Balancing Running with Stronglifting

1_JR_1

Any Runners out there who also are doing the Stronglift 5x5 program? I'm not talking about running as an form of cardio, but more to people who actually hit the pavement deliberately to put on some mileage (let's say 10Kers and up).

Any advice you can give for balancing the two? Do they conflict with each other somehow (speaking more to the physical affects)?
How many days do you run/ lift?
What schedule have you found works best for arranging the 2 events throughout the week so you are at your best for each?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

contingencyplan

Programs like Stronglifts generally place a strong emphasis on actually resting on your rest days. Doing that kind of running more or less prevents the kind of rest you would need when doing heavy squatting 3x/week.

MisterDerpington

I know Rippetoe had mentioned doing a Prowler day on Saturdays (assuming you're lifting monday/wed/friday). You could probably throw in a longish run on that day. Not sure about running on other days. I'd personally do it right after lifting and then you'll still have 48 hours of rest.

usmcmp

If you are doing the one I sent you I'd move the deadlift and squat day next to each other, have a rest day, run, bench day, run, have a rest day.

1_JR_1

I've always understood that one sport has to take priority when it comes to being the freshest at the start. I'd like to know how/ if others had to adjust to pull it off. Thanks again for the responses.

Chieflrg

I do something along that lines. I run, strength train, and do a little body building at the same time.

I ran somewhere around 175 miles last month. I usually run 7 days a week and never take a day off from running as the motions help alleviate pain and joint stiffness from Rheumatoid disease I deal with. I only hit the gym 3 times a week M/W/F. That gives some type of break to stomp off some long runs on the weekend.

Advice is to hit your weights first if possible. I want to get the most our of my squats and running does take away some of my gains but not entirely.

My current working weight for squats is around 160% of my body weight(345lbs) so not great, but not shabby either.

Main thing is rest & nutrition. Obviously most people don't want to run on a stomach full of protein. So I usually eat some right after my weights then give it at least 2 hours before I hit the streets/trails.

michellekicks

Yeah they conflict. I've done both. I race at the half marathon distance and under... mostly OCRs, but will be going for a 24km trail race in May. I've tried various schedules:

Lift, Run, Lift, Run, Lift, Run, Rest
Lift, Rest, Run, Lift, Rest, Run, repeat
Run, lift, rest, lift, run, lift, rest

The first one was my fave for running but my lifting suffered and I had to keep in mind that I might not progress as quickly without the rest.

The last one is my fave for strength training off season for max rest (I did this schedule with a hypertrophy lifting routine, though) but also caused myself an injury.

The Lift, Rest, Run repeat schedule didn't feel like enough workout days but my recomp was decent during that time.

I think you just have to play with it and be super good at listening to your body. I'm doing some single compound upper body lifting with kickboxing workouts to cross train these days as I recover from a hamstring injury/iliopsoas tendinitis that I got from lifting too heavy with muscle imbalances :frown:

If you figure out an AWESOME way to go about it, let me know :flowerforyou:

Danny_Boy13

Well I dont run but I do speed skate which is a high cardio type of sport like running. I do SL on Tues, Thur & Sat and I practice Mon, Wed, and Sunday. Fri is my off day. Seems to be working ok for me. I would not recommend this for a beginner though. For someone that has had a background in athletics or training for some time that has a decent base then I would go for it. Just to state though that most strength training programs call for the days that you do not lift to rest for max results.

QueenBishOTUniverse

I've been doing both for about a month now. Basic schedule as follows:

Rest day
Long Run day (I'm at a 6 mile run now but want to work that up)
Lift Day
Short run day (5k with 10 minutes of wind sprints through the middle)
Lift Day
Short run day (same)
Lift Day

Rinse repeat.

So far seems to be working well for me. I'm just doing both because I enjoy doing both. My strength gains are probably a lot slower than they could be, but my run time, sprint speed and overall endurance during my runs is improving amazingly. I did find out that my long run HAS to be after my rest day though, trying to do that after a lift day caused an epic fail on my part...

p4ulmiller

Not a 10Ker, but I combine running, swimming, cycling and lifting (SL5x5).

