Running and lifting

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MissAtomicBomb238
MissAtomicBomb238 Posts: 65 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Endurance sports folks- how are you splitting lifting and training? What lifting program are you using? How are you fitting in rest days?

I’m back up to 30 miles a week but it’s like I forgot my old life of lifting while training. What does your week look like? Give my ideas or just tell me what to do.

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  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
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    My current schedule includes two strength sessions per week. Monday is a rest day and often includes foam/ball rolling or yoga. Rest of the week looks like this:
    Tues: Swim
    Wed: Bike & Strength
    Thurs: Run
    Fri: Bike and Strength
    Sat: Long Bike
    Sun: Long Swim, Long Run, Self care: Foam roll/yoga

    During run focused training blocks, I will run 3xs per week, typically adding a Tuesday run while maintaining 3 bikes, 2 swims/week.

    Strength work includes weights and body weight exercises focused on core and posterior chain muscle groups.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Distance cyclist not a runner. Current routine is horribly messed up by the COVID lockdown closing my gym and cold weather restricting my cycling so I'm doing what I can, when I can.
    (1C - 3C temperature was just about bearable today for a fairly short distance ride.)

    Normally.......

    4 days a week cycling, 100+ miles a week on average but highly variable.
    If preparing for an endurance event my normal routine would be two moderate rides, one very hilly or intense fast ride and one long ride.
    3 days a week strength training, I do my own programming and it's mostly upper body and core focussed. My legs get enough work from the cycling and I rarely do leg strength work in the gym.

    Don't normally have planned rest days, that's not how I manage my recovery. Sometimes life gets in the way of exercise though.

    No-one should advise you what to do without knowing your goals and capabilities. Exercising for fun? Competing?
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    edited February 2021
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    I run 2x after work 25-30 min and lift 2x after work, alternating days, and then a longer run on Sunday. My lifting looks something like stronglifts, but I combine all lifts on both days to take it from a 3 day rotation to a twice weekly program. I don't take rest days unless you count Friday night...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    MissAtomicBomb238 wrote: »
    Endurance sports folks- how are you splitting lifting and training? What lifting program are you using? How are you fitting in rest days?

    I’m back up to 30 miles a week but it’s like I forgot my old life of lifting while training. What does your week look like? Give my ideas or just tell me what to do.

    Are you training for events/competition? I'm not a runner, but when my wife was doing that and putting in a lot of miles, that was the priority...she only lifted once per week. I was pretty much the same when I was doing a lot of long distance endurance cycling...trying to do that and lift more than once per week messed with my recovery time.

    She still runs and I still cycle, but it's more for fitness than it is endurance events and competition these days. I lift 3x per week and cycle 3x per week...not a ton of mileage on the cycling program I'm running...more intervals and trying to improve my FTP. Two are relatively hard and the third day is usually a more casual ride. I occasionally will also throw in an easy ride on lifting days, but it's very easy and more to spin my legs out afterwards than anything.
  • MissAtomicBomb238
    MissAtomicBomb238 Posts: 65 Member
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    I have a half marathon in March that I’m not planning to PR but might cause it’s flat and fast. I have another in May that I would like to put some real effort into. I do want to get back into marathon shape. I’m definitely a middle of the pack runner- Boston won’t be in my future til maybe 70 years old ha.

    That said, I wouldn’t mind increasing speed for 5k. I also need glute strength as those puppies ain’t firing right now. I do think lifting helps my running and enjoy both the athletic results and the aesthetics.
  • luceegj
    luceegj Posts: 246 Member
    edited February 2021
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    I honestly don't like my clients running full stop but you sound experienced and enjoy it. I would suggest a split of run, train, rest, repeat and adjust according to that.

    Lucy
    [edited by MFP mods]
  • FitAgainBy55
    FitAgainBy55 Posts: 179 Member
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    I no longer race or even run high miles but I always incorporated strength training into my routine when I was racing half and full Marathons. For two reasons:
    1. I believe that it was key to mitigating injury
    2. I did not want a marathon runners body, I wanted to have a sprinters body

    This approach probably leads to carrying more body weight (muscle) than your elite Marathon runner but for non-professional runners that's probably best anyway.

