Running and lifting?
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shivles
Posts: 468 Member
I'm marathon training, I'm expecting to loose some weight from all the running but would like to build some muscle again. Will lifting have a bad effect on my running training? If it will I'm willing to wait until after the race but otherwise it would be nice to look awesome when I run 
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Replies
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I've been a longtime (mediocre) runner and about a month ago started lifting heavy with the sole purpose of becoming a better runner. I lift 3 days a week and run 1-2 and in one month I've gone from an 11:00+ average pace to 9:20 and my distance is only increasing. I definitely recommend it!0
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I've been a longtime (mediocre) runner and about a month ago started lifting heavy with the sole purpose of becoming a better runner. I lift 3 days a week and run 1-2 and in one month I've gone from an 11:00+ average pace to 9:20 and my distance is only increasing. I definitely recommend it!
Wow, that is really impressive. Are you focusing on compound lifts? I'm asking because I took a running break, started heavy lifting in November and am now just re-introducing running to prepare for an event. If I can better my time, I wanna know what you're doing.
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Thats really impressive! What's your routine?0
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I've been a longtime (mediocre) runner and about a month ago started lifting heavy with the sole purpose of becoming a better runner. I lift 3 days a week and run 1-2 and in one month I've gone from an 11:00+ average pace to 9:20 and my distance is only increasing. I definitely recommend it!
Wow, that is really impressive. Are you focusing on compound lifts? I'm asking because I took a running break, started heavy lifting in November and am now just re-introducing running to prepare for an event. If I can better my time, I wanna know what you're doing.
Yep! Compound lifts - squat, bench, deadlift. My week typically looks like this:
Monday - Squats and 2-4 exercises to work arms & shoulders
Wednesday - Bench and 2-4 exercises to work triceps
Friday - Deadlift and 2-4 exercises to work back
The 2-4 additional exercises are usually done with dumbbells or the machines at the gym. I'm also really fortunate to have a gym that offers a powerlifting class, which has helped me a lot with form (and is just amazing in general).0 -
I've been a longtime (mediocre) runner and about a month ago started lifting heavy with the sole purpose of becoming a better runner. I lift 3 days a week and run 1-2 and in one month I've gone from an 11:00+ average pace to 9:20 and my distance is only increasing. I definitely recommend it!
I have a similar story although mine is over the course of years, not months.
I ran my first marathon in 2008 with a finishing time of 4:34. I did only running to train. Did my 2nd marathon the next year (2009) and somehow not only trained rather poorly but ended up gaining a few pounds (like about 10) and ran a very miserable race - it was painful - finishing in 4:51.
Got mad at myself and figured if I'm going to do this marathon thing I at least owe it to myself to do it as well as I possibly can so I can at least ATTEMPT to have fun and enjoy the races.
After that spring 2009 marathon I got serious....dropped the excess weight, dropped down from running 5-6x a week to running 4x a week and adding some weight lifting/strength training 2x a week. That same year in October I ran my 3rd marathon and finished in 4:17.
I have since run 3 more marathons, each time increasing the amount of weight lifting I do both during training and in the off-season. My times continued to drop and my last 2 marathons I ran in 4:05 and then this past June (2012) I ran in 3:50 doing 3x a week running and 3x a week weights.
Right now I've been following NROL4W and am almost done with the program and just starting to pick up my mileage with plans for a spring marathon and hopeful a BQ time (I'd need to run in 3:40).
Do be prepared to eat a LOT of food if you are both running for marathon training and lifting weights. If you don't eat to support those activity levels your performance will suffer and you'll be constantly exhausted. I'm 5'5" and last spring when I was training I weighed about 123lbs and was eating an average of 2500-2600 calories/day and STILL losing about 1lb a month.
Also plan to slowly decrease your lifting as your mileage increases. In the beginning of marathon training I can lift 3 days a week. Somewhere down the line I drop to 2x a week. When the mileage is the highest (6-8 weeks out from marathon day) I drop down to once a week. I might pick back up to 2x a week again during my 3 week taper but I don't push myself too hard because I want to let my body recover from all that training so I can hit the starting line fresh on race day.1 -
I've been a longtime (mediocre) runner and about a month ago started lifting heavy with the sole purpose of becoming a better runner. I lift 3 days a week and run 1-2 and in one month I've gone from an 11:00+ average pace to 9:20 and my distance is only increasing. I definitely recommend it!
I have a similar story although mine is over the course of years, not months.
I ran my first marathon in 2008 with a finishing time of 4:34. I did only running to train. Did my 2nd marathon the next year (2009) and somehow not only trained rather poorly but ended up gaining a few pounds (like about 10) and ran a very miserable race - it was painful - finishing in 4:51.
Got mad at myself and figured if I'm going to do this marathon thing I at least owe it to myself to do it as well as I possibly can so I can at least ATTEMPT to have fun and enjoy the races.
After that spring 2009 marathon I got serious....dropped the excess weight, dropped down from running 5-6x a week to running 4x a week and adding some weight lifting/strength training 2x a week. That same year in October I ran my 3rd marathon and finished in 4:17.
I have since run 3 more marathons, each time increasing the amount of weight lifting I do both during training and in the off-season. My times continued to drop and my last 2 marathons I ran in 4:05 and then this past June (2012) I ran in 3:50 doing 3x a week running and 3x a week weights.
Right now I've been following NROL4W and am almost done with the program and just starting to pick up my mileage with plans for a spring marathon and hopeful a BQ time (I'd need to run in 3:40).
