Lifting directly after a workout

I typically strength train after my runs too. It's probably not optimal for strength, but good overall for fitness and time commitments.

If you want to do both in one session, do the strength training first, recovery run after. Otherwise the setup you currently have is better.

I know Alan Webb was big on lifting after track work outs.

Personally I like to do my lifting in the AM, then track in the PM

It's probably better to do weights either in the morning when you have an easy run scheduled that day or after an easy run. You want to be able to perform well lifting (not be too exausted) and also not make yourself too tired before a running workout.

Strength training is not like running where you can get a lot out of it even when youre fasted, tired, or just deliberately going slow

You can't halfass strengthtraining. To get the most out of strength training you have to be fresh and able to bring all the intensity. Which is why putting your ST session right after a run is FAR from ideal.

Two different worlds. It's why their respective ideal training plans look completely different. With ST, you typically see a muscle group getting trained one day and then two days in between the next time it gets trained. With running, you're doing it every day but the intensity varies and the bulk of the training is done at low intensity.

All runners I coach (the fastest is a 3,38 1500 runner) do track, then plyo and then lift.

I think if your primary objective is to get stronger, then definitely prioritize strength training. If I were the OP though, I don't know if I'd go for heavy lifting followed by a 1hr/10 mile run. It seems that the running would suffer a great deal.

Back in college our team always did AM weights. And if folks were doubling, the run would be before the lift. The only people I know who are lifting heavy followed by cardio are people trying to lose weight or something, generally not dedicated runners.

I didnt mention anything about lifting heavy, i was talking about intensity.

I think it would be ideal if the two sessions werent lumped together. But if you want to have them together, any sort of serious mileage should be after the strength training otherwise you wont get anything out of the strength training.

Now, if youre a sprinter, or if youre doing some fast workout done on the track, you can totally do weighlifting after track.

Basically the worst place to slot in your weightlifting is immediately after a longrun. That'd be hands down the worst place to put it. After fast intervals is fine. And after an easy recovery run i think is not ideal, but you guys disagree on that.

Hello there.

Thanks you guys for your attention I really appreciate it. The people who posted on this topic gave some pretty useful tips to combine weight and run. I am aware that there's no magic formula, but personally I can't lift on my easy day. I like to do other activity not related with running like spearfishing and swimming.

Then I want to be fresh during my lifting workout, so I am not planning to lift after a long run or a really hard tempo running workout. After reading your responses, I will try to lift after an interval training and see how it goes this week. I don't think it would mess up too much with my lifting because my speed workout don't last more than 50 minutes including warm up and drills. My tempo run last between 1h or 1h10 when I am peaking, so I will probably keep the lifting session separated from this run.

I would rather not normally combine running and strength training, at least heavy stuff for the legs. Either running takes away the peak strength to lower your lifting performance (and payback) or if done overly much after, it stops the anabolic processes that were ignited by the heavy strength training.

Some running as WU is fine and for example plyos or hill sprints after heavy strength would work well.

With low resistance strength training and core workouts I would not mind and it is OK to combine.

You could do plyos after a workout, but then I guess that is a specific combo to train high force with fatigued legs which could have its benefit.

I would rather split running and heavy strength and do strength on the easy days.

Well, it looks like you have 3 different opinions...

I feel this accurately depicts the truth of the matter.

1. It depends...

2. It's a personal preference type of thing.

I have already tried to lift after an easy day, and I did not find it easier. I put at least 10 hours between the running workout and the evening weight training so I do not feet too tired during the lifting session. As long as I am able to use more weight over the weeks I am not worried about fatigue.

I like this idea, I will give it a try. The past season I had a similar routine after my tempo run. I did between 3 and 5 150 m up hill sprint and it helped a lot my kick.

You can do them both same day, but run in the morning, have a 5-6 hour break to recover and refuel then lift in the afternoon/evening.