    My approach worked for me, not sure if it is for everyone, but in my mid to late 40s I did run a full 3:32 Marathon in the Texas humidity (felt like I almost died failing to Boston qualify) and ran 10+ half marathon races where I always finished in the top 3 of my age group including a half Marathon PR of 1:30 at age 47.

    Each week I had a goal to include at least 2 upper body strength training sessions and a minimum of 1 lower body workout. Early in the training cycle I would do more strength training and then 2 or 3 weeks before my race I would scale back with no strength training the week before my race. The upper body sessions are actually easy to work in. Since my training volume would peak at 40 (target for half) - 50 (target for full) miles per week, that usually meant strength training immediately before my easy run days. The pace of your easy run days don't really matter so there is no harm in running those with a little fatigue after strength training. Lower body strength training was always harder to work in because I needed to find a place to wedge it in so that it didn't impact either my long run or my interval/tempo runs each week. Early in my training I would strive to keep 2 full lower body sessions in but typically scaled that to 1 mid cycle.

    I've done both typically runner lower body workouts with lighter weights as well as strong lifts 5x5 with heavy deadlifts/squats. I actually preferred the strong lifts approach more because it was simple and I felt made me much stronger. While it's not your typical endurance runners routine, it's what I preferred and never adversely impacted my times.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    What is appropriate for one person isn't necessarily appropriate for another. Lets focus on you and build from there.

    Could you post...
    1. Your running schedule.
    2. Equipment that you have access to.


  • MissAtomicBomb238
    MissAtomicBomb238 Posts: 65 Member
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    Run schedule:
    Sunday- long, low hr and slow- 8-22 miles depending on race (but around 8-10 for maintenance)
    Monday- rest
    Tuesday- speed/intervals (4-5 miles) I usually do lift on speed days
    Wednesday- recovery run (3-5 low and slow)
    Thursday- threshold/ pacing run (3-8)
    Friday-mixed bag or rest (plyo, kettlebells...)
    Saturday- what feels good run- sometimes hills or strides or recovery (3-6)

    Ideally, I’d like to lift 2-3x week. I maybe should even follow a program?
  • MissAtomicBomb238
    MissAtomicBomb238 Posts: 65 Member
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    Chieflrg wrote: »
    What is appropriate for one person isn't necessarily appropriate for another. Lets focus on you and build from there.

    Could you post...
    1. Your running schedule.
    2. Equipment that you have access



    Also I FINALLY can go back to my gym. I have a basement gym with light weights and bands but I prefer a bit heavier. Again, I’m not training to beat records here so I don’t really think my running takes priority over lifting. I really want balance. At nearly 38, I am aiming to keep muscle mass, bone density and still feel like kind of a badass
  • MissAtomicBomb238
    MissAtomicBomb238 Posts: 65 Member
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    FitAgainBy55 wrote: »
    I no longer race or even run high miles but I always incorporated strength training into my routine when I was racing half and full Marathons. For two reasons:
    1. I believe that it was key to mitigating injury
    2. I did not want a marathon runners body, I wanted to have a sprinters body

    This approach probably leads to carrying more body weight (muscle) than your elite Marathon runner but for non-professional runners that's probably best anyway.

    My approach worked for me, not sure if it is for everyone, but in my mid to late 40s I did run a full 3:32 Marathon in the Texas humidity (felt like I almost died failing to Boston qualify) and ran 10+ half marathon races where I always finished in the top 3 of my age group including a half Marathon PR of 1:30 at age 47.

    Each week I had a goal to include at least 2 upper body strength training sessions and a minimum of 1 lower body workout. Early in the training cycle I would do more strength training and then 2 or 3 weeks before my race I would scale back with no strength training the week before my race. The upper body sessions are actually easy to work in. Since my training volume would peak at 40 (target for half) - 50 (target for full) miles per week, that usually meant strength training immediately before my easy run days. The pace of your easy run days don't really matter so there is no harm in running those with a little fatigue after strength training. Lower body strength training was always harder to work in because I needed to find a place to wedge it in so that it didn't impact either my long run or my interval/tempo runs each week. Early in my training I would strive to keep 2 full lower body sessions in but typically scaled that to 1 mid cycle.

