How important is lifting to you?

it's important to me for injury prevention. I'm also a masters runner and know that muscle mass is lost at a faster rate as we age so i'm hoping to delay this.

i lift 2 x week. i try to fit it in on the same day as a speed workout so that i can recover from both workouts the next day. i found that if i lift the day after a hard workout, then i'm sore much longer.

Hobby jogger here. I lift 5 days a week and I’m significantly hobbled for 2-3 days post leg day. It probably doesn’t help my running and it probably weighs me down, but I do enjoy getting looks from women as I hobby jog along at 7:15 to 7:30 mile pace.

I lift one hard and one easy session a week. About 2 hours total.

yikes. wrote:

Do you lift regularly in hopes that it will improve your running? I try and lift 2 times a week but every time I lift I get so sore that I don't know if it is worth it. maybe I should just use lighter weights and do fewer reps.

You’re doing too much volume. What are you doing? Lighter weight more reps will make you more sore.

I can hit PRs lifting and not sore the next day.

Alan

yes, helps injury prevention and speed/strength. I do 1-3 times a week depending on what we're trying to accomplish. squats, deadlift, power cleans, pistol and split squats, front squats, and kettle ball swings. I do get pretty sore but after a couple weeks, I get used to it. I do about half of what I listed about each week and they're usually about 3-5 sets of 5 on all them. Also , plyos are good and I'll do some weights then plyos the same day with a couple days between the next time I do weights and plyos

I started lifting twice a week a few weeks ago. Not sure how I feel about it. I have a power lifting past where I had pretty high numbers, but haven't lifted in five years. I'm super weak but can run a marathon.

I've noticed that leg day destroys me for at least 3 days. I'm only doing 3x5 on squat and 2x5 on deadlifts with fairly light weight.

I threw in 3 sets of lunges on Tuesday and my runs yesterday and today were total shiza.

Maybe my 30s just aren't going to be kind to me in regards to recovery, but I feel like I need to lift some weights for injury prevention and avoiding the pasty skinny fat body.

It's important, but you have to keep it under control.

I lift once a week. I'll do three sets of a deadlift variant and then either front or back squats. The first set is warm up at five reps. Then I do two sets of 3 or 4. If I feel that I could do more reps, then I increase the weight. Occasionally I'll go crazy and swap out the squats for single leg press and the deadlifts for weighted back extension and (gasp) hamstring curls. But deadlifts and squats is the bread and butter. While I'm in the weight room I'll do the same thing with stuff life shoulder press, bench press, face pulls, and chin ups.

One more day per week I'll do some light plyos, mostly squat jumps onto a platform as well as some chin and pull ups.

Once you've established some strength, I think one day/week is good IF your primary goal is running. If you're new and/or want more general fitness, than twice a week is better.

WeightsAreGreats wrote:

I started lifting twice a week a few weeks ago. Not sure how I feel about it. I have a power lifting past where I had pretty high numbers, but haven't lifted in five years. I'm super weak but can run a marathon.

I've noticed that leg day destroys me for at least 3 days. I'm only doing 3x5 on squat and 2x5 on deadlifts with fairly light weight.

I threw in 3 sets of lunges on Tuesday and my runs yesterday and today were total shiza.

Maybe my 30s just aren't going to be kind to me in regards to recovery, but I feel like I need to lift some weights for injury prevention and avoiding the pasty skinny fat body.

If I don't do some form of hinging, squatting, lunging, or step up everyday for mobility then my legs are also trashed after I lift. For me it's a flexibility and mobility issue not a strength issue. Try incorporating these movement patterns in your warm up.

I lifted almost every days for 3 or 4 years. I started running at year 2. When I stopped lifting the running kept all my muscle tone very nice! Many years later I'm not ripped but sure as heck have great, trim, smooth muscular body! The ladies on the beach stare!

I lift my butt off my chair sometimes to go get food, if that's what you mean.

This. Soreness following any workout is mostly a product of how “new” that specific workout is and partly about the relative intensity compared to previous workouts. Mobility and specific movements come into play.

Any lift that starts with a more pronounced stretch in the muscle is going to result in more soreness. This is due to eccentric loading. Case in point: I did RDLs on Tuesday and was very tight yesterday and still tight today. Of course I haven’t done RDLs in a while so of course it’s worse. Alternatively I could do low bar squats for an hour and not be too beat up the next day due to the prime mover being the glutes.

