Ohhhh look what we have here! Another awesome guest post by the incredibly athletic and intelligent Adina from Krasey Fit Beauty.
This week I wanted to talk to her allll about lifting weights while training for race season. I know that I really struggle to find a balance, so I went to my girl Adina for some awesome advice. Adina is a great gal to ask because she's a Personal Trainer andddd a professional body builder. Homegirl knows her stuff because she has studied it AND she's living it.
When it comes to reaching one’s fitness goals, often are the times where one fitness modality can both hinder and boost another. In this article, we will discuss how endurance running and strength training can be combined, so that one boosts the other.
Muscle Groups Crucial to Endurance Running, and How to Strengthen Them:
When it comes to running, I think it’s safe to say that we know it’s our legs that are being recruited the most in our endurance training efforts. Specifically, running engages the quads, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, shins, abs, and calves. In order to be a stronger runner, it is advisable that you spend some time building up those particular muscles, along with the rest of your body, as balance is key.
The human body is incredibly efficient, and quite amazing at adapting to whatever stressors (or stimuli) you throw its way. That being said, you’re going to want to mix it up, in order to always see progress in strength, speed, muscle tone, and size. In addition to your running splits, Be sure to incorporate a well-rounded weights routine. The goal with training all the muscles of your legs is to go as heavy as you safely can, once or twice a week.
There are a myriad of leg training styles, splits, schedules, and exercises. The trick here is to always mix it up, to keep your body guessing. Sore (but not painful) is the goal, and you’ll continue to see results, as long as you are mindful.
A Note on DOMS:
Speaking of soreness, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS, can be the bane of anyone’s existence. It is caused by the buildup of lactic acid in the body, around broken down (read: trained) muscles, and is usually worse two days after heavy training of a particular body part. Which leads us to...
Planning Your Splits Accordingly:
When considering a game plan, you will want to plan your running and training schedule appropriately, so that DOMs from one modality won’t impact the other. While movement can definitely help break up the lactic acid build-up that causes DOMS, it is not advisable to overdo it on either running, or strength training, once DOMS sets in. Your muscles are already in a vulnerable state, and overtraining in that vulnerable state will make you prone to injury.
That being said, if Monday is your leg day, wait until at least Wednesday to attempt an endurance run. After an endurance run, wait a couple of days before going back to leg day. Plan to train your upper body on days you won’t be training legs or running. Plan to succeed, and you will.
The Exercises:
So, which exercises will you want to do during leg day, to help improve your distance runs. Here are just a few of my favorites, which can offer up many variations.
Squats
Lunges
Hip Thrusters
Deadlifts
When it comes to running and strength training, the two do certainly progress hand-in-hand. Train your legs to improve your running, it really is as simple as that!
Did you learn anything new?? I definitely realized that I need to schedule my training and lifting better to avoid fatigue and DOMs.
What questions do you have for Adina?! Comment below!