Runner in training and NROL4W?? Experienced advise please!!

Jess830409

Hello all :-)

Alittle about me - I am 5 foot 3 inches - and my current weight is 130
My average weekly TDEE is 14,000 and calories consumed is 10,000 for an average deficit of 4,000 calories a week
I use a FitBit daily for TDEE and I also use a HRM
I weigh/measure all food and log everyday
96 ounces of water a day average

I am new to running - having just completed the C25K program and started 10K training
While doing the C25K program I completed 30 Day Shred and am set to finish Ripped in 30 at the end of the month
I am wanting to start NROL4W next to start heavy lifting strength training

My questions are:

- I have read that endurance cardio will hinder heavy lifting and vice versa - thoughts?
- Calorie restriction is frowned upon while strength training, am I understanding correctly?
- Each one of these programs is recommended 3x a week...also correct?

My ultimate goal is to lower body fat - approx. 5-10 more lbs and increase strength
Should I hold off on the heavy lifting until lowering body fat further or will my strength training only further my fat loss?

Thank you in advance to all advice!

Jess830409

Bumping in hopes someone has some words of wisdom :-)

Smackemdanno

Somewhat a novice at weightlifting but know a little bit about running. I lift 1-2 days per week in an effort to not only strengthen but to avoid running injuries. Runners who lift are less likely to get injured from running. I run long Saturday, speed run 1-2 miles on Wednesday and HIIT/Sprint on Thursdays. If you are eating at the deficit you are, I would say, a runner who is also lifting like me. Your goal is fitness, cardio and/or toning. If you were a weightlifter who runs to cut you probably should eat more calories. Running distance burns a whole lot of calories and makes it quite difficult to bulk, but you can still strengthen to a point eating at a deficit. People who run the same amount of distance at the same speed weekly get fewer result than those who change their speeds and distances. They also report more injuries. Warm up, stretch and get the right shoes. Switch your shoes out every 200 miles. If you can, change the terrain you run on. Take it slow and be patient. There is nothing worse than injuring your quad and having to start over running after stopping to recuperate after 3 months. I'm still not up to where I was when I got injured.

Jess830409

I definitely do not want to injure myself. I did recently go to a store and I was fitted for running shoes - has made a huge difference. Thank you very much for the feedback. At this stage in the game it is really hard to figure out what the best combination of nutrition and exercise plan should be

I appreciate the help - and I hope your injury is better

michellekicks

I run and lift. You can do both, but I would give up the 4000 calorie weekly deficit. Go for maybe half that at most... even less - like 10% off TDEE. You will recomp over the long term if you alternate lifting and running. You have to listen to your body and take an extra day off here and there as your body dictates.

If you just alternate lifting and running each day with 1 day off weekly (plus the occasional extra as needed) you'll be fine. Your body will get used to it but you HAVE to eat enough to make either worthwhile.

You'll get good newbie gains if you do this from the start. If you lift and keep a huge deficit, you won't grow new muscle. You could increase strength and still burn fat, but you won't add anything. If you eat right around maintenance, you should be able to add a bit of muscle from the start. But that means eating enough to fuel that running.

If your training totals 5-6 hours a week, you should be eating right around 2000 calories/day. If each session is more like 45 minutes, then eat around 1800 calories. But I wouldn't go lower than that.

Jess830409

I run and lift. You can do both, but I would give up the 4000 calorie weekly deficit. Go for maybe half that at most... even less - like 10% off TDEE. You will recomp over the long term if you alternate lifting and running. You have to listen to your body and take an extra day off here and there as your body dictates.

If you just alternate lifting and running each day with 1 day off weekly (plus the occasional extra as needed) you'll be fine. Your body will get used to it but you HAVE to eat enough to make either worthwhile.

You'll get good newbie gains if you do this from the start. If you lift and keep a huge deficit, you won't grow new muscle. You could increase strength and still burn fat, but you won't add anything. If you eat right around maintenance, you should be able to add a bit of muscle from the start. But that means eating enough to fuel that running.

