Is there any evidence that it is better to lift in the morning, run in the evening or vice versa? Surprisingly, I'm finding that I feel better when I lift earlier in the day and run afterwards. Any ideas?
Is there any evidence that it is better to lift in the morning, run in the evening or vice versa? Surprisingly, I'm finding that I feel better when I lift earlier in the day and run afterwards. Any ideas?
We always lift after our morning runs
I've heard you're more susceptible to injury if you lift before you run. But I don't know about other benefits/drawbacks
Don't sweat it so much man. What you need to be doing is working out before you run. Then try working out after you run. Try working out then running a hard session than finish that by working out. Do every combination that is mathematically possible. Eventually you will Know what the effects are, and because of that will be a better athlete.
Do whatever pattern leaves you feeling better when you run. That's priority A. If lifting in the morning works for you, then lift in the morning. I always liked lifting the day after hard workouts. I felt like the lifting helped recovery from the hard workout and as I wasn't going to be running so hard that day, I could use the alternative training effects derived from lifting.
I've asked 3 or 4 coaches that question over the years, and the common thread was: lift after you run. Unanimous.
As to whether you lifted on the hard day or easy day, no one had a preference. My personal preference was to lift after the hard workout, upper body only. Reasoning being the strength training was to keep my form longer into my race, how much I lifted wasn't really the issue, and the best way to get that kind of end of race strength was to do it after I had done race-type training. It also gave me the maximum time to actually rest between hard days.
But I'm sure there are other rationalizations, equally valid.
I remember reading in a Harrier interview that Arkansas sometimes had a pretty intense circuit or lift seesion before some of their runs. This was about 15 years ago. I gues the idea was to get fatigued and get the heart rate up. Does anyone know if this is true.
Also. are their any witness's to the infamous Joe Falcon 250 lb. bench press? The guy was like 118 lbs.
I've generally preferred to lift after running. Usually right after. IMO the best training for running is running, and weight work is an add-on, so I try to avpid compromising the running part of the training. This is especailly germane when your daily schedule is a loaded one, tho sometimes scheduling necessitates a pre-run weight session.
Here is the practical approach: If you're training for cross country, run in the morning and lift in the afternoon (if time allows). Why? Cross races are run in the a.m. and you need to train your body to adjust to race conditions. If you don't have time to lift in the afternoon, lift before running. Your muscles won't be fatigued and will be able to handle the weight and stress of lifting. Circuit training works extremely well w/cc running. It builds endurance, stamina, strength, and each exercise patterns actual running movement or detail. Weight should be lighter with focus on reps or time.
If you're training for track, do the opposite. Lift early in the morning and run in the afternoons, when most track races are scheduled. But if you're out of time, you can lift after track. Why? You need to be able to run the intervals the right pace without worrying about your legs feeling flat, heavy, or sore from weights. As a rule of thum, lift heavier on days of longer intervals not short, all-out anaerobic speedwork. You want to make sure you're leg aren't tired from a hard weight session.Weight can be heavier than during cc and depends on goals of program.
I ran the 800 in college and our trainers and coaches emphasized training smart and safe. Make sure you provide your body at least 6 hours of rest in between the two sessions. Eat, take a nap, or do anything that will allow proper recovery after and before each workout.
Good Luck!