Strength training & running

Bump. I'd also like some info on this, I'm not training for a Marathon though.

I do, everyday. I run in between sets and in between lifts. For instance, I do a set of bench press, instead of sitting doing nothing for two minutes to rest my arms and chest, I run sprint intervals for two minutes. That way I rest my chest and arms but get good cardio at the same time and I get both workouts done at the same time.


But, Im not training for a marathon. Takes a lot to complete a marathon. Probably wouldnt hurt to do some weights, but you wouldnt want to weight train to hard and it hurt your marathon training.

A trainer from the gym I attend told me that doing too much cardio (more than 3 days a week) will cause my body to burn muscle along with fat. This is discouraging since I do cardio about 6 days a week already and having muscle helps you burn fat. I still do not see how doing more exercising whether cardio or strength training can be BAD for you. Makes no sense to me but I plan on asking my doctor to find out for sure.

You should reduce your cardio and add a strength session at least twice just cardio is not good for you. Strength sessions will improve your core and burn as many ( If not more ) calories. It is essential and a known fact that your body adapts so you should mix up the excercise routines . I have taken up triathlons and joined a club. At least once a week we do core/Strength sessions, and those guys/girls are so fit and thin. ( Healthy )

my trainer told me to go ahead and run as many days as i normally would (4-5xs a week) but to try it keep it at or under 3miles at a time because my goal is to gain muscle not lose it.

my goals could be different then yours though. i already lost a lot of fat and now that i'm lean i'm looking to gain muscle back since ultimately when i lost fat i also lost muscle mass, because i mainly lost it with running and did very little strength training at the time. now with different goals (gaining muscle & training for becoming a competitive boxer) i still run as much but just with a different style as i did when i was losing weight because i actually enjoy it and its good for boxers when you run intervals & sprints vs distance and pace. (think about it: a boxer has to be able to explode for 3 mins a round each time so to get my body used to it i do sprints).

My routine: after i'm done with running sprint intervals for about 30 mins i do calisthenics for 30 mins (pushups, sit-ups, dips). i then work on foot work and jump rope for 10 mins. then lift weights for 40 mins. i also take a weekly body building class. some people (even my trainer) argued that i should run AFTER my workouts and i tried this but my body likes to run first, it doesn't tire me out the way he said it could and it actually helps get my blood flow working and wakes me up.

hope this helps.

I am running between 6 - 9km 5 or 6 times per week, and am also doing some resistance training at least every second day, too. The resistance is a combination of weights and also using body weight. Push-ups, core work, lots of arm, leg and abs, too. I am watching what I eat, without being manic, mainly because I have a young daughter with health issues that I am full-time carer for. Also I had my thyroid removed in February, and am determined to get back on track now that my medication seems like it is at the right level for me. I had a 9kg gain, but am within 5kg of being back to where I was before the operation.

The running is something I can do with my daughter in the jogging pram, taking my older daughter to school each day (we all get out in the fresh air together, and mummy gets a great big dose of much-needed endorphins), and the weights is to make me strong enough to keep up with her as she grows.

It all adds up to feeling fit and pretty good about achieving goals after a year of adjusting to a pretty life-changing diagnosis for our girl.

I have not noticed anything negative about combining the two; only benefits. At the moment, I am unable to do long runs with my daughter (need to increase my fitness), but my goal is to build to a marathon, doing incremental increases while I go. Started with 5km run, have booked into my first 10km run with her (she cheers on all the people around us while I run - makes for a good laugh and social time), and am goaling to a half-marathon in February. I love that we are all doing it together, and I am proud that our situation isn't stopping us from living and providing her with many great active experiences from an early age. My prayer is that she gets old enough to do a run WITH me, one day.

Go for it, matey. Fitness is a great thing to achieve, just make sure you listen to your body along the way. It will tell you when to pull up and rest. And there are a huge amount of resources for this type of thing online. We are all learning, and it is great to share the knowledge with each other. Feel free to add me if you want. I don't have a lot of friends - the ones I have are so incredible that I haven't really felt like I needed tonnes more - but am very happy to have a runner in there to be inspired by, and to share the experience and journey with!

Wil

A trainer from the gym I attend told me that doing too much cardio (more than 3 days a week) will cause my body to burn muscle along with fat. This is discouraging since I do cardio about 6 days a week already and having muscle helps you burn fat. I still do not see how doing more exercising whether cardio or strength training can be BAD for you. Makes no sense to me but I plan on asking my doctor to find out for sure.

