It is absolutely possible for a long-distance running athlete to stay small, quick, and endure in elite races while strength training. It is also absolutely possible for a strength training athlete to adhere to a long-distance endurance-running plan each week and still preserve muscle mass. I am proof of both. Recently, I finally found an arena in which to express myself, and a community of athletes who share my goals.
They're in the sport of obstacle course racing OCR , which has taken the world by storm the last few years. OCR racers train hard, with the goal of dominating every strength and endurance challenge set in front of them. They believe, as I do, that our muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, and bones have an exceptional ability to adapt and overcome.
They know that we're only as "strong" as our ability to face the next challenge over the horizon, and that challenges don't care about man-made categories like "strength" and "endurance. No matter how mighty, fast, or hardy you think you are, OCR will show you where you're weak. It hammers home, more than any other competition, that strength is a spectrum, not a number or a certain image. The key for endurance running athletes to become stronger is through strength training.
The key for strength athletes to develop better endurance is through endurance training. This is the way I trained myself for years, so I fit right in. At age 36, I compete regularly in OCR and survival running. I don't plan to be number one—that'll be tough at 6-foot-2, —yet I do plan to always be one of the best and to perform at the top of my game. And I plan to do it while holding on to the mass I've worked my butt off to earn all these years. The type of training I do is only possible with the appropriate amount of rest and recovery days.
I have to allow for the healing processes of the body to work adequately. Aside from that, the key to staying the right size and weight for my sport, like any sport, is in appropriate programming and nutritional planning. As I mentioned earlier, I've stuck with my short-medium-long weekly model for years, for the simple reason that it works for me. My short distances are usually around miles, while my medium-distance runs are miles.
For my long runs, I'll head out for plus miles, sometimes on flat terrain, and other times on hills. My last long-distance training run before a recent race was almost 15 miles, going up and down the steep hills of a highway shoulder. I also perform intense strength-training workouts each week. Most recently, when I was preparing for the cruel and unusual Fuego y Agua km Survival Run on Ometepe Island near Nicaragua, I split my weight training into upper- and lower-body days.
Here's what my typical training sessions looked like:. Already have a Bodybuilding. Sign In. Don't risk doing a workout improperly!
Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos. View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot. Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time. After a day or two of rest and recuperation, I performed the following upper-body routine.
Sometimes, I would simply do the strength routine and save all the jogging for afterward, depending on my schedule. The strength-focused school of thought says that the more you run, the more muscle gets tapped for fuel. This isn't always correct, but in many cases it is.
I've learned to constantly take in enough of the right calories to hold on to my hard-earned muscle every day. By adding running to your workout routine, it is important to have a diet that is high in protein and high in carbs to increase your chances of keeping that muscle on while also getting the most out of running.
With higher intensity workouts, the more growth hormones will flow in your system and lead to increased muscle mass 1 , both un the upper body and lower body. By incorporating cardio, in particular high interval cardio, into your workouts, you will lose excess fat and that physique will begin to show 2. Running, like other forms of cardio, are the best way to build that endurance base to keep you going in the gym for much longer, as if you were to run long distances.
With increased lung capacity and an efficient heart, your gains in the weight room will improve simply because you have that increased stamina to do so. Recovery is also key to building muscle and that boost from running will increase the amount of blood your heart can pump to those worn-down muscles 3 and help reduce the amount of lactic acid in you. It can send those vital nutrients to damaged muscles in desperate need of recovery, especially after running long distances and strength training and weight training for lean muscle.
Running increases the demand on the circulatory system and makes your heart work hard to get blood to those areas that need it most 4. With poor circulation, muscle cramps and numbness are an unfortunate side effect that can hinder a bodybuilders training. Good circulation will lead to increased performance and enable you to build muscle and strength much faster while aiding in endurance running in people as they train every day.
Sleep is often overlooked for our busy schedules tend to keep us fighting to get that much needed rest. Although large amounts of caffeine and supplements can keep us awake and getting tasks done, it is a disservice to our muscle growth to deprive our body of well-deserved shut eye. During sleep, the body repairs muscle tissue that was torn during the workout 5.
Through protein synthesis, it can also enhance muscle recovery. Testosterone, which is produced during sleep, plays an important role in muscle growth as well so getting the proper rest is crucial to seeing that growth work. With running, or some other high intensity activity, studies have shown it improves our quality of sleep 6. Stagger your running distances on different days.
For example, I run 3 times a week: 6 miles, then 8 miles, then 10 miles. Once in a while, my 10 miler goes to Pick one run to be an interval run. This recruits more fast-twitch muscles, burns more fat, and increases your overall speed. Never run on the day after your leg-training day for weights. You need a day to rest after maxing out on squats.
Never run before weights. You need maximum focus and strength to get the most out of your weight training sessions. Weights, Refuel, Run. After your weight training session, take a 30 minute break or so and get some protein and good carbs before you run. Watch our stretching. There is some mixed science on this issue, but I recommend you do dynamic stretches before your weight training, and before your running, but do static stretches on your off days or after your workouts.
Pay really close attention to your body. If you notice the start of any injury, back off a bit. I personally suffered from plantar fasciitis several years ago because I tried to keep running for weeks after it started. By then much damage was done. Always change your socks before you start a run. Your feet will appreciate it!
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