Weight lifting program with running

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Hello, out there. I am looking for reccomendations on a 4 day lifiting routine that would compliment my 25 mile a week running. I am looking to continue to build muscle and maintain my muscle tone with all the running. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
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  • jstrun
    jstrun Posts: 70 Member
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    I was looking for the same thing as you! I have found that New Rules of Lifting for Women has worked for me, its 3 days a week, and its a full body work out each time. I usually run 4 miles then go lift and then on my off days I run my Tempos / hills / speed / longer runs, whatever works.

    Now that I am on the off season of Marathon Training, I'm starting to do insanity in the morning before work to suppliment my other weight training, well see how that goes! waiting for my order to arrive!
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 941 Member
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    I don't know how much detail you're looking for in these responses, but you could do upper body lifts on Monday's and Thursday's and lower body lifts on Tuesdays and Fridays. This leaves Wed, Sat and Sun free for recovery.

    You could run on any day, but I would advise against any running on leg days, and would only do easy runs on the days following leg days. So this would leave Sun, Mon, and Thursday for your longer runs.

    Keep the weights heavy enough so you can't do more than 12 reps, and do a couple of sets of each lift. Don't rest more than about 90 seconds between sets, and time your reps so that it takes 3 seconds to lift, pause a second, and take 4 seconds to lower the weight.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    edited November 2014
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    4 days lifting and running might be a little too much. I'd do a 3 day full body routine at most. A lot of people like Stronglifts5x5 or Starting Strength, but I think squats every workout and running would kill me (I can't do it with biking).

    I do a version of this:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/373801
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Hello, out there. I am looking for reccomendations on a 4 day lifiting routine that would compliment my 25 mile a week running. I am looking to continue to build muscle and maintain my muscle tone with all the running. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

    Use on of the MANY newbie full body training plans.
    Three of which are:
    Stronglifts 5x5
    Starting Strength (Better)
    New rules of Lifting Women
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited November 2014
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    How are your runs broken out? How many days per week, and when is/are your long run(s)? Also, how taxing are they, especially on your legs?

    I'd probably do something like:
    - full body, something like starting strength
    - upper body, push
    - upper body, pull
    - stretching/mobility


    And all this assumes you're eating properly for the exercise.
  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    Hello, out there. I am looking for reccomendations on a 4 day lifiting routine that would compliment my 25 mile a week running. I am looking to continue to build muscle and maintain my muscle tone with all the running. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

    Use on of the MANY newbie full body training plans.
    Three of which are:
    Stronglifts 5x5
    Starting Strength (Better)
    New rules of Lifting Women

    This and you're going to have to eat A LOT to gain. Hello carbs
  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
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    I don't recommend full-body training with that much running, although your lifts would definitely improve more on a full-body newbie plan like Stronglifts 5x5.

    Look into the Juggernaut Method. It was designed for track/field athletes who also wanted to PR lifts. it gives you plenty of volume so you can work on form, progressive overload so that you consistently increase your strength, and enough recovery for long runs.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited November 2014
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    I don't recommend full-body training with that much running, although your lifts would definitely improve more on a full-body newbie plan like Stronglifts 5x5.

    Look into the Juggernaut Method. It was designed for track/field athletes who also wanted to PR lifts. it gives you plenty of volume so you can work on form, progressive overload so that you consistently increase your strength, and enough recovery for long runs.

    Never heard of it... but after some quick research, that looks like a worthwhile read. Thanks.
  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
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    jacksonpt wrote: »
    I don't recommend full-body training with that much running, although your lifts would definitely improve more on a full-body newbie plan like Stronglifts 5x5.

    Look into the Juggernaut Method. It was designed for track/field athletes who also wanted to PR lifts. it gives you plenty of volume so you can work on form, progressive overload so that you consistently increase your strength, and enough recovery for long runs.

    I'll have to look into that, thanks.

    It's not a powerlifting program, but it's great for cross-training. I've been doing it for the past three months and I really like it. It's a four-month mesocycle, so it's very slowly progressive, but I'm hitting rep PRs pretty much every week on it.

    http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/the-juggernaut-method/
  • Brolympus
    Brolympus Posts: 360 Member
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    Pretty much already all been said by previous posters. You can still gain while doing daily cardio. I am running between 5-10 miles per week on a bulk. You basically just need to make sure you are eating enough protein, and end up at a calorie surplus every day of at least 500 calories. Example: your Daily Needs are 2500 calories. You burn another 500 running. You need to eat all those calories, plus an additional 500 to give your body something to synthesize new muscle fiber with. That will land you at needing to eat 3500 calories that day. Pretty simple.

    Definitely keep running. Can't tell you how many dudes I see in the gym that are "swole-fat". Huge muscles, look great, low bodyfat, but don't have the endurance to do more than a half mile run. You can gain and still keep your heart and lungs healthy, don't buy into the bro science.

