ALL Athletes Must Run For Training

Key Point: “All athletes must run” is a training myth

Dr. Mike Zartel argues that running/jogging is not universally required and shouldn’t be treated as the default training prescription for athletes. The best training depends on sport specificity and the trade-offs—including fatigue, joint stress, and whether it actually improves the skills the athlete needs.

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Why “athletes run” is often the wrong prescription

Sport specificity matters

• Don’t replace sport practice with generic running.
  • Example: giving a swimmer running shoes when swimming is the skill.
• Running is not part of many sports, so it often doesn’t transfer well to performance.

Running can create heavy fatigue without sport benefits

• Distance/jogging can produce significant fatigue—especially for athletes who are heavier or not accustomed to it.
• That fatigue cost may not be worth it compared to drills that build both conditioning and skill.

Running may harm joints via repetitive stress

• For sports/athletes that already stress knees, hips, or spine, additional repetitive impact can be a poor choice.
• If running “beats up joints,” it’s framed as a bad fit.

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“Grains of truth” where running can help

System-wide cardiovascular conditioning

• Running can build general aerobic fitness (heart/lungs/blood dynamics), useful even for non-running sports.

Monotony break (especially for swimmers)

• Some dry-land endurance swimmers use jogging to vary training and allow joints to recover from shoulder-heavy swimming.
• The stress pattern changes: more hips/knees/ankles vertical loading and less shoulder load, which may help swimmers return ready.

Low equipment/travel burden

• Running needs minimal gear and facilities (typically shoes + space).
• If sport-specific work is constrained by environment or equipment limits, running can be a reasonable fallback.

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Best practices: what to do instead (or when to use running)

Prioritize sport-specific drills and cardio

Choose training that improves both:

• Physical conditioning (e.g., raising heart rate and building fitness)
• Technical skill (actual movements/skills required in the sport)

Examples mentioned:

• Tennis: run while performing ball-shooting/returning drills (pace + technique).
• Basketball/tennis/soccer: prefer small-sided games or skill-based movement rather than generic jogging.

Use running only as a “best option”

Running should be chosen when it’s the best available tool after comparing alternatives and costs—not as a universal “athletes run” rule.

Replace “jogging warm-ups” with sport-specific warm-ups

• Warm up with drills/position instruction that prepare the body and practice sport-relevant movement.
• Caution noted for jiu-jitsu: jogging around the mat is portrayed as non-specific and even harmful to match context (e.g., “running away” rather than training positions).

Don’t run when it conflicts with the sport’s needs

• For roles with different movement demands (e.g., linemen/power athletes), jogging is described as poorly matched to explosive requirements.
• The speaker emphasizes that running may not simulate sport demands correctly and can even push physiology in the wrong direction (example given: shifting fiber types toward faster-to-slower patterns that can make some athletes worse at what they need).

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Overall Philosophy (Core Takeaway)

• No dogma: athletes train based on what they need given the sport, body, and context.
• If running is beneficial for a particular athlete and situation, use it—otherwise, don’t.

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Presenters or Sources

• Dr. Mike Zartel (Renaissance Periodization, “Fitness Myths Series,” Video #14)
• Mentions in subtitles: Under Armour (as part of the “athletes run” idea) and Phil Heath (example of a bodybuilder running)