Running and Strength Training Schedule: A Comprehensive Guide

Running and strength training are two popular forms of exercise that offer a wide range of health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, increased muscle mass, and decreased risk of injury. But how can you incorporate both forms of exercise into your weekly schedule without overtraining or neglecting one area? In this article, we will provide you with a comprehensive guide to creating a running and strength training schedule that will help you achieve your fitness goals.

 

Benefits of Running and Strength Training

Running and strength training are two forms of exercise that offer numerous health benefits, including:

Improved Cardiovascular Health: Running is an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise that can help improve your heart health, increase your lung capacity, and reduce your risk of heart disease. Strength training can also help improve your cardiovascular health by reducing your resting heart rate and blood pressure.

Increased Muscle Mass: Strength training is essential for building muscle mass and strength. By lifting weights or using resistance training equipment, you can target specific muscle groups and gradually increase the weight or resistance over time to build muscle.

Improved Bone Density: Both running and strength training can help improve bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Running is a weight-bearing exercise that puts stress on your bones, while strength training can help increase bone density by strengthening the muscles and bones.

Reduced Risk of Injury: Strength training can help improve your balance, coordination, and flexibility, reducing the risk of injury while running. Strengthening the muscles around your joints can also help prevent injuries such as sprains and strains.

Increased Metabolism: Both running and strength training can help boost your metabolism and increase your calorie burn. Running burns calories during the exercise and increases your resting metabolic rate, while strength training can help increase muscle mass, which in turn increases your metabolism.

Reduced Stress and Anxiety: Running and strength training can both help reduce stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins, the body’s natural mood-boosting chemicals.

Improved Overall Health and Wellbeing: Incorporating both forms of exercise into your routine can help improve your overall health and wellbeing, leading to better quality of life and increased longevity.

In conclusion, running and strength training are both essential components of a well-rounded fitness routine that can provide numerous health benefits. Incorporating both forms of exercise into your schedule can help you achieve your fitness goals and improve your overall health and wellbeing.

 

How to Create a Running and Strength Training Schedule

When creating a running and strength training schedule, it is important to balance both forms of exercise in a way that allows for adequate rest and recovery. Here are some steps to follow when creating your schedule:

Determine your goals: Before you begin creating your schedule, determine your fitness goals. Are you training for a race? Are you trying to build muscle mass or lose weight? Knowing your goals will help you determine the frequency and intensity of your workouts.

Choose your days: Choose which days of the week you will dedicate to running and strength training. For example, you could run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and strength train on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Determine workout duration: Determine the duration of each workout. For running, aim to gradually increase the duration of your runs over time, with a mix of short, medium, and long runs. For strength training, aim for a total of 30-60 minutes per session, including warm-up and cool-down.

Plan your workouts: Plan your workouts in advance, incorporating a mix of different types of running (e.g. intervals, hills, tempo runs) and strength training exercises (e.g. squats, lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups).

Allow for rest and recovery: Allow for rest and recovery days in your schedule. Your body needs time to recover and repair after workouts, so make sure you are giving yourself adequate rest.

 

Exercises You Should Focus On With a Running and Strength Training Schedule

When creating a running and strength training schedule, it’s important to focus on exercises that will help you achieve your specific fitness goals. Here are some exercises that you should consider incorporating into your routine:

Running: Running is a great cardiovascular exercise that can help you burn calories, improve your endurance, and strengthen your heart and lungs. To get the most out of your running workouts, try incorporating a mix of different types of runs, including:

Long runs: These runs are typically done at a slower pace and are designed to improve your endurance.
Tempo runs: These runs involve running at a moderate to fast pace for a sustained period of time and can help improve your lactate threshold.

Interval runs: These runs involve short bursts of high-intensity running followed by periods of rest or recovery, and can help improve your speed and endurance.

Hill runs: Running uphill can help improve your leg strength and cardiovascular fitness.

Squats: Squats are a great strength training exercise that target the muscles in your lower body, including your glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings. They can help improve your running form, increase your leg strength, and prevent injuries.

Lunges: Lunges are another great lower body exercise that can help improve your running form, increase your leg strength, and improve your balance and stability.

Deadlifts: Deadlifts are a compound exercise that target multiple muscle groups, including your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. They can help improve your running speed and power.

Push-ups: Push-ups are a classic upper body exercise that target your chest, shoulders, and triceps. They can help improve your upper body strength, which is important for maintaining good running form.

Pull-ups: Pull-ups are a great exercise for building upper body strength, especially in your back and biceps. They can help improve your posture and prevent injuries.

Planks: Planks are a core exercise that can help improve your stability and balance, which is important for maintaining good running form.

Remember to gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts over time to avoid overtraining and injury. Also, be sure to listen to your body and adjust your schedule as needed to allow for adequate rest and recovery.

 

Sample Running and Strength Training Schedule

Here is a sample running and strength training schedule that you can modify to fit your own fitness goals and schedule:

Monday: 30-minute run
Tuesday: Strength training (30 minutes)
Wednesday: 45-minute run
Thursday: Strength training (30 minutes)
Friday: 30-minute run
Saturday: Rest day
Sunday: Long run (60 minutes)

References:

American Council on Exercise. (n.d.). Strength Training 101. https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6592/strength-training-101/
American Council on Exercise. (n.d.). Running Tips for Beginners. Retrieved from https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6595/running-tips-for-beginners/
Mayo Clinic. (2019, June 26). Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389