Being a runner AND strength training... How?

dejalo

I run. Not well, or very fast, but it's something I do for cardio and want to improve on. However, I also recognize the importance of strength training. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to balance it all. Do I strength train to maintain muscle while running? Do I actively work to build muscle?

I'm just worried that running isn't as efficient for fat loss, but strength training isn't as efficient for increasing my running speed. But I have 20 pounds or so to lose, so does it actually matter?

Furthermore, how do runners get such amazing upper bodies? Is it just by running? Help!

hailz840

Strength training will absolutely help you, cardio or running in your case is great for weight loss. Strength training will help tone you, once you build muscles it will help you burn more for longer too. How many days a week are you running? I would try to included strength training twice a week. If you dont belong to a gym you can include strength at home like squats, burpees, press ups etc etc

PinkNinjaLaura

I run Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and I strength train Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. I do other cardio Tuesdays & Sundays. I started strength training in February and running in May, and now I wouldn't want to have to give up either of them.

briley76

I do both. I lift on M/W/F. Run a 5k on T/Th. Strength training burns more calories because of the after burn. You're metabolism is raging for up to 24 hours after you lift. If you want to strength train to lose fat. Train legs. Squats, lunges, deads, burpees. Legs are the largest muscle group and burn the most energy to work.

snazzyjazzy21

Like other said, just alternate your workouts. HIIT is a great way to get in strength training while bringing your heart rate up and I've found it vastly improved my running, not only speed but also endurance. I do 3 days of running and 3 of HIIT, alternating.

DavPul

You're over thinking this

bumblebums

I would suggest to prioritize one of them. If you think of yourself primarily as a runner, then keep your strength training relatively light, focusing on lifts and exercises that will assist your running--such as hamstring and calf strengthening, and some not particularly taxing upper body work. If you want to be a lifter, then running has to be light and relatively short, so as not to interfere with recovery. I think it's a mistake to try to go all out on both running and lifting, since they have somewhat opposing requirements.

alanlmarshall

You can do both as long as your goals are realistic. You won't become a truly competitive weightlifter and 5K contender at the same time, one will always detract some from the other, but for many people that is consistent with their goals and not a problem at all.

Sprinters have great upper bodies. Distance runners tend to be skinny. Maybe sprint or middle distance training would work for you.

WildcatMom82

I'm doing Les Mills Pump, which is basically at home Body Pump, and running where I can. The calendar actually calls for walks of varying lengths so I run instead those days and sometimes on my rest days. The Pump calendar has 3 main strength workouts a week plus abs 2-3x a week, plenty of room for running.

alanlmarshall

I would suggest to prioritize one of them. If you think of yourself primarily as a runner, then keep your strength training relatively light, focusing on lifts and exercises that will assist your running--such as hamstring and calf strengthening, and some not particularly taxing upper body work. If you want to be a lifter, then running has to be light and relatively short, so as not to interfere with recovery. I think it's a mistake to try to go all out on both running and lifting, since they have somewhat opposing requirements.

Agreed, but I don't think it has to be a permanent priority. You could alternate by the year or season or whatever..

NikoM5

As a runner, your diet will be especially crucial to your success as a lifter. You're going to have to eat a lot to offset the cals burned from running and have enough left over to build muscle.

alikonda

Body weight strength training is your friend. Pushups, squats, lunges, etc. Speed improvement will come from doing HIIT routines - whether you're running intervals on the track or jumping for plyometric exercises, you'll build the right kind of strength to improve your running.

pcastagner

Just do it!

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

I would suggest to prioritize one of them. If you think of yourself primarily as a runner, then keep your strength training relatively light, focusing on lifts and exercises that will assist your running--such as hamstring and calf strengthening, and some not particularly taxing upper body work. If you want to be a lifter, then running has to be light and relatively short, so as not to interfere with recovery. I think it's a mistake to try to go all out on both running and lifting, since they have somewhat opposing requirements.

This ^^^^^

I have just recently had to change my programming because I was doing a heavy lifting program as well as a 10k training program all while eating at a deficit. It was a disaster, for me anyway. I have decided to focus on the running due to the time of year, with a lighter lifting program 2 days/week. Once this program is done, in about 8 weeks, the weather will be getting colder and I can switch my focus back to heavy lifting.

vienna_h

bumping cuz im also curious!

__delete

You're over thinking this

This.


I spent a long time thinking about it. Tried and stopped a few times. Now I lift m/w/f, running t/th/s

Take a bit for your mind to adjust, just do it. But definitely pick one as your focus, it gets 200 percent of your attention, the second one gets 100 percent of your focus.

Mcgrawhaha

I don't know the answer to your question... but I do know this... I run, and I strength train... and I like my progress... ok, that's all, carry on...

RunnerElizabeth

I run and do strength training. Right now running is my priority and will be until my race season is over. I have a half in october and I'll probably do another in November, but then I'll probably lay off until May.

So right now I run 5 days, 3 short, 1 speed day and 1 long day. And I do body weight strength training 3 days a week for 30 mins to an hour at a time.

After the Nov half I plan to cut back to 3 or 4 running days and do a heavy lifting program 3 days a week. The hope is by race time next year, because of the lifting I'll be stronger, less prone to injury and I'll be able to continue lifting and running at the same time.

I think you just need to organize and prioritize your goals.

MoreBean13

You need both, absolutely. Do a full body strength training routine 2-3 times a week, and do your lightest runs the day after you lift. You can still run 5x a week that way if you like.

PS. Nothing has made me a faster runner than when I started seriously strength training and working sprints in to my overall routine. I ran for like the last 10 years at 10min/mile, now I comfortably do long runs around 8:30 and achieved my first ever 6:52 mile....I attribute it mostly to strength training.

tageekly

I do both. I'm training for a 10K right now, using Hal Higdon's 10K Novice Plan and it incorporates two days of strength training.