    However, recognize that too much cardio work beyond simple 10-15 minutes every day will indeed negatively impact your lifting ability and also hinder growth a bit. Your body has to pick between slow and fast-twitch fibers when it comes time to build. If you are running a lot, it will favor slow twitch. Fast twitch fibers are 4 times larger (giving you size) and expend an exponentially higher amount of energy (which allows you to lift heavy things, and also makes them require a higher calorie upkeep, which can help keep body fat off). You want your body to pick the fast twitch by shocking it with heavy weights and not confusing it with what to build doing too much cardio work.
  • shirleygirl1013
    shirleygirl1013 Posts: 55 Member
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    Thanks so much for the suggestions. I find lifting more of a struggle the more I run. I don't want to give it up and lose my gains but I find it exhausting. Also, I do not want to injure myself. Currently, I was doing a 4 day split. And then running on off days and one easy run on a lifiting day. I will check out some of those plans.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Brolympus... damn.... that's a great username. I should have taken that and made an alt with it. SCOOPED!
  • shirleygirl1013
    shirleygirl1013 Posts: 55 Member
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    I do my long run on Sunday so that is the one day that I never lift. I usually do leg day on Wednesday and usually do an easy run on Thursday.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    My experience:

    I ran 5x5 for my first year of lifting. I was running maybe 10 miles/week. It was fine.

    Then I started running long distance, running half marathons, and doing 20-25 miles/week. Squatting 3x's/week was killing me, and I was starting to have overuse problems. I switched to 5/3/1. It's *supposed* to be run 4 days a week, but I squeeze it into 3 because that makes my schedule happy.

    Sunday - rest
    Monday - Lunch run/deadlift day after work
    Tuesday-Lunch run
    Wednesday - Squat day
    Thursday - Lunch run
    Friday - Lunch run/bench & OHP after work
    Saturday - Long run

    Splitting it this way gives me ample time after my long run and before leg day, and I have plenty of recovery after leg day before my long runs comes around again. I also deload every fourth week as the program recommends...I've been pretty lucky so far in that every deload week has coincided with tapering for a half.
  • ephiemarie
    ephiemarie Posts: 264 Member
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    I'm still playing around with my own lifting/running schedule, but right now it looks something like this:

    S: Stronglifts, usually with 1-2 mile warm-up run
    M: Easy run (currently 4-5 miles)
    T: Body Pump class, for muscular endurance
    W: Speed/tempo run (also 4-5 miles)
    R: Stronglifts, with 1-2 mile run
    F: Rest (or swim, ride bike, yoga)
    S: Long run (7-10 miles)

    I've only recently restarted Stronglifts, so as my weights increase I may have to rearrange the schedule to allow for more recovery. I'm doing a Body Pump class to replace one weekly Stronglifts session to give my legs a break from the heavy squats. I also mix in 1-2 swim and bike sessions per week.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    jacksonpt wrote: »
    I don't recommend full-body training with that much running, although your lifts would definitely improve more on a full-body newbie plan like Stronglifts 5x5.

    Look into the Juggernaut Method. It was designed for track/field athletes who also wanted to PR lifts. it gives you plenty of volume so you can work on form, progressive overload so that you consistently increase your strength, and enough recovery for long runs.

    Never heard of it... but after some quick research, that looks like a worthwhile read. Thanks.

    +1

    Will look into it.

    Though I have to say - I didn't really have a problem with 1/2 marathon training and Stronglifts until the 12 mi and 14 mi long runs, with the weekly mileage alternating between 28 and 35 miles and running on spent shoes (yes, stupid me :s ). I even did my long runs on a lifting day - run early morning, lift late afternoon. The lifts helped stretch my legs out.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I discovered very early on when I substantially increased my endurance work, I had to pull down on my resistance training. As a matter of general fitness, I'm about 50/50 and I do a full body routine 3x weekly and I run about 10 miles per week and ride about 50 miles per week.

    When I really start picking up mileage and training for endurance stuff in the spring, I drop my lifting down to twice per week and I do more high rep stuff and a lot of body weight work. I don't think there's any way I could do a traditional 4x split or traditional strength routine while doing a lot of endurance training...at that point, my endurance stuff takes priority.

    I basically work in seasons...I do a lot of endurance stuff in the spring and into summer. I spend a lot more time in the weight room come fall and winter.
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
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    I enjoy running also and have been doing Stronglifts its only 3 days a week (when I can make it 3 days a week).
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    Hello, out there. I am looking for reccomendations on a 4 day lifiting routine that would compliment my 25 mile a week running. I am looking to continue to build muscle and maintain my muscle tone with all the running. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

    If you're going to run that much then you may want to stick to a 3-day or even 2-day program. If running is of greater importance to you then 2 or 3 day would be best as a 4-day may impede progress or performance in your running. Starting Strength, StrongLifts5x5 are good 3-day approaches, Beyond 5/3/1 has approaches for 2-days through 7-days.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    Hadabetter wrote: »
    I don't know how much detail you're looking for in these responses, but you could do upper body lifts on Monday's and Thursday's and lower body lifts on Tuesdays and Fridays. This leaves Wed, Sat and Sun free for recovery.

    You could run on any day, but I would advise against any running on leg days, and would only do easy runs on the days following leg days. So this would leave Sun, Mon, and Thursday for your longer runs.

    .


    This would work in well with wendlers 5/3/1 which I LOVE (and am thinking of going back to). It concentrates on 1 compound move per session + assistance.

    I'm jealous of all the calories you'll need to fuel this (but not of the running =D)