    I've done both typically runner lower body workouts with lighter weights as well as strong lifts 5x5 with heavy deadlifts/squats. I actually preferred the strong lifts approach more because it was simple and I felt made me much stronger. While it's not your typical endurance runners routine, it's what I preferred and never adversely impacted my times.[/quote

    This makes sense. Feels doable. Not the 3:32 but the rest. 🤣
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited February 2021
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    MissAtomicBomb238 wrote: »
    Run schedule:
    Sunday- long, low hr and slow- 8-22 miles depending on race (but around 8-10 for maintenance)
    Monday- rest
    Tuesday- speed/intervals (4-5 miles) I usually do lift on speed days
    Wednesday- recovery run (3-5 low and slow)
    Thursday- threshold/ pacing run (3-8)
    Friday-mixed bag or rest (plyo, kettlebells...)
    Saturday- what feels good run- sometimes hills or strides or recovery (3-6)

    Ideally, I’d like to lift 2-3x week. I maybe should even follow a program?

    You could but I think you would be better off tailoring a program to you in this case.

    I would template something in the area of...
    Tues, Thurs, Fri and choose exercise selection depending on your equipment available and balance to compliment performance/recovery of your running schedule.

    Utilizing load management with some sort of stress index would be ideal.

  • FitAgainBy55
    FitAgainBy55 Posts: 179 Member
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    Chieflrg wrote: »
    You could but I think you would be better off tailoring a program to you in this case.

    I agree with this, especially since you said you prefer something heavier. Unfortunately most programs that are targeted for runners seem to assume we want to look like elite Marathon runners -- skin and bones, no fat, no muscle.

    Once again, not for everyone, but both Dancingmoosie and I have used something similar to Stronglift 5x5. I would at least suggest you read up on it if you haven't already. I used parts of this along with other lighter exercises I had learned over the years to help with flexibility and long term runner health. This was my solution for building more of a sprinters body instead of an elite Marathon runner's body.
  • gigius72
    gigius72 Posts: 183 Member
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    MissAtomicBomb238 wrote: »
    Endurance sports folks- how are you splitting lifting and training? What lifting program are you using? How are you fitting in rest days?

    I’m back up to 30 miles a week but it’s like I forgot my old life of lifting while training. What does your week look like? Give my ideas or just tell me what to do.

    I personally don't lift anymore, but I don't run very long distances either.
    I run at least 3 miles a day, 5 is better. I do it 6 times a week, one day rest (only because due to work schedule I have 1 day where I don't sleep).
    I'm still deciding if I'll ever want to go back to do some races. If so I'll introduce 2 days a week of just sprinting sessions and increase milage in the other days.
    But I'm getting old... I'm more on the relaxed, just run a little for my heart mood now.
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
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    Before I severely sprained my ankle right before XMas, I was running 10 miles 3x/week and lifting 3x/week. Lifting program is Push/Pull/Legs (PPL). My ankle is all healed now so I’m slowly working my way back to those 10 milers.
  • thisvickyruns
    thisvickyruns Posts: 193 Member
    edited February 2021
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    when i'm sticking to my plan a normal week for me is:

    Monday speedwork
    Tuesday cross train & strength training
    Wednesday Mid long run
    Thursday short run & strength training
    Friday rest
    Saturday Long run
    Sunday rest/cross training.

    Sundays rest day will sometimes include a decent length walk.

    My strength training is upper body/core focused with some lower body/glute stuff.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,107 Member
    edited February 2021
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    It took me ages to be able to find a comfortable balance between my strength training and my long-distance rowing (traditional Irish rowing) training. I never used a specific program, just put bits together from various workouts I'd used previously. Eventually I settled into:

    Mon: Rest/Yoga
    Tues: Morning Row - medium distance / Evening Upper Body & Core strength
    Weds: Rest/Yoga
    Thurs: Morning Row - medium distance / Evening Lower Body & Core strength
    Fri: Rest/Yoga
    Sat: Full body strength or 5-10km walk depending on social plans
    Sun: Long Distance row

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