How to Combine Lifting and Running
If you are a runner, it helps you to be strong. If you’re lifting weights, it’s still a good idea to do some cardio. But sometimes you just want to be good at two things at the same time. Can you train both running and lifting weights at the same time? Yes, I did it. But this requires additional thought and planning.
Plan your workouts around what’s more important
Your lift can support your run, or your run can help you keep fit while lifting. But you cannot maximize your potential in both sports at the same time. As difficult as it is, you have to pick one to prioritize. Maybe not forever, but at least for one training cycle.
A training cycle is often several months of preparation for a specific race or competition, or several months of training with a specific focus. Instead of lifting and running at random, choose a workout plan based on your top priority. There are some good running plans at halhigdon.com and some good workout plans listed on r / Fitness if you need a few beginner ideas.
After you schedule a workout for your primary sport, you can do something else related to it. Let’s say you choose to run. How much do you need to run? In most training programs, you will do four or more days a week. If you want to train for a total of six days, you have two lifting days left.
You get the idea: once you figure out how you want to train your top priority, it sets a limit to how much you can do for your secondary sport. Do not be discouraged that you cannot lift as much as you want; Just stick to your plan for now and consider changing it after this cycle ends.
And yes, you can try splitting things in half if you like: half your lifting program plus half your running program. But if you do this, keep in mind that you will not achieve what none of the programs promise.
Plan your program days carefully
There is usually one day in a given training week that is heavier or harder than the rest. Tough days should be your anchor when planning; everything else should match them.
If you are running any distance – say, preparing for a half marathon – you will have a long run over the weekend. This is your most important workout of the week.
You want to make sure that you are rested in the long run (you may not be fully rested, but rested enough ), and you want to allow yourself some time to recover from that. So if your long run is on Saturday, don’t schedule your leg day or any weightlifting day on Friday. And make sure you have Sunday set as either rest day or daylight hours.
Here’s a sample timeline when I was preparing for the marathon:
- Monday: easy run
- Tuesday: full body lift day
- Wednesday: medium run or speed work
- Thursday: full body lift day
- Friday: easy run
- Saturday: long distance
- Sunday: rest
That midweek Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday block was tough, but Friday gave me a little break. By Saturday I was in good shape for a long time. If I was lifting weights, I would do the deadlift (hardest, most difficult to recover) on Saturday.
What if you want to do both in one day?
You don’t have to split your workouts by day, although this is probably the best option for most of us. Here are a few more scenarios to consider:
Use one as a warm-up or recovery for the other.
When I needed to increase my mileage, but I was not ready to give up a full day of training, I simply added 20 minutes of treadmill to the end of my workouts. Sometimes I split it up like 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after. Every mile counts.
You can also do the opposite and add a little weight lifting workout at the end of your run. Bodyweight movements such as push-ups are suitable for this, or you can use dumbbells. (I would advise not to run, and then do squats on wobbly legs.)
Does it matter which run or climb comes first? There is a lot of debate about which order is “best”, but it all boils down to one simple rule: the one that matters most to you should come first. Do this when you are fresh.
Do it twice a day
There is no law that limits you to one workout per day, and in fact most professional and elite athletes do two workouts a day. However, you need to be smart about them.
Whenever possible, your first workout of the day should be more important. This is because your body may not fully recover when it is time for your second workout. An alternative option, if you can’t get the job done, is to make your morning workout easy – maybe a light jog – so you still feel good when it’s time to do some big lifting in the evening.
In any case, nutrition is also important. If you exercise twice a day, you should eat a meal or shake that contains carbohydrates (and ideally also protein) within an hour or so after finishing your workout. Usually, the rest of your daily meal does a great job of replenishing your muscle glycogen stores, but if you’re going to exercise again that day, you need to replenish energy stores quickly and efficiently.
Besides food, you also need to just take care of yourself for now. Don’t finish your workout at 10 a.m. or think that you will be ready for it again at noon. Relax, take your time, eat and drink, maybe take a nap if you can. Then you will be ready for, say, a 6:00 pm session.
The first few weeks of something new will be tough.
If you’re just training now and want to add a run (or vice versa), don’t expect to jump straight to a new schedule. Your body needs time to adapt to new demands.
I recommend tracking your overall workload at some point. For running, you can simply count the mileage each week. When it comes to lifting, you can track the amount of time you spend at the gym.
Then, be careful not to change these numbers too dramatically from week to week. If you currently exercise three days a week and jog occasionally, the first thing you can do is to devote one day a week to running. Do it for two days next week. Once you get used to it, add another running day, or perhaps switch one of your training days to a running day.
Remember your priorities. If you have a coach or trusted mentor in your chosen discipline, talk to them about all the issues as you set up your schedule. It is definitely possible to be an athlete and a runner if you make the right choice.