Advice for lifting routine for a runner please

julie_emma1

Current stats: 5’4” Weight: 123 Age: 27 BF%: 20.9% according to the gym scale thingy

What's your current gross intake of calories, on average? 2100 ish

What's your current average intake of protein, carbs, and fats, in grams? Pro 102g / Carbs 255g / Fat 70g

Do you use a food scale and measure everything? Yep

Do you track all of your intake, daily? Yep

Do you take cheat days or days off? No I don't have "cheat" days per se. There is the odd evening where I go out for dinner and drinks, and end up being over, but I still log these and *try* to plan my intake around it.

How much weight have you lost so far and over what time period? I've lost 32 lbs over several years, with the last 12 lbs in the last year.

Describe your activity (exercise and non exercise) and did you change that activity within the last couple of months? I'm a runner who recently started lifting in early December 2013. I've been following NROLFW 2 days per week since January.
I run 4-5 days per week (about 25 mpw). I've been running for a long time - started training for my first half marathon two years ago and have been running since.

How long have you been stalled and if it is not a complete stall please be very specific as to how much you have lost over the stalled period.
My weight loss has "stalled' because I'm eating at maintenance . I am looking for advice about my lifting routine because I'm very new to this! My specific questions are: Are 2x lifting per week adequate or if I should up it to 3x per week? Would I benefit from decreasing my runs to 4 days (or even 3 days...eep) per week to allow more time for recovery?

Are you breastfeeding? No

Do you have thyroid issues/risks or PCOS? No

Additional notes: In terms of results from lifting, I'm looking to continue to build strength rather than bulk. I'm liking the results I've been getting with lifting so far, especially feeling stronger in my daily life and seeing more muscle definition. On the flip side, I do enjoy running so don't want to quit it by any means. I'm trying to find a good balance between the two

rjmudlax13

I'm not one of the experts here, but I will try to provide some help because I've been dealing with a similar situation. I just started training for a marathon in October (I'm actually training for a half in May and then will be doing a full in October/November).

I've found that when I'm training for a race, lifting 2 days a week is best. The key is you want to take full advantage of the benefits lifting provides for runners (i.e. injury prevention, better performance) while not cutting into your true run training. I am currently doing the Wendler 5/3/1 2 day routine. It's basically 2 compound lifts and 3 to 4 "accessory" exercises. So, for example:

Day 1 (Monday)
Squats 5/3/1 (See Wendler's book for explanation on 5/3/1)
Bench 5/3/1
Pull-ups 3x10
Back extension 3x15
DB Bench 3x10
Shoulder Fly 3x10

Day 2 (Thursday)
Deadlift 5/3/1
Military 5/3/1
plus 3 to 4 exercises of your choosing. Work on weak areas.

I find 2 days is more than enough during the running season. In the winter/off-season I do 3 to 4 days a week.

Also, remember to take 1 day completely off.

julie_emma1

Thanks for your informative response - this was very helpful! I'm glad to hear that 2 days per week works well with running training. I like your plan of ramping up your lifting in the "off season" from running. I've got a race in May and another in June, so maybe I'll cut back on running and add more lifting after that.

rjmudlax13

Also, check out this thread:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1091565-lifting-and-running

And join the Long Distance Runner group. There's a lot of good info there.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/94-long-distance-runners

dawnemjh

Bumping to read later

scott091501

Lifting 2 or 3 times a week isn't going to make a ton of difference. The fact that you lift heavy (2-5 sets, 3-6 reps) is whats important.

Once running cadence and form is settled you run faster through reactive strength and force to apply high levels of power over the very short period of contact time.

All lifts should be compound movements done in explosive/powerful manners. Deads, Power Cleans, Squats, etc. Isolation exercises should be avoided if possible because they generally have no effect on performance and increase recovery time.

julie_emma1

Lifting 2 or 3 times a week isn't going to make a ton of difference. The fact that you lift heavy (2-5 sets, 3-6 reps) is whats important.

Once running cadence and form is settled you run faster through reactive strength and force to apply high levels of power over the very short period of contact time.

All lifts should be compound movements done in explosive/powerful manners. Deads, Power Cleans, Squats, etc. Isolation exercises should be avoided if possible because they generally have no effect on performance and increase recovery time.

Sorry I missed this earlier. Thanks for your thoughts

rjmudlax13

I mostly agree with scott. However, the reason I do 2 lift days a week is strictly for time management reasons. I would prefer to lift more days, but then I would be losing out on running time which is more important for long race training. I wish I had all the time in the world, but I live in the real world. And I agree compound lifts (with good form) are king. Sometimes I just do my compounds for the day and skip the assistance workouts.

scott091501

. Sometimes I just do my compounds for the day and skip the assistance workouts.

There are many days when I get done with swimming, biking, or running and only get to hit the compound movement for the day. You have to prioritize what's important when looking at time crunches as well as when looking at recovery. For me it's tri related workout, compound strength movement, assistance lifts. This governs my choices when it comes to what gets cut should something need to go.

Sarauk2sf

Erp...totally missed this the first time round. Sorry. Will read the thread properly shortly and add anything of relevance.

Sarauk2sf

I'm not one of the experts here, but I will try to provide some help because I've been dealing with a similar situation. I just started training for a marathon in October (I'm actually training for a half in May and then will be doing a full in October/November).

I've found that when I'm training for a race, lifting 2 days a week is best. The key is you want to take full advantage of the benefits lifting provides for runners (i.e. injury prevention, better performance) while not cutting into your true run training. I am currently doing the Wendler 5/3/1 2 day routine. It's basically 2 compound lifts and 3 to 4 "accessory" exercises. So, for example:

Day 1 (Monday)
Squats 5/3/1 (See Wendler's book for explanation on 5/3/1)
Bench 5/3/1
Pull-ups 3x10
Back extension 3x15
DB Bench 3x10
Shoulder Fly 3x10

Day 2 (Thursday)
Deadlift 5/3/1
Military 5/3/1
plus 3 to 4 exercises of your choosing. Work on weak areas.

I find 2 days is more than enough during the running season. In the winter/off-season I do 3 to 4 days a week.

Also, remember to take 1 day completely off.

I love 5/3/1, but it's not really a program ideally suited to someone who has only been lifting for a few months.

Sarauk2sf

At the end of the day, you have to prioritize your time and your goals. However, you absolutely can do both. Lifting will help your running. For LBM retention, 2 days a week is fine. I would however do a full body routine on those 2 days.

I would recommend a good full body program like AllPro or SL 5 x 5.

AllPro can be found here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843

Just drop the middle or last day (depending on your recovery and schedule) and make it a 2 x a week


SL can be converted to a 2 x a week by just doing workouts A and B in the week.

julie_emma1

Thanks for your tips! I've been doing New rules of lifting for women program which is full body, and includes compound lifts. The reps are a bit more than it sounds like people have recommended (this week I did 3 sets of 8 reps for each exercise, previous week was 10 reps). Would you recommend switching to SL or AllPro now? Or maybe switch after I complete NROLFW program?

Sarauk2sf

Thanks for your tips! I've been doing New rules of lifting for women program which is full body, and includes compound lifts. The reps are a bit more than it sounds like people have recommended (this week I did 3 sets of 8 reps for each exercise, previous week was 10 reps). Would you recommend switching to SL or AllPro now? Or maybe switch after I complete NROLFW program?

I am not really a fan of NROLFW as it gets 'fiddly', but those rep ranges are absolutely fine. I think it is after Stage 3 that it 'loses the plot' a bit (but others can correct me as I have never done it myself), so I would either swap then or you could swap now. If you are enjoying it however, keep at it for a little while at least.