balancing running and lifting?
BeautyFromPain
Posts: 4,952 Member
Long story short, my goal at the moment is to lose body fat whilst maintaining muscle mass.
I also want to become a better runner and be able to lift heavier weights.
I used to do weights 4 days a week (2 upper body/2 lower body) plus I teach dancing twice a week but now I have a new found passion for running I have no idea where to fit this in.
Help anyone?
I also want to become a better runner and be able to lift heavier weights.
I used to do weights 4 days a week (2 upper body/2 lower body) plus I teach dancing twice a week but now I have a new found passion for running I have no idea where to fit this in.
Help anyone?
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Replies
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i use 3 days a week for running and 2 on strength with my busy nights at work being my rest days0
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For me, I do weights three days a week (full body) and run in between.0
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For me, I do weights three days a week (full body) and run in between.
How do you do legs then run the next day though?
Wouldn't think that is too good.0 -
I do it. I have a 3 day rotation- run, lift, rest. I have details about it in my profile if you're interested!0
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I can't run the day after I lift. It's miserable!For me, I do weights three days a week (full body) and run in between.
How do you do legs then run the next day though?
Wouldn't think that is too good.0 -
For me, I do weights three days a week (full body) and run in between.
How do you do legs then run the next day though?
Wouldn't think that is too good.
I do pretty much the same schedule and as long as I'm keeping my protein up, there's minimal muscle soreness. I tried cutting out the protein shakes for a month because I thought they were stalling me, and had tight, sore hamstrings and calves all the time, which affected everything. Thankfully, my massage therapist is also a trainer and told me what I was doing wrong as he was torturing my poor legs.0 -
I run M/W/F, lift T/Th/Sa and take Sunday off. I love both. I do everything in the morning so there is a 24 hour rest between legs and running and to me it feels good to run when my legs are a little sore.0
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I am doing the same. I run on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. I lift (NROL4W) on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. My rest day is tuesday because I have class on Tuesday night.
I haven't had a problem with this rotation due to minimal muscle soreness. I never thought about it - but I bet it is the protein. I aim for minimum 100 grams a day of protein. I'm usually only sore the first day of a new weight stage.
Sherry0 -
You have to realize you have to strike a balance. You can either be great at lifting, or great at running. Can't really do both at the same time. You can be good shape not saying you can't, you will be well balanced doing both. I am just saying to be thinking you're going to be some muscular marathon runner.
I lift heavy 3x a week, it only last about 30-40mins, then i do cardio for about 20minutes. In your case, you can slowly increase the time of cardio.
Disagree. I agree in the sense that elite marathon athletes (like, the ones that run professionally and win marathons) aren't going to be great weightlifters. And competitive weight lifters aren't going to be great runners (like, olympic athletes) but most of us aren't at those levels. I distance run and consider myself good at it, and I lift and have a pretty steady progression and good results. I'm not winning any races, but I maintain a base fitness level where I can run for 2 hrs without exhaustion, and still PR my lifts with reasonable regularity. The attitude you're taking here discourages people to pursue both interests if they have them.
The keys are 1)diet and 2)rest. Maybe you won't win marathons or lifting competitions, but you CAN do both successfully with the right diet and proper rest.0 -
I pretty much go every other day now. Once per week I do light cardio and and resistance bands. But I always make sure that I have at least one, sometimes two or three, days between strength training to give my muscles plenty of time to heal. I'm also not afraid to listen to my body and take a rest day, and just eat less on my rest days.0
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You have to realize you have to strike a balance. You can either be great at lifting, or great at running. Can't really do both at the same time. You can be good shape not saying you can't, you will be well balanced doing both. I am just saying don't be thinking you're going to be some muscular marathon runner. Or a really lean and lanky power lifter.
I lift heavy 3x a week, it only last about 30-40mins, then i do cardio for about 20minutes. In your case, you can slowly increase the time of cardio.
