Running = Beneficial to Someone Skinny?

[notetoself]

I'm 17, male, I weigh 150 lbs. and am 6 ft. tall. Yes, I know I'm skinny but for some reason I still my body looks a bit toned around the stomach/upper chest. Considering I have never worked out a day in my life, I'm very satisfied with a somewhat toned look--slightly defined abs and roundness to pecs. But down the road I know I'm going to gain weight based on this "non-working out" habit. Therefore when I move out of my house and into a condo I plan on running on a daily basis for hours since that is something I LOVE doing (I've joined track and other running-related activities). Along with staying skinny I want to look a bit more toned on the upper chest. But because I'm so skinny, I figure that it's not going to help me much...

Or am I to do some sort of weight-lifting prior to running or after? (I am wayy too weak to weight-lift, so how should I start off?)

I've done research but gave up considering that the information given is to people who are over-weight. So I've come here to ask if running helps tone my upper chest/stomach/legs along with eating fatty foods to help build up muscle? (Am I getting my information wrong?) or to simplify that, what benefits does running do to someone skinny? And do you guys advise drinking energy drinks like gatorade/powerade while running considering that it contains a lot of sugar, or should I just stick to water?

I apologize if this has already been asked, but I would like a direct answer based on my age, height, weight, etc.

Thank you very much for your time and advice.

[kfisherx]

Just as a matter of fact I read this article yesterday on this subject. I am an ex-cardio runner freak and skinny as well. I am an "ex" cardio freak because I started a program with a trainer and now I lift as well as limit my running. The results are so far amazing.

TESTOSTERONE NATION

Personally I think this is one of the best articles I read on skinny peeps who like to do cardio. The author also highly recommends many of the experts this board seems to support.

[Jean-Paul]

Running = Beneficial to Someone Skinny?

Absolutely, as long as you plan to STAY that way.

[Kevin T.]

Please don't take this the wrong way: at 6', 150 you simply aren't "toned." You're what I like to call "skinny jacked." You can see all your muscles because there's no fat on you, but there's really not much to show. If you want to get bigger, eat and lift. Where to start? If you're convinced you're too weak, start with bodyweight stuff: push-ups, squats, lunges, etc. and then move on to a program. Check out New Rules of Lifting. It will give you a crash course in lifting and set you on the right path.

[waynea]

As a general rule, if your skinny and run long distances you will get skinnier. It is important to be aware that there is a big difference between being skinny and being lean, so if you want to change the way you look, start thinking about bodyweight training (squats, lunges, pushups etc.) and then weight training. Since you love running I would be recommending sprints and interval style training rather than long distance running.

[strambo]

Good advice from the others. Do bodyweight exercises for a couple months (push ups, lunges, squats, sit ups etc.) while you plan out what weight program you want to do. I agree you aren't "toned", just able to see what little muscle you have. Bruce Lee was "toned", he was thin and his BF was low like yours...the difference is his muscle was dense, hard, strong and functional.