I don't have a problem apart from time. I've had a day off today which is my first in a week. This is just because my body feels tired.

Listen to yours, and you'll be fine.

1_JR_1

Well I dont run but I do speed skate which is a high cardio type of sport like running. I do SL on Tues, Thur & Sat and I practice Mon, Wed, and Sunday. Fri is my off day. Seems to be working ok for me. I would not recommend this for a beginner though. For someone that has had a background in athletics or training for some time that has a decent base then I would go for it. Just to state though that most strength training programs call for the days that you do not lift to rest for max results.

I'd definitely count speed skating right up there with running. I didn't mean to leave out other sports. Running is the one I'm into. Thanks for the great input!

runnergrlfl

I do 5x5 on MWF
Tuesday I rest
Th, Sat; 5 mile run
Sun long run 7-12 miles (perpetually training for an upcoming half marathon until Spring)

The only truly negative effect I have noticed is that I have had to cut runs short sometimes or felt fatigued during them due to DOMS in my hamstrings and/or quads.

TigerBite

You just have to make sure you eat enough calories to sustain your activity level ... I don't really ever go over 10 miles at a clip .... anything over an hour + and I start to get bored ... Plus I like to run fast and I like to keep my pace between 6:30 and 7:30 per mile, so I rarely go over 6 or 7 miles per run ...

ETA: And STRETCH AFTER YOUR RUNS AND LIFTING ... This will help to prevent injury, lifting will actually improve your running ...

FrnkLft

This is only worth $0.02 because I don't have the experience, but yeah I figure you might have to sacrifice *some* of one for the other.

The interesting thing about StrongLifts though is that it has you squatting everyday for 3x a week right, which is a bit more than most programs. You'll be fine squatting twice a week if you need to work in some cardio.

Why don't you take squatting out of the picture for just one workout a week? Substitute something else you want... have fun do some curls lol That might help you schedule your running in a little better, and give you a little relief so you can hit your running goals. Plenty of guys even squat just once a week, but twice is a bit more ideal if you can work it in. 3x a week is a great part of Stronglifts, but it's not absolutely necessary.

ZTazlor

Great post OP and good responses. Thanks guys.

DymonNdaRgh40

Any Runners out there who also are doing the Stronglift 5x5 program? I'm not talking about running as an form of cardio, but more to people who actually hit the pavement deliberately to put on some mileage (let's say 10Kers and up).

Any advice you can give for balancing the two? Do they conflict with each other somehow (speaking more to the physical affects)?
How many days do you run/ lift?
What schedule have you found works best for arranging the 2 events throughout the week so you are at your best for each?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I've modified the strong lift program for myself so I don't follow it exactly. I do everything only I don't go heavy duty on the bench press. I do a combination of both weight lifting and running because I love to run plus I'm currently training for a half marathon. I've been doing this for quite awhile and have trouble with taking full rest days. I currently run three to four days a week and then weight lift the other three to four days. It depends on how I feel.

On my running days, I'll do 3.25 mile Monday, 4.25 Wednesday, and then 6.25 on Friday. I always follow my runs with the leg press and either the leg extension or leg curl. I'll do five sets of fifteen reps @ 140lbs on the leg press and five sets of fifteen reps @ 100lbs on the leg extension/curl. On Monday and Wednesday, I end my workout with 30 minutes on the stairmaster.
I'll do a longer run usually 8-11 miles on either Saturday or Sunday.

Tuesday's and Thursday's are my hardcore, set in stone weight lifting days. Depending on which day I do my long run is when I do another weight lifting day. This works pretty good for me as long as I fuel properly after the workouts. I didn't use to do this before and now that I do I notice a major difference. I always stretch afterwards, drink lots of water, and always follow up with protein after my workouts. My body is pretty used to this and so I have to mix things up a lot. Next month I'll increase my running pace again and increase my weights.

