Running, swimming vs strength training

runners are very rarely doing the same exact workout everyday.

weight training is more akin to speed training and fartleks in terms of the stress on your body. runners are not doing speed drills every day they run

I guess you're not a runner?

They do run everyday. They do pretty much the same everyday. Ever train for a marathon? It's the same run everyday, you just vary distance. You may do speed drills here and there, but it's still running. It's not like you do pushups one day, pull ups another day, and then run another day. You run almost everyday. And you use the same muscles.

In strength training, typically, you'll do chest, shoulders, and triceps one day. Then back and biceps another day. Then legs. You dont do chest, shoulders and triceps everyday.

With running, you just run. You use the same muscles every time.

If you're properly training for any distance endurance race, you should not be doing the same workout every day. You'll have long runs at a lower pace, hill work, speed work and tempo runs. While you might get to your marathon by doing the same intensity runs on a regular basis, you will not be maximizing your potential metabolic & muscular adaptations.

runners are very rarely doing the same exact workout everyday.

weight training is more akin to speed training and fartleks in terms of the stress on your body. runners are not doing speed drills every day they run

I guess you're not a runner?

They do run everyday. They do pretty much the same everyday. Ever train for a marathon? It's the same run everyday, you just vary distance. You may do speed drills here and there, but it's still running. It's not like you do pushups one day, pull ups another day, and then run another day. You run almost everyday. And you use the same muscles.

In strength training, typically, you'll do chest, shoulders, and triceps one day. Then back and biceps another day. Then legs. You dont do chest, shoulders and triceps everyday.

With running, you just run. You use the same muscles every time.

i am a runner.. i didnt say runners dont run everyday.. i guess you're not a reader or not able to comprehend what you read? :laugh:

I'm training for my fourth half marathon and I only run 3 times a week. I lift weights three days a week and take at least one day off. I was swimming once a week but I have given it up for now in favor of weights.

Resistance exercise or strength training produces significantly more muscle damage than endurance sports, especially cycling & swimming. More damage needs more recovery.

With cycling & swimming, there is very little eccentric muscle contraction which is the part of the exercise that produces the most muscle damage. Running produces more damage because there are some eccentric contractions, but not as much as strength training (unless you're doing a ton of downhill running).

Cool. Thanks.



The reason for the question is I'm trying to figure something out. I combine both types of workouts, but I really think it's hurting me in a bad way. I need to pick. Endurance is more fun, but I like the results better from resistance. So, I'm torn...literally.

The other thing to consider too is that very few new runners would be running every day, like weights the recommendation is to take a day off in between (cross train or rest) to recover from the run. The runners who do run every day are, by and large, those who have been running a long time and have already gone through the adaptations required to run injury free (and also are very in tune with their bodies).

Non impact sports like cycling and swimming may be undertaken, even by those new to the sports, on a daily basis with a much lower risk of overuse injury.

runners are very rarely doing the same exact workout everyday.

weight training is more akin to speed training and fartleks in terms of the stress on your body. runners are not doing speed drills every day they run

I guess you're not a runner?

They do run everyday. They do pretty much the same everyday. Ever train for a marathon? It's the same run everyday, you just vary distance. You may do speed drills here and there, but it's still running. It's not like you do pushups one day, pull ups another day, and then run another day. You run almost everyday. And you use the same muscles.

In strength training, typically, you'll do chest, shoulders, and triceps one day. Then back and biceps another day. Then legs. You dont do chest, shoulders and triceps everyday.

With running, you just run. You use the same muscles every time.

Your question shows a limited understanding of strength training. The type of routine you describe is a split routine where you are working different body parts. There are also compound routines where you do full body workouts with just 3 or 4 exercises and you are not splitting and isolating muscle groups individually.

The key reason for more rest when doing strength training is that, I've you are progressively pushing weights, you impact your central nervous system and it needs to recover and recoop. Also, as others have mentioned, you are intentionally inflicting a level of damage to the muscle tissue so that when it heals it is stronger.

When doing an endurance sport, you are more conditioning the muscle tissue than breaking it down and rebuilding it and there is not the degree of central nervous system impact. Thus less rest requirement. But not zero rest requirement.