StrengthBasedRunner wrote:

Jon Arne Glomsrud wrote:

I would rather not normally combine running and strength training, at least heavy stuff for the legs. Either running takes away the peak strength to lower your lifting performance (and payback) or if done overly much after, it stops the anabolic processes that were ignited by the heavy strength training.

Some running as WU is fine and for example plyos or hill sprints after heavy strength would work well.

I have already tried to lift after an easy day, and I did not find it easier. I put at least 10 hours between the running workout and the evening weight training so I do not feet too tired during the lifting session. As long as I am able to use more weight over the weeks I am not worried about fatigue.

Depends on you and the easy pace. If I were to run 40min easy I would be a little more off to really lift hard or explosive. Depends on what you actually do when strength training. I have done 30min easy cycling, then some heavy/explosive leg strength and then 5x10s hill sprints. I feel fine after the cycling (recovery pace) but I can feel the strength training in the hill sprints. But strength training can kindof activate muscles that even if I feel it, I perform fast reps anyway. But that is not relevant for your question maybe.

You know the answer if an easy run removes the peak force of yours. But running too much after is proven to shut off the anabolic processes and the adaptations from strength training might be less. I would still split it.

In order to hit all the major muscles group and to work equally strength, speed and power I like to have a long training session for my leg day . I have 2 legs session per week. The first one focus on unilateral stuff and the second one on bilateral training. I warm up with : 10/15 min of jumping rope and some elastic band exercises. Then I do 2 plyometric move. Jump squat and broad jump when I focus on bilateral training or jumping lunges and single leg jump when my focus is on unilateral. After that I do the heavy lifting I usually pick up 3 exercises and I do 5 and 10 rep over 3 or 4 sets per exercises @ 85/90 % of my max : Squat, Hipthrust, calf raise for bilateral workout. Single leg deadlift/ hip thrust, lunges / bulgar squat, and single leg claf raise for the unilateral day.

The workout in total usually last between 55 min and 1h05, the lifting only take me around 30 / 40 min. The unilateral day is longer, so if I were to strength train after a run, I would do squat, hip thrust etc. I would also get rid of the jumping and most of the plyometric given that my muscles would be activated by running.

I never run hard the day after a lifting session. My morning run after a leg workout would be a recovery run which last between 1h and 1h20. So I don't think it would mess up with my strength gain.

Consolidation of Stress.

Do your more important workout first.

Preferably lift in the afternoon/evening after a hard running workout.

If you can't, and you have to lift immediately after the run workout that is fine. Just plan accordingly. Eat something simple and carb rich immediately after the run.

Alan

Runningart2004 wrote:

Consolidation of Stress.

Do your more important workout first.

Preferably lift in the afternoon/evening after a hard running workout.

If you can't, and you have to lift immediately after the run workout that is fine. Just plan accordingly. Eat something simple and carb rich immediately after the run.

Alan

+1 for most important workout first.

I prefer to lift when I am fresh, in the morning. A rough sketch of my program (middle distance)

Monday - AM: Heavy lifts, PM: Jogging

Tuesday - AM: Light lifting, Flexibility, plyos and mobility drills: PM: Jogging + strides

Wednesday: AM - none, PM: - Hills (or longer Aerobic workout)

Thursday: AM: Heavy lifting, PM: Jogging or cycling or just walking

Friday: AM- none, PM: Specific run session (300s etc on grass @ 800m effort )

Saturday: AM - Long run, PM- none, relax and take a nap.

Sunday: AM: Speed development (starts, 60m sprints and some speed endurance), PM: none, relax and take a nap

You don't feel beat up when you lift? I am really reluctant to move my strength training on my easy day because I like to lift "hard" when I strength train my legs. So I fear that I would be tired all the time if I were lifting on my rest day. I prefer to keep my rest day easy for my legs, and to not get bored by training, I like to do stuff not related with running. During the summer I either swim or do some diving in the evening, the next day I feel great.