I suggest alternating your training days and see if that works for you and also listen to your body. A long run might not feel so good after a heavy squat day

brandiuntz

I run and do Strong Lifts. I play recreational sports on the weekends, so finding a balance has been tough.

Ran my first half over the weekend. Now that's over with and my weekend sports (flag football and softball) are nearly done, I'm going to go back to a 3x per week for each.

M-W-F: running

T-TH-Sat: Lifting

Sunday: full rest

My average runs are 5-6 miles. I had to play with Strong Lifts when training for the half by backing off the dead-lifts and squats quite a bit. I've got form problems with the squats, so that's its own story...

I'm thinking to make sure easy runs come the days after deadlifts-squat combos. Do my hardest run on Mondays, since I've had a day of rest.

Overall, my main sacrifice has been to progress slower in Strong Lifts. I'm still adding weight, just very slowly.

dutchk

I'm in the same boat as the OP. Just finished the Philly marathon and want to build a good strength program while maintaining a core run program. I also run OCR's. A great topic of interest for me so I'm bookmarking this for updates.

_funrungirl

I'm not doing strong lifting, but I'm getting serious into weight training (NROWL), and training for a half and Ragnar in February.

The_Enginerd

I'm doing a modified 5x5 program that's an ABC program instead of the AB of SL. I'm doing lifting MWF with squats on M and F, and running 10k on Saturday. I was doing two runs a week, but recovery was becoming an issue and my progress on squats and dead lifts was poor. It is a balance, and you won't progress as quickly as if you were only concentrating on one activity.

GiddyupTim

I do both, and I might be the person you have in mind because I think of myself as more of a runner than a lifter.
I tried doing 5x5 three and even four times a week, and could not. It really impacted my running because my legs were tired on the days I ran. Plus, to run well, I think, you have to run four times a week, at least.
So, I have cut back on the lifting. I now lift only twice a week. I do squats on one of those days and deadlifts on the other. (My heavy lifts, I mean. i also bench, push press, row, pull-ups, etc.)
Will I make lifting progress? Probably not much. But I like it. I am getting the cross-training benefit. And, i can improve on my running.
My situation might be different from yours, though. I am older (54 years) and so it takes me a bit more time to recover than someone younger, and I also play competitive tennis multiple times a week. If you don't do something like my tennis, you might not feel as depleted after lifting as I do.
Anyway, I think you almost have to decide that you are going to do one seriously,with the aim of improving, and the other as an auxiliary to the first.

beachlover317

In to follow info.

FrenchMob

If running is your primary goal and strength is just to maintain muscle, just do the 5x5 twice a week like Tues and Fri.

tigersword

Programs like Stronglifts generally place a strong emphasis on actually resting on your rest days. Doing that kind of running more or less prevents the kind of rest you would need when doing heavy squatting 3x/week.

This. i tried running between lifting days. It made both my running, and my lifting suck. You're best bet is to focus on one or the other, and then back off the one you aren't focusing on.

Like if you decide to focus on lifting, cut your cardio back to walking or just shorter jogging sessions. If you want to focus on running, cut back the lifting, to either less weight, or less sets.

prattiger65

I m very interested in this topic. I am trying to do both as well and I am finding that my running is really suffering. One question that I have is this, how many calories are you eating? During October I basically ate at maintenance and it seemed to me that I was better able to do both, but when I went back on a deficit in November i really hit a wall running.

michellekicks

I m very interested in this topic. I am trying to do both as well and I am finding that my running is really suffering. One question that I have is this, how many calories are you eating? During October I basically ate at maintenance and it seemed to me that I was better able to do both, but when I went back on a deficit in November i really hit a wall running.

The body can't operate at a deficit indefinitely while making improvements in running and lifting. When you eat what your body needs you will see the best performance. I always eat full TDEE for a week or more before a big race and my results are a huge improvement from training on a deficit. Even when dieting down, do it at a deficit of maybe 300 calories/day.