I disagree with this as well. I have massively improved my progress on strength training, and at the same time, I've made it to week five of Couch to 5k. You can do both, you just have to be sure and take rest days and know how to listen to your body.0 -
For me..
Mon / Wed / Fri = Weight Lifting (1-2hrs Full body)
Tues / Thurs / Sat = Running
Sun = Rest
It takes some getting used to but, its what works for me and i love it!0 -
For me, I do weights three days a week (full body) and run in between.
How do you do legs then run the next day though?
Wouldn't think that is too good.
It's really not that bad.
I'm doing C25K which is 3 days a week.. and which means that my runs must come after my lifting days, since I'm like other poster doing full body 3 days and then running 3 days.
I haven't had any issues and am progressing in strength goals/running goals quite well.0 -
I do cardio 5x a week. Two of those days are running. Two days a week, I do cardio followed by weights. My rest days are always the day after I do a cardio/weight workout. I'm gumby the day after weights and really need the rest. My schedule looks like this:
M: kickbox
T: spin/weghts
W: rest
Th:run
Fri: kickbox
Sat: run/weights
Sun : rest.
I do cardio for the calorie burn, cardiovascular health and most importantly for mental health. The weights are key to keeping/building muscle which keeps me looking younger. Who doesn't want that?0 -
Yoote]
lifter ou have to realize you have to strike a balance. You can either be great at lifting, or great at running. Can't really do both at the same time. You can be good shape not saying you can't, you will be well balanced doing both. I am just saying don't be thinking you're going to be some muscular marathon runner. Or a really lean and lanky power lifter.
I lift heavy 3x a week, it only last about 30-40mins, then i do cardio for about 20minutes. In your case, you can slowly increase the time of cardio.
[/quote]
I'm going to disagree with this a little bit. Not in theory, but in practical application. Every one has a different level of fitness that they consider good or great, and for most people, being a good runner and good lifter is entirely possible. Will they be able to max out at both, heck no, I don't care how many scooby studies say they can. But can they achieve a high level of fitness at both, absolutely. Remember that what you and I consider "strong" is probably more than most people want to try to lift. If the OP has a goal of being the strongest lifter in the gym, don't run. Not a single step. But if they want to be a lifter that runs or a runner that lifts, totally achievable.
For the OP, back in another life when I lifted and ran, I only had 4 days total per week to get it all in. I lifted then ran on the same day 3x a week, and did running only 1 day (if I felt like it). Worked great. All my lifts went down (a lot), but I was able to lose the winter weight right on schedule.0 -
I do strength training as a regular part of my training for half marathon running (I have my second in a couple of weeks).
I lift on Mondays and Thursdays. Doing a "circuit" of 12 different lifts, half upper body, half lower. I lift the heaviest weight I can to breaking and just recently upped my weight on about two-thirds of the lifts and have already watched my reps go up across the board on the new weights (and the old). I do three sets of all 12 each time. And while I'm not necessarily building muscle since I'm still in a calorie deficit, I eat about 30-35% protein on lift days and am clearly seeing strength improvement.
I have my long runs on Sundays (14 miles tomorrow!), mid-length run on Tuesdays (usually just under half my Sunday distance), alternate speed and hill training on Wednesdays, a three mile run after my strength workout on Thursdays, then a cross-train cardio day on Saturdays (any cardio but running, usually the ARC/adaptive motion trainer).
Following that schedule I saw my average running pace drop from close to 11 minutes per mile to the 9:32 per mile that I ran my first half in. And while the strength hasn't improved as highly (partially due to a shoulder injury that sidelined my strength training for a little while), it has steadily improved.
So I'd say that, as someone said before, you aren't going to be the race winner or break lifting records, you can definitely improve both aspects at the same time.0 -
Lot of people do 3 lifting days and 2 cardio days0
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I dont really run anymore like i would like to ( my shins protest from years ago damage) but i do my weights twice a week full body ( 2 sets) and Once a week just one set. I also do at least 30-45 mins of cardio ( 3-4 miles eliptical or 3-4 miles on the treadmill at 3.5 mph doing jog/walk intervals) on those same days. Then i do Zumba 2-3 times a week and i take Thursdays off since i work a double that day.
