Cardio & Weights

[KillerGriller]

I'm a runner, I like it, but I need to add some weight work to my repertoire.  How would you guys stack weight workouts (2-3) while maintaining a few days of cardio in your week (i.e. - 2) without blowing up, and catabolizing any gains that come form the additional weight work?

 

alternating days?  What about 2-a-day workouts (one morning - one night OR Run then weights right after)?

 

Suggestions?

[Evicious]

Are you just looking to add general strength through weight training, or are you looking to improve your running with weights?

 

General strength training is something you can do pretty much anyway you like, either alternating running with your weight training or doing 2-a-day workouts. The key is simply to make sure that you don't do heavy strength training on your lower body the same day as, or the day immediately before/after, a long-distance run day. A lot of people will schedule long runs into their weekends in order to allow for a rest day between that and their leg day.

 

If you're looking to improve your running through weight training, you'll need to be a bit more careful about balancing your strength and running routines. A lot of the exercises you choose to incorporate, as well as how you incorporate them, will depend on whether you run for speed or distance. Explosive movements will (obviously) be more conducive to sprinting, so your interest would likely be in the Olympic lifts. For distance running, general weight lifting is helpful in developing your muscular endurance by gradually increasing the amount of weight you can work with through extended repetitions: this would mean you would begin with a weight that challenged you to complete a normal 4 set of 8-10 reps, but instead of increasing the amount of weight as you got stronger, you would increase the number of reps to double your starting number. Only after that became "easy" would you increase the weight again. 

 

Improving your running through weight training requires patience, perhaps more than just starting out without any exercise experience at all. It's easy to become frustrated if/when you notice your running ability suffering - which it tends to a little bit in the beginning - which can lead to either training injuries (you push too hard on your run because you 'don't want to fall behind' on where you are used to being) or giving up on weight training (because you aren't making fast enough progress at it, or because you resent the effect it has on your running). Using strength training to aid you in running also requires you to listen hard to what your body is telling you, and to be willing to make adjustments to fit with where you are in your physical fitness now in regards to where you want to be later. Many runners are surprised by a lack of strength in their legs when they first begin weight lifting - which they often discover the first time they load up a bar to do back squats. Don't assume your leg muscles can handle the same amount of weight that your confidence thinks they can: like any beginner, you should start with the bar and only add on enough weight to make the movement challenging. 

 

The other thing to keep in mind is that, regardless of why you decide to add in weights to your workout, just as in running your form is key. If you've never performed the exercise before, the best way to learn is to have a knowledgeable person show you how and then watch you do it. As a runner, you're already well aware that going hard core in bad form is the perfect recipe for training injuries, so make sure you know what you're doing and that you're doing it right before you start adding Lbs. 

 

Hope this helps!

[MariahSnow]

^^ what she said!

 

Also, for me there is a time aspect to this. It's simply not feasible (or enjoyable!) to spend 1.5 hours in the gym (40 mins for each workout including warmups), so I "split" my cardio and strength training to alternate days. It's much easier to spend 40 mins the gym daily, but some people might find that hitting the gym for 1.5 hours 3x/week is easier for them. 

[Red Alastor]

I've been focusing my training on strength 4 times a week for 40 minutes per session, but I need to start adding some distance running in order to prepare for a 15k obstacle race. 

 

I'm thinking a program something like this:

M: Arms and Chest

T: Timed Run (40 mins)

W: Legs and Back

T: Timed Run (40 mins)

F: Arms and chest

S: Distance Run (Starting 6K and adding 1K each weekend)

S: Rest

 

Has anyone a program like this before? Any opinions?

[Erick the Red]

I've been focusing my training on strength 4 times a week for 40 minutes per session, but I need to start adding some distance running in order to prepare for a 15k obstacle race. 

 

I'm thinking a program something like this:

M: Arms and Chest

T: Timed Run (40 mins)

W: Legs and Back

T: Timed Run (40 mins)

F: Arms and chest

S: Distance Run (Starting 6K and adding 1K each weekend)

S: Rest

 

Has anyone a program like this before? Any opinions?

 

This is a good program if you know that your recovery capability is up to it.

 

I have repeatedly learned that -- for me and my body -- I can't do more than four days per week of strenuous training without something starting to come apart.  I only get faster or stronger if I get enough recovery time.

 

Most everyone can train a body part once per week and still make gains (Wendler's 5/3/1 is a good example).  You might not need to do the arms and chest twice per week, is what I am saying.

[Red Alastor]

This is a good program if you know that your recovery capability is up to it.

 

I have repeatedly learned that -- for me and my body -- I can't do more than four days per week of strenuous training without something starting to come apart.  I only get faster or stronger if I get enough recovery time.

 

Most everyone can train a body part once per week and still make gains (Wendler's 5/3/1 is a good example).  You might not need to do the arms and chest twice per week, is what I am saying.

 

Thank you Erick, I was planning to swap the legs programs with the arms program every other week, but what you say is true... no need to fall apart due to over training.

 

I'll start the program as it is but i'll keep a close check to see if I'm actually gaining strength and stamina, if it's too much for me, I'll cut one of the strength training days. In the end, i'm confident with my strength for the race, but its the stamina what I know I need to practice.

 

Thanks again for the feedback, it's always useful to hear another opinion

[KillerGriller]

Thanks for the feedback all!  like Erik I've discovered that I do better with more rest than not.  After 2-3 weeks of killing myself it's "hello injury town!" or mental breakdown.