I've increased strength training and seeing good results!!!

Damn brotha you been working your ass off have got around the posting your routine ?

I've posted the basics somewhere lol but I just kinda go with the flow depending on how I feel

High intensity long cardio stresses your body out which causes your body to release cortisol and retain fat.

High intensity long cardio stresses your body out which causes your body to release cortisol and retain fat.

If that's true why are endurance athletes so lean?

Looking good! Keep up the great work

The following article might explain the difference between endurance runners that are lean / fit and others that are skinny fat for those that have a question about it:

http://joshsgarage.typepad.com/articles/2010/02/why-does-endurance-training-make-some-people-skinny-fat-and-others-ultra-lean.html

It is one person's opinion. In summary, avoiding skinny fat as an endurance runner has to do with performance and how hard you are pushing yourself, as your body adapts to both distance and speed.

For example, my body adapted to running 5 k very well and then 10 k very well where it was less about performance and more about an hour of running. I got very good at the 10 k after doing this at least 3 x a week for 2 months, but generally did not push myself to improve past an average of 55 min 10 k.

So I stopped running in a steady state and now run much shorter distances (2-3 miles MAX a day) in a manner that is always about performance and challenge. I only have so much time during the day and do not want to go much more than 1 hour for any work out, so instead of running a 10 k, I am doing short very intense bouts of strength training 3 x a week (20-30 min) along with intense sessions of cross fit 2 x a week (30-45 minutes). Every workout feels more challenging then the previous and I push using a very focused drive. It seems to be working so far with regards to my transformation thread.

It has REALLY helped to make this change for myself in terms of building a lean, muscular and fit body instead of being skinny fat. Both old and current body types have approximately the same healthy BMI for my height but i am MUCH happier with the results from performance-based cardio/strength workouts rather then steady-state cardio/strength training I was doing previously (impressive, but became less of a challenge for my body after advancing from walking to 5 k to 10 k too quickly and then performing the same 10 k workout for a couple months without trying to keep challenging my body). Getting fit is ALWAYS a work in progress. It will never be 'over', but will always be there every week to improve upon.

Do consider the excellent points made in the article as they apply to you as my anecdote appears to map onto those points, yes, including he ones about how running made me skinny fat. The article makes a lot of sense to me.

lol I just read the link that you provided and come to find out I'm training like the lean endurance athletes. I get bored easily and refuse to increase the time I spend on the treadmill, so what I do is I run for 20 mins and plan to increase speed and not time. I have zero desire to run a 10K or do a half marathon ever. I just get bored when doing the same thing and since I'm limited to the treadmill I can't stand more than 20 mins, so I push myself everyday for those 20 mins and then get off lol. Maybe if I'm lucky I will be nice and lean but we will see