If your training totals 5-6 hours a week, you should be eating right around 2000 calories/day. If each session is more like 45 minutes, then eat around 1800 calories. But I wouldn't go lower than that.

Thank you! Needed this info. I could tell my body was already starting to need more calories - just because hunger was going up and fatigue was noticeable.

Really appreciate this advice!!

Jess830409

Bumping one more time in case someone wants to add anything :-)

Thanks!

jacksonpt

- I have read that endurance cardio will hinder heavy lifting and vice versa - thoughts?
- Calorie restriction is frowned upon while strength training, am I understanding correctly?
- Each one of these programs is recommended 3x a week...also correct?

1) No, assuming you are getting sufficient calories and sleep. Cardio can hinder building new muscle, but doing both at the same time won't be a problem given your goals.

2) No. Calorie restriction is frowned up when trying to add mass/size. Based on your stated goals, lifting while in a calorie deficit is exactly what you should be doing.

3) dunno, sorry. Not familiar with either.

Should I hold off on the heavy lifting until lowering body fat further or will my strength training only further my fat loss?

No. Strength training will, among other things, help you retain the muscle you have, thus allowing for more weight loss to be from fat loss, which is ultimately what most people want.

EvgeniZyntx

Along with the advice you are getting here. I suggest you join ad read the ETP group
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

Read the weight lifting section too

ironanimal

I'm inclined to agree with jacksonpt; long distance steady state is only ever an issue for strength -- or any other kind of -- training where the very high calorie demands aren't met sufficiently, and it impacts your ability to recover or push you into a higher rate of catabolism. Just keep calorie deficit to a reasonable level and it's not a concern.

You can gain strength without building any new muscle through neuromuscular adaptation, so it is entirely possible to get stronger on a deficit, but it puts a damper on growing.

As for 3x a week - that is just a fairly managable number of workouts that for most will allow adequate rest and recovery. Your mileage will vary.

And yes, start now.

ShellyAnn46

Bump - good info for guidlines

jacksonpt

I definitely do not want to injure myself. I did recently go to a store and I was fitted for running shoes - has made a huge difference. Thank you very much for the feedback. At this stage in the game it is really hard to figure out what the best combination of nutrition and exercise plan should be

I appreciate the help - and I hope your injury is better

Both should be based on your goals.

In your first post, you talk about want to shed body fat. That's pretty basic, and it's the goal (or one of the goals) of virtually everyone on this site. You also talk about training for a 10k.

That's pretty straight forward.

Training should be a mix of running and strength training. 2-3 days of each, ideally, depending on your schedule/free time. Running... feel free to follow a program, or just get other and run with the focus on increasing mileage slowly. Strength training is similar... you can follow a program (like new rules), or just go lift with a focus on heavy weight, low reps, ideally compound lifts.

It's not as complicated as a lot of people make it out to seem.

As for nutrition, that's pretty basic too.
Eat what you want. If you want to do paleo or vegan or whatever, go for it. If not, that's fine too. Try for a good balance of fats, carbs and protein (you need all 3 to function well and be healthy). Ideally shoot for a minimum of 100g of protein daily and 50g of fat. Again, those are both minimums, going over is more than fine. Total cals you'll have to experiment with. If you are seeing reasonable progress, feel good, and aren't doing anything stupid like netting 500 cals, then just stay where you're at. If not, then adjust accordingly (eat a little more to increase energy levels, eat a little less to increase rate of weight loss).

On a related note... you say you weigh everything. Excellent. You also say you use a fitbit and an HRM. Good, but don't swear by those. They, like anything else, are just estimates. Comparing your expected results to your actual results is the best way to gauge the accuracy of your estimates.

.

Jess830409

Thank you to all that responded - I appreciate you taking the time to respond and there is a ton of good information here!

FrustratedYoYoer

Great post. You sound like you're in a similar position to me and I have also been asking myself the same questions.