Lifting AND running okay?

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tolygal
tolygal Posts: 602 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I spend most of my excercise time lifting. 3X a week, I'm in the gym for 90 minutes. I spend about 85% of that time lifting. The only time I do non-lifting excercise is a 5 minute warmup on the elliptical and sometimes I'll do 20 mins (sometimes 30 if I have extra time and feel up to it) doing intervals on the elliptical.

Sometimes I do some hiking for fun, but when I do my muscles get super sore (because I'm not used to it) and my lifting suffers. I'd like to start doing a bit of running again just for fun and to get a bit of excercise in on my rest days. But after I lift, my muscles are beat and I don't think they would carry me running right after lifting (I'm used to the elliptical so while I'm burnt out from lifting, I can manage fairly intense intervals, but not sure I could run). The day after lifting I usually take as a rest day. I'm afraid that if I did any running on rest days, it wouldn't give me enough recovery time to have a good lifting session the following day.

So...I'm wondering...if I do a bit of running on my rest days, will my body adjust and be okay with it (I'm sure I would be sore for the first few times and have lousy lifting sessions for a while) or will it negatively affect my lifting progress? I know I'll get mixed responses, but I'm interested in hearing your experiences anyway.

Replies

  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
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    Honestly, the only way you will know is to try and make adjustments where needed. Do you do full body routine or upper/lower split? 90 minutes is quite a lengthy lifting routine....perhaps there is another program that would work better with the running? Just an idea :smile:

    I do both and up until Friday, never both on the same day but I actually found that after an upper body session, 3.6km fit in quite nicely. With that being said, when I was doing full body every other day, I had no problem running on non-lifting days. Now that I do an upper/lower split I find that the day after my lower body days are rough. I also just started a 10k training plan so it will be interesting to see how this works out for me :laugh:

    ETA.....I also find that eating enough protein really helps with recovery.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,026 Member
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    It is fine to add in some cardio on your rest days, but make sure you have at least one true rest day per week, in my opinion.
  • tolygal
    tolygal Posts: 602 Member
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    I'm doing a full body routine, although I've been thinking about changing that. But I'm not sure how to do that while still doing squats and deads. I currently do them on opposite days, so I have to do some research on how people do split routines while still doing those excercises.
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
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    I'm doing a full body routine, although I've been thinking about changing that. But I'm not sure how to do that while still doing squats and deads. I currently do them on opposite days, so I have to do some research on how people do split routines while still doing those excercises.

    Full body is totally fine and if you enjoy it then keep at it.....I was just more curious as to why it takes you 90 minutes? Do you do a lot of accessory work in there? I mean if you like your program then keep at it....I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it, sorry if it came across the wrong way :smile: You know you could just start of slow and try it on non lifting days....see how it goes and then make any adjustments from there. That would probably be the best way to start off.

    And I also agree with whierd.....at least one full rest day/week. That's what I aim for....sometimes it's 2 rest days but that's usually not by choice :laugh:
  • tolygal
    tolygal Posts: 602 Member
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    Honestly, I take 90 minutes because I can!! :smile: I get up at 4 a.m. and hit the gym by 4:30 or so. I have to be home by 6:20 so my husband can leave for work. I only get 3 days because he gets the other 2 days plus a weekend day, so I try to hit everything that I can in that time. That's the only time of the day I have all to myself with nobody asking me for anything and not having to be somewhere or do something or do something for somebody else. It's my time and my time alone. I love it, and so I take my time and do a bunch of stuff. I generally start with squats or deads and then do a bunch of other stuff and sometimes cardio. Many times, lifting takes me about 60-75 mins, then I spend 20 -30 minutes doing the elliptical. But sometimes I feel inspired and I do extra lifting instead of suffering through the elliptical...
  • TyTy76
    TyTy76 Posts: 1,761 Member
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    Yes
  • Gwen_B
    Gwen_B Posts: 1,018 Member
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    That's what I do, I lift three days and run three days!
  • ericnealdavis
    ericnealdavis Posts: 66 Member
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    I'd try a c25k program on your off days. It starts you off slowly and then builds.
  • A_Warrior_Princess
    A_Warrior_Princess Posts: 344 Member
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    I am doing stronglifts 5 x 5 three times per week and I usually run 5-6 days per week taking one day off everything for a complete rest day. My lifting is improving (only been doing this for almost two weeks) and my running has definitely improved. I experieinced some soreness when I first started but I have been focused on stretching after all my workouts and eating a lot of protein for recovery and that has seemed to help.
  • daniellemm1
    daniellemm1 Posts: 465 Member
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    I only lift about 20-30 minutes on M/W/F and then cardio for 45 min and then I run on Tues/Thurs/Sat or Sun. Find what works for you and definitely take a rest day (or two) when you feel you need it.
  • storm15918
    storm15918 Posts: 88 Member
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    I just started lifting 3 weeks ago so I don't know how useful my experience may be, but so far I haven't had any issues doing both. I had been running 4-5 times a week. Now I usually lift 3 days a week, run 3, and have one day completely off. The first few times running after I started lifting were hard, but it was just because my body was adjusting to the new routine, especially squats lol. I've trained for and competed in a 10K while starting lifting and if anything I think it's helped my running, so I would say go for it :smile:
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
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    Honestly, I take 90 minutes because I can!! :smile: I get up at 4 a.m. and hit the gym by 4:30 or so. I have to be home by 6:20 so my husband can leave for work. I only get 3 days because he gets the other 2 days plus a weekend day, so I try to hit everything that I can in that time. That's the only time of the day I have all to myself with nobody asking me for anything and not having to be somewhere or do something or do something for somebody else. It's my time and my time alone. I love it, and so I take my time and do a bunch of stuff. I generally start with squats or deads and then do a bunch of other stuff and sometimes cardio. Many times, lifting takes me about 60-75 mins, then I spend 20 -30 minutes doing the elliptical. But sometimes I feel inspired and I do extra lifting instead of suffering through the elliptical...

    You are awesome. I don't see an issue adding cardio in there. Just make sure you eat enough and listen to your body. If it needs rest, then rest.

    As for a split, that's up to you. I split into 2-4 days depending on how many days I am home. A 2 day split is squat+overhead press then deads+bench. A four day split is just one on each day. Rinse and repeat until I need to rest. I don't do any cardio other than like you to warm up and cool down.

    Full speed ahead!

    Tom
  • MsDrJuris
    MsDrJuris Posts: 41
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    I'm doing a full body routine, although I've been thinking about changing that. But I'm not sure how to do that while still doing squats and deads. I currently do them on opposite days, so I have to do some research on how people do split routines while still doing those excercises.

    I do back (including normal deadlifts) on Tuesdays, and legs (including Romanian deadlifts) on Saturdays. (Friday is a full rest day.) I find that gives me enough time between to recover.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    Yes

    ^ This.
  • kopmom
    kopmom Posts: 491 Member
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    I have lifted (Stronglifts 5x5) and trained for a half marathon
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
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    Running usually helps with recovery.
  • griffx12
    griffx12 Posts: 110 Member
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    I lift 3x a week and still do 25-30 miles with no problem. Just build up slowly- would be my advice.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    I lift and run. But I ran long before I lifted. I do Stronglifts 5x5 three days a week and run a long easy run, a speed/hill/sprints/interval run of some kind and one other run of whatever length I feel like - usually 45-60 mins at like a tempo pace. I may lift less because I'm tired from running, but I'm progressing and getting stronger, so I think you'll just adjust. You may find you plateau for a bit while you get used to the added running, but I think over time you'll be fine. But eat more... unless it's short runs and fat loss is the goal.

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