Lifting heavy and long distance running

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runner2runner
runner2runner Posts: 1,937 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm not sure whether a topic of this nature has been posted before, but I'll just get straight to it. I feel like I'm a little underweight and need to bulk up a little. To pack on muscle I'll obviously need to lift heavy. But I'm worried that if I do that I'll bulk up too much. Is it possible to lift heavy and bulk up without compromising running performance? Long distance running that is.

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  • Kmenczynski88
    Kmenczynski88 Posts: 70 Member
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    Eat slightly above your maintenance calories as opposed to a large surplus and you will not rapidly gain weight.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,709 Member
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    I'm not sure whether a topic of this nature has been posted before, but I'll just get straight to it. I feel like I'm a little underweight and need to bulk up a little. To pack on muscle I'll obviously need to lift heavy. But I'm worried that if I do that I'll bulk up too much. Is it possible to lift heavy and bulk up without compromising running performance? Long distance running that is.
    Well the heavier you are, either you'll work harder to run faster/longer or you'll slow down/run shorter. So yes there will be a compromise. That said, you can still perform great even if you add some muscle. But adding muscle isn't as easy as it sounds.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
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    Eat at maintenance
  • amyup
    amyup Posts: 9 Member
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    I was told that weight lifting and running are incompatible. I have been doing both and find no significant decrease in either.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
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    One of the fittest guys at my gym, very big, very muscular, ran the entire 90 minutes I was in there yesterday.

    The key is fueling your body. Eat enough calories to allow you to perform.
  • lacurandera1
    lacurandera1 Posts: 8,083 Member
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    I was told that weight lifting and running are incompatible. I have been doing both and find no significant decrease in either.

    Likewise. But I was no star runner to begin with. A 10 minute mile is about as good as it gets for me for long distance and an 8 minute mile when I'm really really pushing it and only running one.
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
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    I'm worried that if I do that I'll bulk up too much.

    You won't. No one ever bulks up too much. The people you're thinking of have devoted their entire lives to looking like that. You won't.
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
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    I was told that weight lifting and running are incompatible. I have been doing both and find no significant decrease in either.

    Heavy lifting and still came in 27th overall (out of 944), 5th female, first in my age group in my last 5K. I also do halfs.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    it'll help.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    just dont forget - you cant skimp on the stretching - especially if youre about to start adding in heavy weights, dollface.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    For every pound you gain you will run approximately 2 sec per mile slower, everything else being equal.
  • naculp
    naculp Posts: 225 Member
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    I started SL 5x5 right around the time I did my full at the beginning of November last year. I've lifted weights on and off since I was in high school, so it wasn't new to me and I was able to start back with decent lifts. The weather has forced me inside to the treadmill, but I can still keep the same pace and my lifts have gone up almost every session. My current stats are based off of strstd.com 1rm calculator:

    Bench: 1.25 x BW (255)
    OHP: 0.72 x BW (150; this needs some work)
    Dead: 2.17 x BW (455)
    Squat: 2.14 x BW (437)

    I can still go out and do 7+ mile runs, so I would say it's definitely possible to do both. You're going to have to try reeeeeally hard to bulk up, so I wouldn't suggest worrying about that.

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