Many runners don’t like to dedicate a workout to strength training, or find it boring to lift weights without jogging. Don’t worry, it’s okay to be one of those people and want to do both. You may be wondering when is the best time to strength train, before or after your jogging session.
Strength training is very beneficial for runners, it is definitely good to include muscle building exercises in your training regimen. And yes, there are benefits to weight training on race days.
Regarding the question; what should I do first, run or lift weights? It really depends on which activity is more important to you. The priority for you should be the one you start with. For runners, our goal is to build and maintain our cardiovascular endurance, so we should run first.
One of the reasons runners should run first is that the run will be more efficient when the stored energy (available fuel) is at its highest. If you do weight training before, you deplete some of that energy, and you probably won’t run as hard and for long as if you do your weight session after your run.
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Also, if you lift weights or do strength training before running, your muscles will be fatigued, which could increase the risk of injury. Another benefit is that you burn more total calories if you run first, as most people will be able to run longer and at a higher intensity if they run after because they won’t get tired of running. a pre-session of bodybuilding.
Of course, you definitely don’t want to push weights every day or after every run. Two to three strength training sessions each week are enough to get the muscle building benefits.
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