All men can't jump. page

[pace2race]

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For all you doubters, worriers and haters out there. Another humorous yet reasonable look at how we evolved for distance running, or how big butts actually help.

[Chrish2891]

the average human is 50-50 slow to fast twitch muscle fiber over their entire body. That being said, certain muscles tend to be more slow twitch (erector spinae, deltoid, VMO) whereas others are fast twitch dominant (hamstring which is 70% fast twitch, pec, triceps). I wouldnt say humans evolved to run, Homo Erectus evolved to run. IMO (and I dont know of any research to back me up right now), humans were evolving away from running though certain parts of our population have adapted quite well to distance running. Our ancestors would definitively run and walk long distances (slow twitch) but also would sprint (not going to jog away from a sabertooth lion), lift heavy things, and throw things all of which are fast twitch dominant. It is also pretty well known that the exercises that are fast twitch dominant also increase insulin sensitivity, GH and T whereas chronic aerobic training increases cortisol and may decrease T.
And if you think this is coming from a typical meathead, I used to be a distance runner in high school.

The (Many) Negatives of Aerobic Training
Muscle Specific Hypertrophy: Biceps, Back, and Lower Body
Muscle-Specific Hypertrophy: Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders
Adaptive potential of human biceps femoris muscle demonstrated by histochemical, immunohistochemical and mechanomyographical methods.

[pace2race]

Chronic aerobic training is kind of an individual thing which is my point to make about regular aerobic running being so detrimental for the individual. It's not. Insulin sensitivity was for most, the norm until food-like substances became the dietary mainstay in place of actual food. As for running and evolution, our ancestors could not out sprint a saber- toothed tiger, yet here we are and where are they? Embrace the fact, all races are capable of long distance running. Evolution has rewarded this ability. Chronic cardio is no worse than chronic weight lifting, chronic sprinting, chronic eating or anything else you care to tag with that description. It's a matter of degree.

[Chrish2891]

What's your definition for regular aerobic running? I agree that aerobic training of some kind is essential for health, but also anaerobic training such as weight training, sprints, jumps, and throws.
My point about the saber-toothed tiger was that our ancestors would sprint when needed. In the book The Paleo Diet for Athletes there is a section that talks about how Ache people in Paraguay would do sprints consisting of 20-30 seconds when hunting monkeys. However, like the article you posted, these people would cover an area (on average) of 10 kilometers a day either walking or running and they would chase down their prey which is why I do not disagree with you 100%.

[The Return of Dado]

Yea. I read that book by the German, something like "why we run". I don't know.

Apparently, we're evolved to run over long stretches, catching antelopes and shit.

But I feel like I'm evolved to live with intensity, ftw. Running sucks.

[CaveWeirdo]

Your hairless skin lets you lose body heat efficiently. Your large gluteus muscles balance you in an upright gait in the absence of a tail, but are not used much when simply walking. Tendons in the back of your neck keep your head steady so you can run with your vision fixed on a target. Your long, narrow waist and mobile shoulder joint allow you to throw a projectile accurately while running too. We also retained enough upper body strength to climb well, perhaps not as good in trees as our monkey and ape cousins, but did you ever see a monkey or an ape climb to the peak of a mountain?

Early humans spent their days doing stuff like - walking to a known source of gatherables, jogging a long distance on a persistence hunt, running a long distance following vultures with the intent of stealing someone/something else's fresh kill, sprinting a short distance on an ambush hunt, running away from wolves, climbing to get away from bears, going to war against rival tribes...

We definitely evolved to run, I think a human who doesn't like to run is like a bird who doesn't like to fly. But we evolved to do a lot of other stuff too, which is why we've invented such a variety of sports, most of which only a human could really do.

Everyone has different sports they are more suited to than others. It may simply be personal preference, but it might be that you're descended from warriors/hunters/inventors... Looking at my workout preferences, I think I must be descended from some cunning Paleolithic warlords who didn't exercise much!

[Bobert]

I read that article as well as born to run. I agree there is a design in us to crank out the miles, but doing that on the pavement is just plain stupid. I think what is seriously lost in the discussion is the ability to throw, think about how much brain power and muscle memory is required to throw a strike or shoot a 3. Name another species that can even remotely come close to this.