Alan

yikes. wrote:

Do you lift regularly in hopes that it will improve your running? I try and lift 2 times a week but every time I lift I get so sore that I don't know if it is worth it. maybe I should just use lighter weights and do fewer reps.

I’ve lifted regularly for years, and have continued to lift 5 days/week after starting to run seriously about 6 months ago. I lift heavy, usually around 5 reps. Primary lifts are squats, deadlifts, bench press, weighted dips and weighted pull ups. I doubt it improves my running, but I like how I look and feel, and losing 10-15 pounds of muscle (I’m 6’ 165) would only make me a little less slow than I am now.

I do some upper body lifting to improve posture and it feels a lot better and easier to hold form at the end of hard speed intervals if I have some upper body strength. I got into squats and lunges for a while but they didn't seem to improve my speed at all and they always interfered with the tough running workouts I wanted to get in, so I haven't been doing those. I don't believe in so-called "injury prevention" benefits (at least if you're relatively young), in fact the only "injury" I've had was a strain due to lifting.

I really enjoy lifting, I keep it simple when I go: Squat, Deadlift, Upper body pull (pull up or DB rows), upper body push (OH press or bench).

Try to do weights at least 2x / week, but when I get too busy lifting is always the first thing to go.

I also have a problem with learning how to manage it without being wrecked. For example squats if I go 5x5 its 45-95-115-135-155, and then deadlift is 5x5 at 115-135. The actual efforts themselves do not feel difficult, but as Alan mentioned, my body just is not used to being eccentrically loaded for that long going through the whole range of motion and gets wrecked for a few days.

Lift 2xweek. I few years back I was really into lifting. Was pressing -and snatching the 24 kg bell. But now I’m just happy using 12-16 kg. I keep it simple. Presses, squats, TGUs , rows and push ups ect. Instead of using heavier and heavier weight now I like to do more mobility and stability exercises. I’m big on crawling and lots of hip mobility work.

If you're getting sore, you're either doing it wrong and have horrendous technique, or you've been doing for a very short period of time your body hasn't yet adjusted. If you make it part of your routine, say twice a week, after 3-4 weeks you should no longer be getting sore.

Think of it the same as running. Many people do 35-40km runs every Sunday and don't get sore whatsoever. Tell the average person to run that far and they wouldn't be able to walk for days.

I bet the first time you put on spikes in track season your calves and achilles are just about torn in half. But 3-4 weeks after getting used to spikes again you don't even question putting them on for a speed workout.

It sounds like you need a coach/different coaching if you're getting sore.

FWIW, I lifted for 2 seasons twice per week, where I ran 1:48 and 3:43. Didn't see massive improvements so stopped. I just didn't enjoy it much, and with a full time job I found it was eating into my recovery time between sessions (I run 3, as oppose to 2, hard sessions per week so recovery is limited).

I am a big believer in keeping that kinetic chain strong and functional. For example, yesterday I did a 3.5 mile very easy run, low HR, and did a quick kb circuit post run. 3x8 kb swings- 3x6 goblet squat- 3x6 straight leg deadlift. This was with a 35 lb kb, nothing intense, took me a few minutes, followed by stretching and mobility a few times throughout the day. I did some pull ups, face pulls, and some bench press after my run this morning. I know bench isn't a go to for many, but idk, I feel like I keep my upper body strength and shape in tact with just a few bench sets a week.

I like having this conversation with older runners, because young guys just don't understand their T levels and muscle mass won't always be equivalent to their 20 year old self forever. Take a look at runners older than 40 that just run. The majority will have that skinny fat appearance, I'll glady trade a minute or two off my HM time to maintain an athletic figure with a bit more muscle mass.

Forgot to add, never ever underestimate the bodyweight single leg squat and single leg deadlift. You're improving balance, isolating each leg in a functional way, and overall core strength. I do multiple sets of 2-3 a day, it's a bit compulsive but it loosens me up too, especially if you're sitting throughout the day, for me my legs feel fresher.

I have horrendous mobility in certain areas due to decades of running and even worse balance. I’m also not really motivated to improve either lol.

I lift heavy stuff twice a week, do a muscular endurance circuit once a week and run 3 x week (various assortment of tempos, hills, intervals, sprints, I rarely just “jog”).

Alan