Dose running build muscle?

A sign of your muscles building is not the amount of pain you are in post workout. This is because the more you workout the more your muscles will adapt and the less they will hurt.

And to answer your question about whether running builds muscle, the answer is yes, of course it can, particularly if you don't have good muscle tone to start with. But if you ask will running build muscle bulk or mass, then you might be disappointed in the answer.

Running is a cardiovascular exercise. The act of running increases blood flow, which stimulates the heart. Running also increases the amount of metabolic hormones released into your system Metabolic hormones will actually cause you to lose weight, as well as muscle mass.

The muscles used in running will strengthen, but they will not build - at least not to the extent that a body builder would like to see.

So to strengthen your leg muscle's and avoid losing muscle don't run for more than 30 minutes to limit the amount of metabolic hormones that are released. Shortly after your run, consume a protein shake or bar and some carbohydrates to release the all important muscle building nutrients and counteract the metabolic effect.