Anybody else stopped running a lot and starting lifting weights?

Totally Brah, these pencil neck runners will never understand what it's like to be RIPPED AND SHREDDED.

yuuup i've basically done the exact same thing.

was a 14:30 / 4:10 guy and have been just lifting weights and sometimes running about 15-20 mins after weights.

Now I can bench my weight (185 , im about 6ft) more then 10 times and can still run a 5km in about 17:30 or so

I ran a lot for the first 45 years of my life.

Then I decided I wanted to get bigger. I changed my diet, I lifted 3-4 times a week. I now weigh 210. I'm 6' 1". I still have a 32 inch waist. My XL shirts are snug in the shoulders and across my chest. I like it.

It's much tougher to run with all the additional weight, but I don't care. I like how I'm feeling now.

Yea. I was 5'10" 130 pounds starting Junior year of College. Really, F'ing skinny. I was a 4:17 miler too.

And it got to the point where I was thinking I could maybe get down to 4:10, but who really cares?

Now I'm 5'10" 162 pounds and deadlifting 365 for reps. And it's awesome.

Physically yes, you look better and even though I have a small frame, with barely 6.5" wrists so I look bigger than I really am.

But mentally too. You go from being not very confident to confident.

Lean is good. Jacked isn't my thing though some guys with larger frames pull it off. And skinny blows speaking from personal experience.

I was the star XC runner in my very tiny HS. Then a few years ago I did genetic testing through 23andme and found out that my muscle type is "Likely Sprinter" so I switched to lifting weights.

I love it, but recently I haven't had access to a barbell so I've been doing bodyweight and kettlebell/Dumbbell workouts. Now I'm actually getting back into running. After my last workout I went for a nice 6k run and it felt great.

I've missed running, but at the same time there is nothing quite like the feeling of emptiness that I get while doing a heavy squat.

I quit DI distance squad when I was 20 due to repeated injury and started lifting fairly hard. I got a lot stronger and put on about 10 lbs of muscle. I got to the point where I could benchpress my bodyweight ten times comfortably , do thirty legit pullups, and 100 pushups.

Looked and felt pretty good. Also got into whitewater sports and rockclimbing for a while. I have to agree that feeling strong gives you a confidence boost and your sex drive is a lot more consistent than when you are logging 70-100 mile weeks.

That said, I would advise all has been highschool and collegiate runners to give running another serious shot in their mid to late 20s. 24-27 is your peak athletic age and you should make one last effort at a quality pr or at least try a different distance/event to add to your bucket list. I was pretty surprised at what I could do off minimal training when I started regularly running again at 27.

After you turn 30, it gets harder and harder to avoid running injuries. The weight room/ pool/ and bike will always be there for pseudo athletic glory.

And trust me when you're forty, you will not give a &*^% about your benchpress max. However, you will wish you had run at least one second faster for your mile so you could say I was a ____ miler.

I agree that the burning question will always be in my mind.How fast could I have gone???? I'm 23 so I still have time in theory to PR.

But that would take a hell of a lot of commitment that I'm just not willing to put in.

Nobody cares about your bench press max. Though I prefer shoulder press, but I digress.

Nobody cares about y our running PR's either, but at least lifting PR's have gotten me a better looking body and more confidence than running ever did.

So because nobody cares about either it's wise to do what you care about more.

I'm sure that some have found that running is best for them too.

I will say this though about lifting weights and still keeping in mild cardio. I feel much healthier now.

yazzzoo wrote:

I agree that the burning question will always be in my mind.How fast could I have gone???? I'm 23 so I still have time in theory to PR.

But that would take a hell of a lot of commitment that I'm just not willing to put in.

Nobody cares about your bench press max. Though I prefer shoulder press, but I digress.

Nobody cares about y our running PR's either, but at least lifting PR's have gotten me a better looking body and more confidence than running ever did.

So because nobody cares about either it's wise to do what you care about more.

I'm sure that some have found that running is best for them too.

I will say this though about lifting weights and still keeping in mild cardio. I feel much healthier now.

