Running and Lifting: How to Organise Both in the Same Week

Oct 7, 2023

2 min read

Updated: 23 hours ago

You can include endurance and resistance training in one programme. The question is how to organise them around your priorities and capacity, rather than assuming that cardio automatically destroys muscle gain.

Choose the session's main task

If a particular lift needs high-quality practice, put that work where you can perform it well. If the day centres on a demanding run, plan the lifting around that priority. A brief warm-up is not the same as a full endurance session.

Look at the week, not just the order

The amount, intensity and timing of both activities matter. Separating hard sessions may be practical when doing them together repeatedly compromises the intended work. Easy movement and a demanding interval session should not be treated as identical cardio doses.

Schumann and colleagues' concurrent-training review found that combining training need not prevent gains in muscle size or maximal strength. Explosive performance and specific scheduling questions require more care. That does not prescribe one ideal timetable for every athlete.

An illustrative planning method

Mark the sessions that matter most: a long run, a match or a demanding lower-body lift. Then place other work where it is least likely to make those sessions unmanageable. Keep food, sleep and work commitments visible.

Record whether your planned pace, repetitions and technique remain achievable. If both activities are stagnating, review the total demand before adding another session.

The earlier muscle-microtear explanation and blanket claims about cardio order and injury have been removed. Programme the actual tasks you need, then adjust according to your response.