Any runners out there who don't lift?

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  • canary_girl
    canary_girl Posts: 366 Member
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    I run and cycle, and I do lift. I started a couple of years ago and at the time I didn't like it. AT ALL. I've always been a cardio girl and a class fan. I'd done BodyPump and liked that, but I started a moderate/heavy lifting program and really didn't like it much. But I did it anyway, I had a friend who encouraged me to just push through.
    Now I love it. I still run and cycle, but I love being in the free weights and lifting. I couldn't imagine not doing it anymore.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    Resistance training is important regardless of what you do but I hardly lift weights. I prefer to drop and do 20 and I do rowing for squats and pulling.
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    jbuck93 wrote: »
    Go Cougs! I am the exact opposite of you. Love to lift, hate cardio. One of my employees is a runner. I think she is crazy, she thinks I am crazy. But we both do a little bit of the other because it is good for us.

    What is it about lifting that you don't like?

    PS - I would consider 30 Day Shred, P90X and some Crossfit classes to be more Cardio than lifting.

    Yup! This is me. I love walking and hiking (which are technically cardio, but I don't really count them as exercise because they are not very efficient at either building muscle or heart rate). Any other cardio, I pretty much hate--especially running! I also agree that those programs seem much more like cardio to me.

    I enjoy lifting, though, and it definitely feels much less like work than running does. Like a lot of folks, though, I still do both because they do complement each other by providing different health benefits. I will never run a marathon, but I do get my 2-3 miles/day in at least 3 days a week! I would recommend trying to work in some sort of strength training for those who prefer to focus on running, as well.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Somebody_Loved wrote: »
    Thanks for all the responses! I've always been of the mindset that the only workout routine you'll stick to is the one you enjoy. For me, that's been running.

    I don't post all that much but lurk all the time and there are so many threads about heavy lifting, it had me thinking I might be missing something. My work offers yoga twice a week and I'm thinking of adding that since it's free and convenient.

    Glad to know I'm not the only one here - I appreciate the responses!

    Depending on the type, yoga can be very good for your core so there is that. I'm in the "lifting is boring" camp as well so I don't do it (not to mention I'm not medically cleared to do it). I do some yoga when the mood strikes plus some body weight. The nice thing about body weight is that you don't really need to do all the exercises at once. Pick a few that you think you need as a runner and do just one or two types of body weight exercises per day in a quick 5-10 minute session during your break or whenever you feel like getting it out of the way. It feels like less of a chore when you don't spend an hour doing it. Body weight training is very modular and can be done anytime anywhere.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,493 Member
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    Count me in that group. I've been running for just under 5 months and in that time I think I've done core workouts 3 times, and no weight lifting. I have nothing against lifting. I enjoy it and I've had several periods where I have lifted (though nothing more than casual since high school), but I've since found running to be much more enjoyable and like many others, I don't have the time for lifting. My wife would say I spend too much time running as it is.

    I may try to do more this winter as I expect my running to be scaled back somewhat.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    Somebody_Loved wrote: »
    Looking for some insight here. I began running 5 months ago and absolutely love it. I look forward to it and it has very much become part of my routine. For clarification, I do not run to lose weight; I run because I enjoy it, appreciate the mental benefits and love that it allows me a beer or two in the evenings.

    My "problem" (if you can call it that) is that while I love cardio, I don't enjoy lifting. I haven't tried many of the programs that I've seen recommended by the MFP community (5x5, NROLFW, etc.). My attempts have been at home videos (30 Day Shred, P90X), personal training, crossfit classes, and random workouts I've clipped from magazines or found online.

    So I guess my question is, are there any other runners out there who aren't motivated in the weight lifting department? Do you "force" yourself to do it anyway or do you supplement with something other than lifting (yoga, pilates, etc)?

    I run 45ish miles a week, bike 150ish miles a week and swim 10k-ish yards a week. My "lifting" consists of beer-glass curls and that's it.

    Lifting is a waste of time for me. Time I could spend training something more useful.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I'm curious on what basis are people making claims that "most runners" do or don't do anything. What are you basing your opinion on such that you are able to speak for an entire group of athletes?
  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
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    I know, I should do strength training, but I am currently training for a marathon, running around 80 km per week. On top of that I am hiking with my dogs. At the moment I just don't have the will to add gym training.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    Like a majority of the others here, I don't particularly enjoy lifting, but I like what it does for me in terms of strength, performance, and aesthetics. And it does get VERY difficult both time and motivation wise to fit it in when I'm running 50+ mile weeks.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    I run, do body weight exercises and do some resistance band exercises. Lifting requires an expense, a gym membership or the weights, I don't want to meet. Other than that, I used to run and lift while in school and had a gym readily available.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    I run. I lifted up until a couple of months ago when my schedule went all wonky. I'll get back to it after vacation in a couple of weeks.

