Can you lift heavy P90X AND run long distance?

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Maystar80
Maystar80 Posts: 85 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,
I'm currently doing p90x, starting week 4, and doing the heavy version (8-10 reps). It's awesome and my muscles are getting more toned and I'm working hard. And I get sore from my intense lift sessions.
I want to work on my running endurance as well as speed. Hopefully I can work myself up to a half marathon by October.
But the soreness makes it hard for me to be motivated to run. Sometimes it hurts and sometimes I'm just too tired and don't want to run a long time. I'd like to get 2-3 runs in a week, but I'm lucky if I get in two. Sometimes it's just one and this past week I got just 15 minutes in.
BTW, I'm only doing the strength workouts 3x a week at the gym plus two 45 minute yoga classes.
So should I just focus on one or the other? Have any of you found a good way to deal with a similar situation?
WHAT SHOULD I DO???

Replies

  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    You just have to try and see. It can be possible to adapt to many different types of routines. If you have just started ramping up your routine, then you may still be adapting and experiencing some residual fatigue.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Hi,
    I'm currently doing p90x, starting week 4, and doing the heavy version (8-10 reps). It's awesome and my muscles are getting more toned and I'm working hard. And I get sore from my intense lift sessions.
    I want to work on my running endurance as well as speed. Hopefully I can work myself up to a half marathon by October.
    But the soreness makes it hard for me to be motivated to run. Sometimes it hurts and sometimes I'm just too tired and don't want to run a long time. I'd like to get 2-3 runs in a week, but I'm lucky if I get in two. Sometimes it's just one and this past week I got just 15 minutes in.
    BTW, I'm only doing the strength workouts 3x a week at the gym plus two 45 minute yoga classes.
    So should I just focus on one or the other? Have any of you found a good way to deal with a similar situation?
    WHAT SHOULD I DO???

    Suggest you allow your maximum benefit from the p90x - which will help with the running anyway.
    But if you try to do the running now on non-P90X days, you may not allow enough recovery for the P90X to really make as big an improvement as it could.

    You workout to get stronger/faster, but it's the recovery that actually allows that to happen.

    Plan the long endurance type run, gentle pace, the day before P90X, then P90X, then yoga, then P90x, the yoga, then P90X, then rest, then run.

    With that load you are putting the body under, confirm you are feeding it well to make improvements too.
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,806 Member
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    I do C25K 3 days a week and lift heavy 3 days a week. Hasn't seemed to interfere with one another yet, but it's only been about 6 weeks now. I want to eventually train for a half-marathon, but continue lifting. That will be the test I think.

    I may be misunderstanding, but are you doing P90X on top of lifting at the gym?
  • Babsvii
    Babsvii Posts: 177 Member
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    i think just being able to get the endurance run in 1-2 times a week would be beneficial.... I would just rotate the workouts so that you have time between each one for recovery like the last poster said... this is why P90X has so many different videos and different workouts because it gives your body time to heal well you are focusing on something else. I do cardio on top of P90X but i do more Hiking then i do running.

    Its great to incorporate cardio with p90x but don't over do it, you want to make sure you have the energy for your workouts.
  • cincymomof3
    cincymomof3 Posts: 329 Member
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    I am finishing up week 2 of p90x and running. I changed the program to fit both for my goals. I do the weight lifting videos 3x a week and run about 20 miles weekly. I had to up my calories to 2,000 (causing just a 200-300 def) to support both though! :)
  • Ripken818836701
    Ripken818836701 Posts: 607 Member
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    I would lift heavy and only do the cardio portion of P-90X. Thats what I did when I was doing P-90x and currently doing with Insanity. Too much cardio will negate your heavy lifting gains.
  • BLy82
    BLy82 Posts: 33 Member
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    Hi,
    I'm currently doing p90x, starting week 4, and doing the heavy version (8-10 reps). It's awesome and my muscles are getting more toned and I'm working hard. And I get sore from my intense lift sessions.
    I want to work on my running endurance as well as speed. Hopefully I can work myself up to a half marathon by October.
    But the soreness makes it hard for me to be motivated to run. Sometimes it hurts and sometimes I'm just too tired and don't want to run a long time. I'd like to get 2-3 runs in a week, but I'm lucky if I get in two. Sometimes it's just one and this past week I got just 15 minutes in.
    BTW, I'm only doing the strength workouts 3x a week at the gym plus two 45 minute yoga classes.
    So should I just focus on one or the other? Have any of you found a good way to deal with a similar situation?
    WHAT SHOULD I DO???