Do be prepared to eat a LOT of food if you are both running for marathon training and lifting weights. If you don't eat to support those activity levels your performance will suffer and you'll be constantly exhausted. I'm 5'5" and last spring when I was training I weighed about 123lbs and was eating an average of 2500-2600 calories/day and STILL losing about 1lb a month.
Also plan to slowly decrease your lifting as your mileage increases. In the beginning of marathon training I can lift 3 days a week. Somewhere down the line I drop to 2x a week. When the mileage is the highest (6-8 weeks out from marathon day) I drop down to once a week. I might pick back up to 2x a week again during my 3 week taper but I don't push myself too hard because I want to let my body recover from all that training so I can hit the starting line fresh on race day.
Excellent, thank you!0 -
I've been a distance runner for over 20 years and have incorporated strength training into my plans consistently. It has improved my running form and performances. I will train in the range of 2-4 days a week depending on the cycle of my racing season.
Even bodybuilding.com support supplementing a running program with weights.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/marathon-weight-training-stay-strong-during-marathon-training.html0 -
I have a similar story although mine is over the course of years, not months.
I ran my first marathon in 2008 with a finishing time of 4:34. I did only running to train. Did my 2nd marathon the next year (2009) and somehow not only trained rather poorly but ended up gaining a few pounds (like about 10) and ran a very miserable race - it was painful - finishing in 4:51.
Got mad at myself and figured if I'm going to do this marathon thing I at least owe it to myself to do it as well as I possibly can so I can at least ATTEMPT to have fun and enjoy the races.
After that spring 2009 marathon I got serious....dropped the excess weight, dropped down from running 5-6x a week to running 4x a week and adding some weight lifting/strength training 2x a week. That same year in October I ran my 3rd marathon and finished in 4:17.
I have since run 3 more marathons, each time increasing the amount of weight lifting I do both during training and in the off-season. My times continued to drop and my last 2 marathons I ran in 4:05 and then this past June (2012) I ran in 3:50 doing 3x a week running and 3x a week weights.
Right now I've been following NROL4W and am almost done with the program and just starting to pick up my mileage with plans for a spring marathon and hopeful a BQ time (I'd need to run in 3:40).
Do be prepared to eat a LOT of food if you are both running for marathon training and lifting weights. If you don't eat to support those activity levels your performance will suffer and you'll be constantly exhausted. I'm 5'5" and last spring when I was training I weighed about 123lbs and was eating an average of 2500-2600 calories/day and STILL losing about 1lb a month.
Also plan to slowly decrease your lifting as your mileage increases. In the beginning of marathon training I can lift 3 days a week. Somewhere down the line I drop to 2x a week. When the mileage is the highest (6-8 weeks out from marathon day) I drop down to once a week. I might pick back up to 2x a week again during my 3 week taper but I don't push myself too hard because I want to let my body recover from all that training so I can hit the starting line fresh on race day.
This is amazing information - thank you for sharing!0 -
I've been a longtime (mediocre) runner and about a month ago started lifting heavy with the sole purpose of becoming a better runner. I lift 3 days a week and run 1-2 and in one month I've gone from an 11:00+ average pace to 9:20 and my distance is only increasing. I definitely recommend it!
I have a similar story although mine is over the course of years, not months.
I ran my first marathon in 2008 with a finishing time of 4:34. I did only running to train. Did my 2nd marathon the next year (2009) and somehow not only trained rather poorly but ended up gaining a few pounds (like about 10) and ran a very miserable race - it was painful - finishing in 4:51.
Got mad at myself and figured if I'm going to do this marathon thing I at least owe it to myself to do it as well as I possibly can so I can at least ATTEMPT to have fun and enjoy the races.
After that spring 2009 marathon I got serious....dropped the excess weight, dropped down from running 5-6x a week to running 4x a week and adding some weight lifting/strength training 2x a week. That same year in October I ran my 3rd marathon and finished in 4:17.
I have since run 3 more marathons, each time increasing the amount of weight lifting I do both during training and in the off-season. My times continued to drop and my last 2 marathons I ran in 4:05 and then this past June (2012) I ran in 3:50 doing 3x a week running and 3x a week weights.
Right now I've been following NROL4W and am almost done with the program and just starting to pick up my mileage with plans for a spring marathon and hopeful a BQ time (I'd need to run in 3:40).
Do be prepared to eat a LOT of food if you are both running for marathon training and lifting weights. If you don't eat to support those activity levels your performance will suffer and you'll be constantly exhausted. I'm 5'5" and last spring when I was training I weighed about 123lbs and was eating an average of 2500-2600 calories/day and STILL losing about 1lb a month.
Also plan to slowly decrease your lifting as your mileage increases. In the beginning of marathon training I can lift 3 days a week. Somewhere down the line I drop to 2x a week. When the mileage is the highest (6-8 weeks out from marathon day) I drop down to once a week. I might pick back up to 2x a week again during my 3 week taper but I don't push myself too hard because I want to let my body recover from all that training so I can hit the starting line fresh on race day.
Wow! That's a great motivator. I'm hoping to work my way up from 5K racing to actual half and full marathons in the future. That's my dream (Actually Disney Races are the BIG dream. :bigsmile: ). So great to see that lifting could help me achieve this goal.0 -
It can be hard to gain muscle while training for marathons or being a distance runner. Personally, I upped my calories a lot. I love weight training when I'm running - especially leg days- it makes me so much better. Plus, it really aids in injury prevention. Strong leg muscles = strong knees. It all depends on your goals. If you're no trying to join the olympic team and you're not trying to be super aerodynamic go for the weight training!0