From here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/202524-does-running-burn-fat-or-muscle/

When you increase the running intensity and your heart rate rises to between 80 and 90 percent of its maximum, your body switches into carb burn mode. In this "cardio zone," your body starts burning 85 percent carbohydrates and just 15 percent fat. If your body starts to run low on carbohydrates during these extended cardio sessions, it will begin using protein in combination with fat. Some of these protein calories come from amino acids, and some come from muscle.

Also goes on to say that if you're doing resistance training anyway, shouldn't be an issue really. Also, I've always presumed that it shouldn't be an issue if you keep yourself well nourished etc.

I've never had a problem doing cardio with weights - when I was regularly going to the gym I would often do a 45 minute or 1 hour cardio class after doing weights.

Yes. I do my P90X stuff on my low miles days so I'm not too tired for it. I'm not looking to get jacked, just stronger. Running is priority. Currently training for a 1/2 next month and then a full marathon in March of 2013 so lots of running ATM.

marathon traing + a full on weight training program can be very tough to do concurrently.
Splitting things up one in the morning, one in the evening may help. Otherwise I'd just back off the weights to a "maintenance" level, hitting upper body 1x week & lower body 1x week.

marathon traing + a full on weight training program can be very tough to do concurrently.
Splitting things up one in the morning, one in the evening may help. Otherwise I'd just back off the weights to a "maintenance" level, hitting upper body 1x week & lower body 1x week.

This or you could do 2x per week 3 exercises per day to cover all the basics

Day 1
Squat
Bench Press
Barbell Row

Day 2
Deadlift
Overhead Press
Pullup\Chinup\Lat Pulldown Machine

I am running between 6 - 9km 5 or 6 times per week, and am also doing some resistance training at least every second day, too. The resistance is a combination of weights and also using body weight. Push-ups, core work, lots of arm, leg and abs, too. I am watching what I eat, without being manic, mainly because I have a young daughter with health issues that I am full-time carer for. Also I had my thyroid removed in February, and am determined to get back on track now that my medication seems like it is at the right level for me. I had a 9kg gain, but am within 5kg of being back to where I was before the operation.

The running is something I can do with my daughter in the jogging pram, taking my older daughter to school each day (we all get out in the fresh air together, and mummy gets a great big dose of much-needed endorphins), and the weights is to make me strong enough to keep up with her as she grows.

It all adds up to feeling fit and pretty good about achieving goals after a year of adjusting to a pretty life-changing diagnosis for our girl.

I have not noticed anything negative about combining the two; only benefits. At the moment, I am unable to do long runs with my daughter (need to increase my fitness), but my goal is to build to a marathon, doing incremental increases while I go. Started with 5km run, have booked into my first 10km run with her (she cheers on all the people around us while I run - makes for a good laugh and social time), and am goaling to a half-marathon in February. I love that we are all doing it together, and I am proud that our situation isn't stopping us from living and providing her with many great active experiences from an early age. My prayer is that she gets old enough to do a run WITH me, one day.

Go for it, matey. Fitness is a great thing to achieve, just make sure you listen to your body along the way. It will tell you when to pull up and rest. And there are a huge amount of resources for this type of thing online. We are all learning, and it is great to share the knowledge with each other. Feel free to add me if you want. I don't have a lot of friends - the ones I have are so incredible that I haven't really felt like I needed tonnes more - but am very happy to have a runner in there to be inspired by, and to share the experience and journey with!

Wil

You are awesome;o)

A trainer from the gym I attend told me that doing too much cardio (more than 3 days a week) will cause my body to burn muscle along with fat. This is discouraging since I do cardio about 6 days a week already and having muscle helps you burn fat. I still do not see how doing more exercising whether cardio or strength training can be BAD for you. Makes no sense to me but I plan on asking my doctor to find out for sure.

The trainer is full of crap and it's unlikely your doctor will have any unique insight. It's an arcane topic in exercise physiology that MDs do not have any need to know about.

Hal Higdon does not recommend STARTING weight lifting during training for your first marathon. If you have been lifting prior to starting marathon training then continue lifting but you may have to reduce weights or reps. If you have run multiple marathons then you should be okay adding a lifting program. But Higdon implies that you are pushing your body hard enough by training for your first marathon that you should not also add in a NEW lifting program.

bump

Can anybody give any advice on this? I want to start strength training (beginning with NROLFW) in a couple of weeks once I finish the 30DS but am also training for a marathon in January so I am doing a lot of running/cardio (5-6 times per week)... Can I run regularly and strength train at the same time?

Of course! I do both. Just make sure you have rest days in between or do every other day. I do light cardio on strength training days. I usually exercise 3-4 days a week. I was doing 6 days a week, but it was too much for me.