    Pick which one is more important to you.

    Remember that your real gains from exercise come from the recovery after the exercise, not the workout itself. If your body is already sore and exhausted, and generally seems to be struggling to keep up with the load you're putting on it, stacking long distance running on top of your current routine is probably just going to be asking too much.

    That doesn't mean you can't do some running. I just wouldn't be suggesting trying to push yourself to train for a distance that could very well call for you to be working out 2-3 hours in a single workout when your body is already under a lot of stress. You could limit the benefits you see from all the work you're doing, and potentially even injure yourself and cause a major setback.

    Also, on the topic of the soreness you're experiencing, it might not hurt to try sneaking in an extra 10-15 minute easy walk or other very easy workout into your routine. Nothing that's really meant to challenge your body. Some people just find that they recover better if they mix in some additional easy activity. It's possible that moving around a little extra helps bring more blood flow into those aching muscles so they can work on their repairs and prep for the next tough session. (You have to experiment with this kind of thing. Some people swear it helps, others find it to be a waste of time.)
  • ickybella
    ickybella Posts: 1,438 Member
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    Well, I see some people are saying don't do it, but I did P90X coupled with half marathon training last year. It wasn't easy and I used the rest weeks to my full advantage. I was sore a lot of the time, but I was so strong and had so much stamina. I would say, if you really want to do it just replace the plyo/kenpo with running. I was doing the lean version so I could run 3/4 days a week but, to be entirely honest, I wasn't working at the time. That made it a lot easier.

    Just be careful and take breaks from running/P90X when you need them. The world will not end if you have to postpone a workout. It's more important to let your body recover than to complete any program on time.
  • Aperture_Science
    Aperture_Science Posts: 840 Member
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    I don't have any experience of PX90 but wanted to add some comments about mixing cardio and weights.

    I currently (injuries not withstanding) lift three times a week and run three times a week, resting on Sunday. I lift heavy and I run hard, I'm no spring chicken either (43 YO). I push myself as hard as I can in both areas, I squat, bench and deadlift more than my body weight, and I run half marathons at sub 1hr 45mins, all on a calorie deficit with 1lb per week loss. I'm not trying to boast here, I know full well that there are many people who are stronger and faster than I am, but I wanted to give an indication of the level I am at.

    So, you CAN do both. But, you probably can not excel at both. If I wanted to be significantly stronger I would need to eat more, lift more and run less (if at all). If I wanted to run further* and/or faster, the lower body weights would definitely need to go, maybe even the upper body stuff too.

    By running I'm talking about distance running. For less than 400m running (sprinting) these limitations probably do not apply.

    Best wishes.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    I plan on starting a hybrid of p90x and couch to 5k this week... doing the strength/weight workouts on monday/wednesday/friday and running on tuesday/saturday/sunday
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    When giving advice on this topic, it is useful to take into consideration the individual's goals and where they are in their training process. There is no "one size fits all" advice.

    Especially if someone is in the earlier stages of a program, where they are still developing their potential, significant progress can be made in different areas simultaneously. Unless one has a very specific performance goal, there is no reason to limit focus to one area of training.

    At some point, a person will reach a level where gains will start to plateau with a general approach (to paraphrase AS: you can see progress in different areas, but not excel at any one). At that point, the interactions of concurrent training will have a more significant effect, and choices have to be made.

    But that point can take months or even years to reach.
  • AmyEm3
    AmyEm3 Posts: 784 Member
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    I'm starting my 10th week of P90X and running 25-30 miles per week. It's do-able but I have not lost a single pound this entire time which is really frustrating sometimes. But, I eat a lot to keep up the energy to do both (plus I walk my kids back and forth to school every day, chase after a really active toddler all day, etc). I suspect I've been eating a little too much but I can't cut back on my calories right now and keep up with the running and P90X. I'm going to finish P90X and then cut them back to 1600-1800 which is where I had been losing.