You'll never know how fast, because you're a quitter. But we're glad that lifting has helped you with your body dysmorphic disorder. Go hit the bars with your bros and work your game.

I'm not a bro. Bro culture bores me. As does picking up women at bars.

I like weight lifting more than running. I posted my experience as both a pretty damn good runner and a guy who took up strength training.

I wanted to see if my experiences were common.

Is it a crime that lifting was a better option for me than running???

geez dude. all the guy said was he feels better now than when he was running. wheres the harm in that? he didnt say youre a loser for wanting to maximize your running potential. in fact he sort of said the opposite

yup, from running everyday to lifting 4x weekly and on a road bike x3 weekly. It's been only 2 months into this new routine after 5/6 years of running.

Exactly. I'm not calling the guy a loser because he runs.

I don't think he gets the message. Nobody cares that you run, lift weights or sit on your butt.

They don't care.

What made you decide to switch?

For me I could never do competitive running by myself. I would need a coach and teammates to do it with. Otherwise it would be extremely difficult to get in my best workouts.

With lifting it's easy. Just do or try to do more reps or more weight than you did last time.

Gradually cut down running when I started other exercises, and eventually got away from it cimplement. Still follow the sport so I'm still here but rarely run other than sprints as part of another workout. Love lifting and rowing now. Can't run distance due to PF and nerve issues from a herniated disc way back. I can deadlift a freaking car but running causes flare ups with my nerve damage. Go figure. Do what makes you happy. Unless you earn your living running, nobody else gives a damn so do it for enjoyment first or so something else.

That's exactly true. Unless you make a living, nobody gives a damn. People hardly care about the pros unless they broke a world or American record or it's an Olympic year.

You wouldn't believe what I saw back in my running days. DIII kids thinking they're self important because they can run a 4:20 mile.

Was it delusion because nobody cared? I don't know what other explanation there was.

Then there were the kids who were in it because they wanted to do it. And I felt that was the only reason to do it unless you are the 1 percent of the 1 percent of the 1 percent.

I just realized it became more of an obligation than an enjoyment. It felt like that maybe for the last 8 months, and after that I was burned out. I love running but it's more like I love aerobic training and I feel refreshed now with biking, new sets of skills to learn and new toys to play with. I do 2h x 3 session weekly. All the other days I'm lifting weights, one hour to one and a half. Boy, running was hard. 9h/week was much tougher than 6h bike + 6h weights.

yazzzoo wrote:

What made you decide to switch?

For me I could never do competitive running by myself. I would need a coach and teammates to do it with. Otherwise it would be extremely difficult to get in my best workouts.

With lifting it's easy. Just do or try to do more reps or more weight than you did last time.

Same pontoon wrote:

Gradually cut down running when I started other exercises, and eventually got away from it cimplement. Still follow the sport so I'm still here but rarely run other than sprints as part of another workout. Love lifting and rowing now. Can't run distance due to PF and nerve issues from a herniated disc way back. I can deadlift a freaking car but running causes flare ups with my nerve damage. Go figure. Do what makes you happy. Unless you earn your living running, nobody else gives a damn so do it for enjoyment first or so something else.

Wouldn't rowing be the perfect blend of strength & running?

yazzooo wrote:

Yea. I was 5'10" 130 pounds starting Junior year of College. Really, F'ing skinny. I was a 4:17 miler too.

And it got to the point where I was thinking I could maybe get down to 4:10, but who really cares?

Now I'm 5'10" 162 pounds and deadlifting 365 for reps. And it's awesome.

Um, you're right, no one "really cares" if you run a 4:10 mile, but no one ALSO really cares if you deadlift 365. Honestly, bro-dawg. You think you're "awesome", but people deadlift 1000lbs. 365 is $hit in the big picture. Running 4:10 is at least semi-national class. mid 300's deadlift???? C'mon, bro-man, that ain't even worth bringing up. Literally 10 people on my street can do that, and half are fat, and the other half little guys. C'mon bro', get real.

You're sad bro.