Running day after leg day?

Bulldogs1717
Bulldogs1717 Posts: 47 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is running (say 3-4 miles) after leg day counterproductive to the gains from strength training? I’ve heard conflicting advice on this topic. I’m training for a race but also incorporating some strength in there 2 days a week. Any advice is appreciated :)

Replies

  • RunnerGirl238
    RunnerGirl238 Posts: 448 Member
    I'm no pro, but I do it all the time as long as it isn't a long run or intense speed work. A tempo or simple 5k, yeah, go for it.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Bulldogs1717 wrote: »
    Is running (say 3-4 miles) after leg day counterproductive to the gains from strength training? I’ve heard conflicting advice on this topic. I’m training for a race but also incorporating some strength in there 2 days a week. Any advice is appreciated :)

    Do you mean actual muscle gain, or just the benefits of strength training to your running and overall health?
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Bulldogs1717 wrote: »
    Is running (say 3-4 miles) after leg day counterproductive to the gains from strength training? I’ve heard conflicting advice on this topic. I’m training for a race but also incorporating some strength in there 2 days a week. Any advice is appreciated :)

    My only concern would be recovery as the weights get heavier and (if you're working through a training plan) the runs get longer.

    A few years ago I was diligently following Stronglifts 5 x 5 and training for a half-marathon. Early on it wasn't a problem but I found squatting heavy 3 x weekly and running 4 x weekly resulted in seriously dead legs.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    Bulldogs1717 wrote: »
    Is running (say 3-4 miles) after leg day counterproductive to the gains from strength training? I’ve heard conflicting advice on this topic. I’m training for a race but also incorporating some strength in there 2 days a week. Any advice is appreciated :)

    If you are feeling extra fatigue that is negatively effecting your workouts /training, then you might want to rework the schedule. (particular if it is a speedwork day).
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    (I normally feel more fatigue from either the next day rather than the same day, but this seems to vary person to person). (I weight train in the morning and run in the evening except for the weekend long run).

Categories