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51122/10-K-Training-Guide-Novice-Program


On those strength training days I do Stronglifts workouts or these workouts: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/marathon-weight-training-stay-strong-during-marathon-training.html.

dejalo

Thanks for all the responses! I think prioritizing is a great tip and I'm glad to know I'm on the right path. If anyone has other suggestions, let me know! I've only been a regular exerciser for about a year so I'm still a newbie.

pinkraynedropjacki

I run 10km & then later that day do strength. I prefer running.

prattiger65

Bump

Azdak

I do both. I lift on M/W/F. Run a 5k on T/Th. Strength training burns more calories because of the after burn. You're metabolism is raging for up to 24 hours after you lift. If you want to strength train to lose fat. Train legs. Squats, lunges, deads, burpees. Legs are the largest muscle group and burn the most energy to work.

Raging? "Glowing" is more like it. Or flickering. There is no consensus, but the better studies I have seen show that the 24hr burn, when it exists, "rages" at about 5-6 extra calories per hour.

heybales

Thanks for all the responses! I think prioritizing is a great tip and I'm glad to know I'm on the right path. If anyone has other suggestions, let me know! I've only been a regular exerciser for about a year so I'm still a newbie.

Example days can be shifted in the week, but the intent here is to get the most out of the lifting by allowing good recovery, and not being too tired to actually lift well in the first place.
When starting you can do a bunch wrong and still see improvement, not as much as done right of course.
But you'll usually plateau faster and then no improvement to either, or very slow, compared to again doing it right.
Jack of all trades - master of none.

Sun - rest
Mon - full body heavy lifting
Tue - 30-45 min slow jog in Active Recovery HR zone - training aerobic fat-burning system, allowing recovery to lifting
Wed - 60 min run in mid-Aerobic HR zone - still training fat-burning system but closer to long race pace
Thu - upper body heavy lifting, 30 min hill sprints for lower body (5-10 min walking warmup/cooldown) - training anaerobic system and lactic acid usage
Fri - 30-45 min jog in Recovery HR zone
Sat - over 60 min jog in upper Aerobic HR zone, race pace and distance

As you get faster at lower HR, Tue/Wed/Fri distance will increase since based on time and specific HR.
Sat is the one you increase and probably go for distance needed.
Wed could also be cross training to ease the stress as weight comes off, spin class, ect. Just don't do it so hard you muscles are tired for next day's sprints. You can ruin those.
Oh, Active Recovery HR zone, as it's been known for years, got the fad name lately of being called fat-burning zone, and a fad backlash even more lately against it. It very much has it's place in a good training program. Active Recovery, using the muscles, getting blood flow and oxygen, but hopefully adding no additional load to the muscles that requires repair.

So this should allow muscles to not be tired and really lift heavy and see max strength gains, and the next day is not additional load but chance to recovery.
After all, exercise if done right tears down, it's the rest for recovery and repair with good diet that allows actually building back up again, hopefully better.

DawnEH612

You're way over thinking this! If you enjoy running, run. If you enjoy lifting, lift. I do both and many other activities as well such as spinning, hiking, boot camp, stair climber, elliptical, Pilates and yoga. I make sure i eat enough calories as CUSTOM set by me and aim to get about a gram of protein for each pound i weight, which is about 25% of my daily calories. I have had no issues building and maintaining muscle while improving my speed. I went from an 11:40 minute mile to under 9 minute mile. Lifting legs helps build muscle and therefore leg strength and endurance.
Just go out, enjoy your activities... Dont over think, just do it!

Warchortle

-_-

Long distance running actually is really hard on the body especially the knees and if you do marathons like biking or running your body will go catabolic at some point and start eating muscle. The reason why runners appear to have amazing upper bodies isn't the fact they run. Running may help they stay leaner because of the calorie deficit, but you can only gain a minimal amount of muscle with cardio especially on a deficit.

Resistance training sort of "burns" fat, but the better way to look at it is it preserves the muscle you do have and depending on your level of lifting experience you may gain some lean body mass while your body fat % goes down. Fat is not a good nutrient source as muscle is when the body is starving. It takes quite a lot of work to go catabolic like severe under eating and over exercise or... fasting for more than 72 hours. You don't go catabolic if you don't get your $4 protein shake in 30 minutes post workout.

rybo

Run some days, lift other days. Sometimes you can do both in the same day if you split it up. The biggest juggling is when you have a hard leg strength day. Running the next day will be slow. But so what.

zornig

What most athletes/serious enthusiasts do is rotate through seasonal training regimens. In your "racing season," when you're building up to an event or actually running events, go lighters on the strength training. In the off-season, like when the weather is cold, ramp up your strength training and do less steady-state running.

briley76

I do both. I lift on M/W/F. Run a 5k on T/Th. Strength training burns more calories because of the after burn. You're metabolism is raging for up to 24 hours after you lift. If you want to strength train to lose fat. Train legs. Squats, lunges, deads, burpees. Legs are the largest muscle group and burn the most energy to work.

Raging? "Glowing" is more like it. Or flickering. There is no consensus, but the better studies I have seen show that the 24hr burn, when it exists, "rages" at about 5-6 extra calories per hour.

Then you aren't lifting nearly hard enough.

csuhar

One option is to look to various military / special forces workouts because those individuals are often required to both develop strength and the capacity to run sizeable distances, often at a pretty good speed. They won't necessarily turn you into the next bodybuilding chamption or ultra marathoner, but they're pretty good if you want to develop in both areas.