The Super Simple Guide to Lifting for Running

If you’re running, then you need to be lifting weights. The benefits of resistance training are just too big for any runner to ignore. A good weight lifting program will help prevent injury, help give you more energy, and shave time off your runs, all good stuff.  But you need to go about it in the right way, or you can end up overtrained and injured. Here’s a quick guide to getting started with resistance training.

Pick Exercises That Give The Most Bang For Your Buck

The best exercises are the ones that hit the most muscles at once. You want to spend as little time as possible in the gym while still getting the best result, and working your big muscles is the way to do it. The absolute best exercises for runners are deadlifts, squats, bench press, rows, and the shoulder press. These five exercises will work virtually every muscle in your body from your toes to your neck.

Keep Your Sets and Reps Reasonable

You absolutely do not need to spend hours in the gym doing endless sets of infinite reps. Generally speaking, three sets of five to eight reps is going to be plenty. Always try to do more reps at each work out and when you get beyond eight reps, add enough weight to take you back down to five reps. This way you continue to get stronger without having to spend your whole life in the gym.

Stop Short of Failure

On every set, you always want to leave a little in the tank for next time, so stop a rep or two short of not being able to move the weight anymore. You don’t run until you collapse, and you should lift that way either. You should try to leave a weight session with more energy than you started with.

Try Three Days a Week

Working your whole body, three days a week, works for almost everybody, so long as you’re managing your energy and recovery. If you find that you’re continually dragging during your weight workouts, or that you don’t seem to have the energy you want when you’re running, you can scale it back to twice a week and see how it suits you.

Work Through Soreness

When you first start lifting weights, you are almost certainly going to get sore. This is just one of those unavoidable facts of life. You might be tempted to wait until you’re not sire anymore to lift again. This is a common reaction, and it’s almost always a mistake. You should work through the soreness, and you’ll find that your body will adapt and stop getting sore. Soreness is not a good indicator of recovery, and for the most part, it’s something you should ignore.

Note that we’re talking about soreness and not the kind of pain you get when you’re actually injured. If you do hurt yourself, which is unlikely but still possible on a good weight lifting plan, you need to take time off and recover, just as you would with a running injury.