I find that if i do the weights in the AM i am ok with the zumba in the pm but, if i dont do zumba i do the cardio right after the weights. Am i sore....almost always but not in pain just sore.
You just have to find what times will work best for you and listen to your body. I should take an extra rest day ideally but, i cant decide which activity i would choose to cut.0 -
I stand all day at work (50 hrs/wk) so when I lift I do not do my legs. I walk 6 days a week (I'm working on running a little more at a time every other day) and on the days I don't run, I do my lifting/strength training. Just arms (triceps, blech) and abs. Light weights, few reps - I build muscle pretty quickly and I'm only trying to tone. I'm trying to lose bulk, not gain it.
If I ever feel like I need anything else on my lower body I stretch, or do lunges or squats, but walking/running on its own seems to be taking care of everything from the waist down for me.
My sister even commented on how muscular/lean my legs are getting yesterday, which I didn't think was noticeable yet. (yay!) 0 -
I stand all day at work (50 hrs/wk) so when I lift I do not do my legs. I walk 6 days a week (I'm working on running a little more at a time every other day) and on the days I don't run, I do my lifting/strength training. Just arms (triceps, blech) and abs. Light weights, few reps - I build muscle pretty quickly and I'm only trying to tone. I'm trying to lose bulk, not gain it.
If I ever feel like I need anything else on my lower body I stretch, or do lunges or squats, but walking/running on its own seems to be taking care of everything from the waist down for me. My sister even commented on how muscular/lean my legs are getting yesterday, which I didn't think was noticeable yet. (yay!)
So you don't do your back/chest/shoulders/legs?
Sigh
Women can NOT bulk, trust me.0 -
I run after every lifting session. Usually one mile when I lift and two when im not lifting. I read somewhere that running after lifting is better for muscle building and retention. Whereas running first and then lifting is more geared for strictly weight-loss. Although I don't know if the difference is significant i've always ran after lifting and will continue to do so.0
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Lift weights 2x per week....run 3-4 up to you. On days you lift, split body parts and do not work legs...no need, as you work legs running.
as someone else said....don't worry about "bulking"....0 -
I stand all day at work (50 hrs/wk) so when I lift I do not do my legs. I walk 6 days a week (I'm working on running a little more at a time every other day) and on the days I don't run, I do my lifting/strength training. Just arms (triceps, blech) and abs. Light weights, few reps - I build muscle pretty quickly and I'm only trying to tone. I'm trying to lose bulk, not gain it.
If I ever feel like I need anything else on my lower body I stretch, or do lunges or squats, but walking/running on its own seems to be taking care of everything from the waist down for me. My sister even commented on how muscular/lean my legs are getting yesterday, which I didn't think was noticeable yet. (yay!)
So you don't do your back/chest/shoulders/legs?
Sigh
Women can NOT bulk, trust me.
Lol. I've heard that a lot. But I suppose it's personal preference that *I* feel like some areas do not look good on me when they are super toned as they do on other people. I do arms/back. I may change in the future, but I find that focusing on my shoulders and chest intentionally builds too much for my body type, I have done it before. I want my neckline and decolletage to remain softer, as they are (and only look better as I LOSE weight as opposed to LIFT it). But that's just my personal preference for myself. I want to achieve a shape that I feel I can personally maintain and still have a life that includes the occasional sweet or salty treat. And, as we all know, that is different for everyone.0 -
We have come to an impass. I did understand your point. I know how muscle fibers work. It's irrelevant to most of the population here- you can run marathons and lift weights. I may be speaking out of turn here, but I don't think the OP is an elite runner or a pro bodybuilder, and I doubt she expects to become either.You have to realize you have to strike a balance. You can either be great at lifting, or great at running. Can't really do both at the same time. You can be good shape not saying you can't, you will be well balanced doing both. I am just saying to be thinking you're going to be some muscular marathon runner.