    I don't mind lifting. I don't love it, but it makes a difference for running and for everyday. My posture is better when I lift. I run faster even when I feel tired and engaging my core is more automatic. I notice that my left ankle that is always on the stiff side is more flexible. On the other hand, I'm running and lifting pre-fatigued more often than not, and it's difficult to be in even a slight deficit without becoming exhausted.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    For decades, I did pretty much all activities (including running) without lifting heavy. Never saw any real downside, and my experience using machine workouts in my 20's was that "weightlifting is effing boring". OTOH, I took up SL 5x5 about a year ago. Was planning on just using it to keep busy in the winter, but I found that I actually enjoyed barbell work -- there's a surprising amount of skill involved. I'll probably start trying to learn some Olympic lifts one of these days -- they look even more challenging.

    But, hey, do what you enjoy now -- there's always plenty of time to try new things later!
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    i don't lift. i do yoga and aerial yoga which is a lot of body weight stuffs.
    i don't find lifting interesting. i try to just do what i find interesting.
    maybe rock climbing..
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 698 Member
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    I'm a runner and I lift; however, I don't do heavy lifting during race training. During race training I do yoga and other bodyweight training. I don't think of heavy lifting as something that is necessary, but I do prefer it to most cardio. Even if you don't want to lift, you should incorporate some kind of strength training as it helps maintain muscle mass (especially if you're losing weight) and is good for bone density. Yoga is great by the way, I highly recommend it to everyone.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    I'm a runner and I lift (but not heavy - specifically geared towards core, hips, glutes etc) and this may be anecdotal but.....

    This year I decided to be more consistent with my strength training and two things happened.

    1. I ran injury free this year
    2. I set new PBs in my 5K, 10K, sprint & Olympic duathlons, and half-marathon

    I still view it as a bit of a chore (I'm doing 3 sessions of 30 to 45 minutes on average) but based on the results I'm sold....
  • Somebody_Loved
    Somebody_Loved Posts: 498 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I do deal with hip and back pain (although it has gotten much better) so I think I'll try out the yoga classes offered at my work. They're free and break up the work day, anyway, so it might be a nice addition!
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
    edited September 2015
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    I've done the gym thing before in my life, once for two years on a regular basis, and I just don't enjoy it. I also don't enjoy paying for it as I'd rather buy more running shoes. Or beer.

    It's not that I dislike working out because once I'm there, I'm into it. My primary issue is I don't enjoy working out while indoors -- I don't even like running indoors, I want to do my sweating outside in the fresh air, even if that means running through cold Vancouver winter rain. I'd much rather be running hills in the mountains. Give me space and fresh air please - the environment I'm in is just as important to me as the workout.

    Sometimes I'll run to a distant park to use equipment along an outdoor fitness circuit. At the bare minimum I'll do some pull-up sets on the overhead bar. A 15km run, some pull ups, dog gets to chase squirrels = a pretty perfect 90 minutes. No line ups. No gym membership required. Hmnn... I think I'll do this one today.
  • Somebody_Loved
    Somebody_Loved Posts: 498 Member
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    @mwyvr - I totally agree. When I first started running I started on the treadmill. I've since moved to outdoor running and enjoy it infinitely better. Your plan today sounds fantastic!
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    Somebody_Loved wrote: »
    I've always been of the mindset that the only workout routine you'll stick to is the one you enjoy.

    Not sure i agree. I don't enjoy some of the strength exercises i do, but i know i benefit both physically & mentally, so i do them. Not everything that i need to do in life is fun. :+1:
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    Cherimoose wrote: »
    Somebody_Loved wrote: »
    I've always been of the mindset that the only workout routine you'll stick to is the one you enjoy.

    Not sure i agree. I don't enjoy some of the strength exercises i do, but i know i benefit both physically & mentally, so i do them. Not everything that i need to do in life is fun. :+1:

    I agree with Cherimoose, since I don't enjoy running but I do it because I like the way I feel when I'm regularly running and I also like the extra calories I get to eat. Maybe a good in-between is that it doesn't have to be something you enjoy, and you may even hate it a little, but it has to be something that you don't totally loath! For me, Insanity (or really any repetitive video) is a workout I loath. I loved the way I felt and looked when I was doing it, but couldn't stand hearing the same cheesy one-liners every time.

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