Strength and Running Programming Basics

Before we can discuss mixing running and strength training their needs to be a prerequisite of knowledge about how to programme for both strength and running. Both of these activities have very specific methodologies of effective programming. In this article I will not go into detail about how to programme for strength training and running individually, but if you do not know how to programme for these two activities the best thing to do would be to learn how to do them individually before you learn how to do them together. If you don’t know what the terms progressive overload and weekly volume mean, you need to do your home work.

The Challenges of Concurrent Training

Being strong is challenging, being a good runner is challenging, so when you add them together like we do in concurrent training it is extremely difficult and requires a great deal of challenging training but also intention. Below I have listed some of the main challenges that concurrent training poses.

Trade Offs

There needs to be an acceptance that this is not the optimal way to go about things for the individual sports. Concurrent training is very achievable and we can do both strength training and running but that does not mean that it is optimal for running or strength training, it is far from it. There are trade offs that we pay for doing both.

Fatigue Management

The biggest challenge faced when trying to programme for both strength and running is fatigue management. If you were only trying to get strong or only trying to get fast then you train your discipline between four times and six times a week and the results slowly pile up. With concurrent training it is not as simple as that, you need to weigh up the fatigue generated from difficult strength training and difficult running. Doing heavy deadlifts to an RPE of 9 the day before your tough track session will have an impact on your track session and vica-versa.

Time

Most individuals who perform this style of training have a deep love of movement and training, which is amazing to find multiple movement styles that can be considered passions. That being said, most individuals also have jobs, meaning that time is going to be a huge limiting factor when it comes to a concurrent training pan. Not just training time, but also relaxation time and social occasions etc will all come into play when it comes to designing your training programmes. There is only so much time we can dedicate to training, so from the outset the best thing to do is have a think about how much time during the week do you want to and can commit to physical training.

Weight

Strong people tend to have higher levels of muscle mass because muscle mass is the best indicator of muscular strength. However, most advanced runners have almost no muscle mass in their upper bodies and very little developed in their lower bodies. Carrying dead weight while running is to no advantage. This is a huge trade off for running performance. The inverse is true for strength training, being a light runner is not going to help you achieve your strength training goals, the likelihood is that you are going to need to have some level of muscle mass. We cannot be too heavy and we cannot be light otherwise it will create poor performance in one of the disciplines.

Designing a Programme For Strength and Running

Designing A Training Programme Based on Detailed Goals

It is crucial that a training block has a specific goal. Once you have a specific goal for your training block you can go about designing the training cycle. Selecting a goal for a training block will be based upon what your personal goals are. You may want to perform a block where the main emphasis is improving your running for a specific event. Or you may have an idea of a specific number your want like to hit on one of your main lifts.

Choosing An Emphasis or Maintenance

Once you have your goal, you can then decide what your approach is to each discipline. By this I mean you pick an emphasis for the training block. If your goal is to perform a fast half marathon then the emphasis is clearly on running endurance. This would mean that strength training would usually be put on maintenance, meaning that it does not take away from your more aggressive running programming. The inverse would be where you have a goal of hitting strength training goals like a personal record on the squat or the deadlift or it could mean competing in a powerlifting meet. This would mean the volume and intensity of strength training would be very high, meaning that the running programming would be less intense.

Your Not Superman

The body can only take so much stress. This is why you will need to pick a training emphasis and design a block of training around a specific goal. If you just put both strength and running programming to full intensity the most likely outcome will be either injury or lack of intensity in training.

Training tolerance can be built over time, so cycle after cycle, year after year, you will be able to add in more sessions. But training blocks need to be built around where you are at, not where you want to be in five years time. There is a middle ground where both running and strength are slightly above maintenance volume, this is an attempt to improve both at the same time but in a manageable, non aggressive manner.

A Sample Week: Half Marathon Programme

Monday - Upper body Strength Session

Tuesday - Running Easy Run

Wednesday - Running Intervals

Thursday - Off Day

Friday - Lower Body Strength Training

Saturday - Running Easy

Sunday - Long Endurance / Tempo Run

Here we can see that the emphasis is largely placed upon running programming. This is for an advanced runner who can run 50+ kilometres in a week.

Sample Week: Strength Block

Monday - Upper body Strength Session

Tuesday - Easy Run

Wednesday - Full Body Strength Session

Thursday - Off Day

Friday - Lower Body Strength Training + Easy Run

Saturday - Full Body Strength Training

Sunday - Long Endurance Run

This block shows that strength is clearly the emphasis whereas running has been put on maintenance volume.

Sample Week: Health Block

Monday - Upper Body Strength Session

Tuesday - Running Easy Run

Wednesday - Off Day

Thursday - Off Day

Friday - Lower Body Strength Training

Saturday - Running Intervals

Sunday - Endurance Run

I wanted to show a last example for someone who is much more interested in health rather than the more performance aspect of training. This would be an ideal training plan for someone looking to be in exceptional physical health.

Thinking Long Term, Not Short Term

The most effective way to progress in both strength and running is to think very long term, with clear blocks throughout the year where you want to progress your running and clear blocks where you want to progress your strength metrics. If you are not intentional about your training you may end up just not progressing either.