I lift heavy 3x a week, it only last about 30-40mins, then i do cardio for about 20minutes. In your case, you can slowly increase the time of cardio.
Disagree. I agree in the sense that elite marathon athletes (like, the ones that run professionally and win marathons) aren't going to be great weightlifters. And competitive weight lifters aren't going to be great runners (like, olympic athletes) but most of us aren't at those levels. I distance run and consider myself good at it, and I lift and have a pretty steady progression and good results. I'm not winning any races, but I maintain a base fitness level where I can run for 2 hrs without exhaustion, and still PR my lifts with reasonable regularity. The attitude you're taking here discourages people to pursue both interests if they have them.
The keys are 1)diet and 2)rest. Maybe you won't win marathons or lifting competitions, but you CAN do both successfully with the right diet and proper rest.
You missed my point. I said "I am not saying she can't be in good shape." If she's planning to run marathons, not to think she's going to have a ton of muscle and be running marathons. Muscle fibers don't work that way. It's either one type of muscle fiber is more dominant, or they are all balanced. Imagine a pro bodybuilder running a marathon, would that even happen?
Why you think there are big difference in Olympic sprinters compared to marathon runners? A marathoner won't run as fast as a sprinter, and a sprinter won't run the distance of a marathon runner. Their training dictates their body composition and their ability.
Like you said, training dictates body composition and ability. Training for both allows you to do both.0 -
We have come to an impass. I did understand your point. I know how muscle fibers work. It's irrelevant to most of the population here- you can run marathons and lift weights. I may be speaking out of turn here, but I don't think the OP is an elite runner or a pro bodybuilder, and I doubt she expects to become either.You have to realize you have to strike a balance. You can either be great at lifting, or great at running. Can't really do both at the same time. You can be good shape not saying you can't, you will be well balanced doing both. I am just saying to be thinking you're going to be some muscular marathon runner.
I lift heavy 3x a week, it only last about 30-40mins, then i do cardio for about 20minutes. In your case, you can slowly increase the time of cardio.
Disagree. I agree in the sense that elite marathon athletes (like, the ones that run professionally and win marathons) aren't going to be great weightlifters. And competitive weight lifters aren't going to be great runners (like, olympic athletes) but most of us aren't at those levels. I distance run and consider myself good at it, and I lift and have a pretty steady progression and good results. I'm not winning any races, but I maintain a base fitness level where I can run for 2 hrs without exhaustion, and still PR my lifts with reasonable regularity. The attitude you're taking here discourages people to pursue both interests if they have them.
The keys are 1)diet and 2)rest. Maybe you won't win marathons or lifting competitions, but you CAN do both successfully with the right diet and proper rest.
You missed my point. I said "I am not saying she can't be in good shape." If she's planning to run marathons, not to think she's going to have a ton of muscle and be running marathons. Muscle fibers don't work that way. It's either one type of muscle fiber is more dominant, or they are all balanced. Imagine a pro bodybuilder running a marathon, would that even happen?
Why you think there are big difference in Olympic sprinters compared to marathon runners? A marathoner won't run as fast as a sprinter, and a sprinter won't run the distance of a marathon runner. Their training dictates their body composition and their ability.
Like you said, training dictates body composition and ability. Training for both allows you to do both.
I would love to run a marathon one day, but that is probably in at least 10+ years time.0 -
Totally agree! you can do it sooner if you'd like but your goals are your own. You could easily do a half marathon within a year if you wanted to train for it.
We have come to an impass. I did understand your point. I know how muscle fibers work. It's irrelevant to most of the population here- you can run marathons and lift weights. I may be speaking out of turn here, but I don't think the OP is an elite runner or a pro bodybuilder, and I doubt she expects to become either.You have to realize you have to strike a balance. You can either be great at lifting, or great at running. Can't really do both at the same time. You can be good shape not saying you can't, you will be well balanced doing both. I am just saying to be thinking you're going to be some muscular marathon runner.
