns more calories efficiently while staying strong, healthy, and pain-free. 🔥
strengthtraining cardio running fitnesssingapore sgfitness fatlosstips healthylifestyle musclebuilding bodytransformation fitnessjourney functionaltraining coachadvice weightlossjourney