    I haven't lost weight BUT I am running faster than ever since I started P90X.
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
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    I've done P90X, with focus on heavy lifting, and trained for a half marathon.

    BUT..

    I did not do the program exactly as it's laid out when I added mileage. What I would do is modify it, so that I gave myself enough rest days before/after my longer runs. You'll have to play around with it, like switching up certain workouts during the week or maybe combining two of them around a running schedule, to see what works best for you. You'd be surprised how your muscles adjust with time. As long as you have enough fuel, muscle soreness is not always a good indication of how well your legs will do during a run.

    Really, I would just keep in mind that in doing both, you'll probably have to pick one that is more important and takes more focus, or find a medium where you let certain things go in either one, like losing some speed in running, or some strength workouts in P90X.

    Also, you might not lose as much weight as you'd like doing both, because you'll have to adjust your diet around higher mileage and extra training. Good luck, though! I had a lot of good results with cross-training with it, because it really helped build up the muscles around my knee, and kept my legs stronger overall. :)
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    I'm starting my 10th week of P90X and running 25-30 miles per week. It's do-able but I have not lost a single pound this entire time which is really frustrating sometimes. But, I eat a lot to keep up the energy to do both (plus I walk my kids back and forth to school every day, chase after a really active toddler all day, etc). I suspect I've been eating a little too much but I can't cut back on my calories right now and keep up with the running and P90X. I'm going to finish P90X and then cut them back to 1600-1800 which is where I had been losing.

    I haven't lost weight BUT I am running faster than ever since I started P90X.

    What you are experiencing is often cited by contrarians who assert that exercise does not really help with weight loss. Similar results have been shown in studies in which people exercised at high levels, but were not tightly restricted in their food intake.

    It just goes to show that finding the right combination of diet and exercise is not always simple.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    It's funny. If you asked me this question three weeks ago I'd have said yes. But since upping my weights at the gym I've not been able to do runs. I can do warm downs but I am beyond exhausted at that point and can barely move. Days in between I can barely walk so running is out if the question.
  • minadeathclutch
    minadeathclutch Posts: 375 Member
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    do what you can do.. no one can make any recommendations for you. i can lift heavy for hours my definition of heavy may not be yours.... everyones different...
  • mznisaelaine
    mznisaelaine Posts: 2,262 Member
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    I run about 2-3 days a week, and I lift heavy 3-4 days a week (depends) and then I throw in Insanity and other cardio workouts in there for all the other days I am not running which is about 3-4 days a week. So far so good. I am also trying to get back into running shape so I have a jogging class that I attend twice a week and I lift weights on my own about 3 days a week. The days I am not running, I do Insanity or other stuff. I manage to balance it all out. Everyone is different so listen to your body :)
  • Ripken818836701
    Ripken818836701 Posts: 607 Member
    Options
    When giving advice on this topic, it is useful to take into consideration the individual's goals and where they are in their training process. There is no "one size fits all" advice.

    Especially if someone is in the earlier stages of a program, where they are still developing their potential, significant progress can be made in different areas simultaneously. Unless one has a very specific performance goal, there is no reason to limit focus to one area of training.

    At some point, a person will reach a level where gains will start to plateau with a general approach (to paraphrase AS: you can see progress in different areas, but not excel at any one). At that point, the interactions of concurrent training will have a more significant effect, and choices have to be made.

    But that point can take months or even years to reach.
    Yes there is a one size fits all. If your eating at a deficit doing that much cardio will cause you to lose lean muscle regardless of if your lifting or not. If your eating at a surplus that much cardio will negate your gains from lifting.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    So, you CAN do both. But, you probably can not excel at both. If I wanted to be significantly stronger I would need to eat more, lift more and run less (if at all). If I wanted to run further* and/or faster, the lower body weights would definitely need to go, maybe even the upper body stuff too.


    ^^ This.......BTW, congrats on the great half marathon time Aperture_scie

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