I lift heavy 3x a week, it only last about 30-40mins, then i do cardio for about 20minutes. In your case, you can slowly increase the time of cardio.
Disagree. I agree in the sense that elite marathon athletes (like, the ones that run professionally and win marathons) aren't going to be great weightlifters. And competitive weight lifters aren't going to be great runners (like, olympic athletes) but most of us aren't at those levels. I distance run and consider myself good at it, and I lift and have a pretty steady progression and good results. I'm not winning any races, but I maintain a base fitness level where I can run for 2 hrs without exhaustion, and still PR my lifts with reasonable regularity. The attitude you're taking here discourages people to pursue both interests if they have them.
The keys are 1)diet and 2)rest. Maybe you won't win marathons or lifting competitions, but you CAN do both successfully with the right diet and proper rest.
You missed my point. I said "I am not saying she can't be in good shape." If she's planning to run marathons, not to think she's going to have a ton of muscle and be running marathons. Muscle fibers don't work that way. It's either one type of muscle fiber is more dominant, or they are all balanced. Imagine a pro bodybuilder running a marathon, would that even happen?
Why you think there are big difference in Olympic sprinters compared to marathon runners? A marathoner won't run as fast as a sprinter, and a sprinter won't run the distance of a marathon runner. Their training dictates their body composition and their ability.
Like you said, training dictates body composition and ability. Training for both allows you to do both.
I would love to run a marathon one day, but that is probably in at least 10+ years time.
I am sure you can do it. If you're not working towards it now, you should.0 -
Totally agree! you can do it sooner if you'd like but your goals are your own. You could easily do a half marathon within a year if you wanted to train for it.
We have come to an impass. I did understand your point. I know how muscle fibers work. It's irrelevant to most of the population here- you can run marathons and lift weights. I may be speaking out of turn here, but I don't think the OP is an elite runner or a pro bodybuilder, and I doubt she expects to become either.You have to realize you have to strike a balance. You can either be great at lifting, or great at running. Can't really do both at the same time. You can be good shape not saying you can't, you will be well balanced doing both. I am just saying to be thinking you're going to be some muscular marathon runner.
I lift heavy 3x a week, it only last about 30-40mins, then i do cardio for about 20minutes. In your case, you can slowly increase the time of cardio.
Disagree. I agree in the sense that elite marathon athletes (like, the ones that run professionally and win marathons) aren't going to be great weightlifters. And competitive weight lifters aren't going to be great runners (like, olympic athletes) but most of us aren't at those levels. I distance run and consider myself good at it, and I lift and have a pretty steady progression and good results. I'm not winning any races, but I maintain a base fitness level where I can run for 2 hrs without exhaustion, and still PR my lifts with reasonable regularity. The attitude you're taking here discourages people to pursue both interests if they have them.
The keys are 1)diet and 2)rest. Maybe you won't win marathons or lifting competitions, but you CAN do both successfully with the right diet and proper rest.
You missed my point. I said "I am not saying she can't be in good shape." If she's planning to run marathons, not to think she's going to have a ton of muscle and be running marathons. Muscle fibers don't work that way. It's either one type of muscle fiber is more dominant, or they are all balanced. Imagine a pro bodybuilder running a marathon, would that even happen?
Why you think there are big difference in Olympic sprinters compared to marathon runners? A marathoner won't run as fast as a sprinter, and a sprinter won't run the distance of a marathon runner. Their training dictates their body composition and their ability.
Like you said, training dictates body composition and ability. Training for both allows you to do both.
I would love to run a marathon one day, but that is probably in at least 10+ years time.
I am sure you can do it. If you're not working towards it now, you should.
Thanks, and the reason which I want to lift weights is mostly cos I am terrified of becoming skinny fit and loose skin plus I just love it.0 -
I run 4-5 days a week. And just started including body weight exercises at 2 points in my run (1 mile in, where I used to just stop for stretching, and in the same spot on my way back). The exercises have made running harder, but I still manage to complete an 8k run with them included (that's my max distance for now). I do push-ups and chin-ups (ok ok chin-downs only so far) on every run, leg exercises every other. Reason I started this, is I am terrible at making myself do any of it at home.
I will start weights at some point, but for now this is working for me, I think....0 -
We have come to an impass. I did understand your point. I know how muscle fibers work. It's irrelevant to most of the population here- you can run marathons and lift weights. I may be speaking out of turn here, but I don't think the OP is an elite runner or a pro bodybuilder, and I doubt she expects to become either....Clipped some quotes
Like you said, training dictates body composition and ability. Training for both allows you to do both.
I guess it really boils down to the type of physique you want to build. You can lift weights just fine and run, nothing wrong with that. I guess my comment was more directed to the people who are reading on the forums. I know most women don't want to bulk up. What I am going to say is not directly to you, just in general. We have so much recuperation ability. Lifting takes recuperation ability away from running, and running takes recuperation ability away from lifting. Also if you run long distances and you run out of glycogen(carbs in the muscle) protein will be catabolized, meaning you will burn protein aka muscle. When you're lifting you're exercising anaerobically. Meaning you're training your muscles to work with no oxygen. When you do long distances you have to build up your aerobic capacity. This trains the muscles to work with oxygen. If you're lifting you're limiting their ability to use oxygen. I am talking about the extreme's of sports. If you'e not interested in the extreme sports, such as bodybuilding or marathon running, then it doesn't matter. There are a lot of people who have great physiques that are well balanced that do running and lifting.
These people though would never win a marathon or win a bodybuilding competition.
Ok I agree with that message, with one clarification. Running marathons isn't that extreme- lots of people can do it with training. WINNING marathons or being an elite runner is extreme. When I use the term "elite runner" its specific to the people that are in contention to actually win races- for most big races these are professional runners- they're not in the same league as the other thousands of people who enter races and go for PB's. Training to run a marathon won't necessarily cause you to develop the type of body that the elite runners have. They have a mixture of genetic predisposition, intense training, and a diet that supports their sport. Most runners won't ever look like them. Same goes for pro-body builders, obviously. I'm at a level now where I could feasibly run a marathon in 3 months or less, and training wouldn't change my body that much. I'm planning on doing it in the spring. I'm clarifying just because you used it as an example of extreme, and it's just not that extreme. Now, if you replace the word 'marathon' in your post with 'ultramarathon' I would agree wholeheartedly.0 -
So, I happen to be an ultramarathoner and a CrossFitter, with a weightlifting emphasis w/ my trainer since obviously I don't need the extra cardio.
I will agree that there is a tradeoff. I'd be better at either of those things separately if I'd give the other one up. But I can participate in both sports without any big problems, and I love the results I'm getting in terms of how I look and feel.
For me the running is far more important to me than the lifting, so I only CF twice a week, sometimes a third mini session at home of some pullups or pushups or kettlebell. I run 5-6 days per week. And as you'd expect, I'm a better runner than I am a CrossFitter. I am making strength progress though. A month ago I couldn't do pullups, and yesterday I did sets of 3; I've added 15 pounds to by back squat, 7 pounds to my strict press, and 20 pounds to my deadlift since 6 months ago.
Given my schedule, obviously I do run the day after weight training my legs, in fact I usually also run later that same day. My runs are slower shorter and more painful than they would be w/o the weight session. However I am convinced that the combination made my legs more fatigue-resistant and helped me power through a trail 50K last spring - I didn't have near the miles that I'd had in the past to prepare for that distance, yet my time was not that much slower than usual and I felt fantastic the entire time, barely sore the next day.0
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