Running vs. strength training | Guide to the correct combination

One of the most frequent questions that comes into our inbox at Iloebesko.dk is whether you can combine strength training with running training..
Or perhaps more specifically, whether you can still strength train while following one of our running programs!

This article gives you a quick overview of what you need to pay attention to, and of course a little about strength training and cardio training (running) in combination.

Lunges are a great strength exercise for your legs – can be done anywhere

Is it wise to combine running with strength training?

Let’s just state it once and for all. Even though you may already know it. It is healthy and extremely useful to combine your running training with strength training. But only if you do it right. And that is what this article is going to make you smarter about. Because if you do it “wrong” you will experience the opposite effect. So if you ask me directly whether running training and strength training go together, the answer is yes. But then there will be one: but you have to be aware of…..

Video guide: 5 facts (minimum) about strength training vs. running training

Check out the video. In a relatively short time, we’ll give you an overview of what, where and why in terms of combining your strength training and your running training.

Why is strength training good when I run?

Well, it is actually for some very general reasons. But if I had to highlight some of the ones that I think are most important, they would be the following:

No damage

You naturally reduce the risk of injury if you have stronger muscles and joints. It’s a fact. You simply have better conditions to cope with the great strain that running undeniably places on your legs.

Better running economy – larger engine

You will get stronger muscles. Stronger muscles give more fuel to the engine and more endurance. Then you will automatically be able to “run further on the liter”

Better posture – more speed

Not only do bigger muscles make you faster, but you can also achieve more speed in your run with a corrected and better posture. And when you have strong muscles, it becomes significantly easier to get the correct posture when running.

This is why your strength training can hurt your running training

I can easily understand that you would like to strength train while you are, for example, following a running program. There are many advantages to it. But the most prominent advantages are of course that you become stronger in your muscles (primarily in the legs, it has an effect). And in this way you can become both a faster and more persistent runner, but another equally important factor is that you reduce the risk of injuries and strain. Of course, only if you approach it correctly.

But there is also a big risk that you will achieve the opposite NEGATIVE effect. Because if you don’t remember to give your body and legs the necessary rest, it will end up in something completely different..
When you train, whether it’s running or strength training, you wear out your muscles, tendons, etc. And it’s the healing process that you need to respect. If your muscles don’t get the rest they need to recover, and you jump into too much stress too quickly, you’re more likely to end up with injuries and or overtraining than a happy ending.

If you follow one of our running programs on this page, and the program consists of 5 weekly workouts, then you have probably already noticed that it can be difficult to find days for strength training as well. But you should not completely write off the possibility of getting it done for that reason

It is clear, and everyone who asks us will also be told that you probably shouldn’t do the most intense leg-strength training after the hard running sessions during the week. And by hard running sessions we mean tempo runs and interval training. If you want the full effect of the running program, you will have to give your legs and muscles a rest. If you don’t take a complete break, the day after such a running session should consist of some easy running/recovery running at most.

In the above link to a half-marathon running program, you can see that there are 2 completely free days in a week. And they are actually placed next to the 2 hard days of the week. That’s not where I would initially recommend you to throw in your strength training. Or maybe you can anyway (with respect for recovery and the prospect of getting the most out of the running program). Because if we assume you strength train on Monday morning (the day after the easy run) and your hard training on Tuesday is only after work, that is, in the afternoon. Then you may have had 36 hours of recovery, and that is enough for most people.

The undersigned has tried other ways. And I would like to point out right away that it is of course always very individual in terms of what suits you. But I have successfully built at least 2x strength training (legs) into a running program like the one above. Exclusively by making the strength training a part of the running training. And how did that happen?
I have used leg strength training on several occasions, both in a hard training run and an easy run. There will be more below regarding exercises, but my primary exercises for leg strength training have been squats and lunges.

Example of a “hard run”:
There I have used strength training as both a warm-up and as a part of the training, primarily to finish off. You can easily build half of your strength training in as an immediate extension of your warm-up or in combination with it. Let’s assume that on this day I would like to end up doing 60 lunges and 60 squats. So I have divided them up. So the 30 of each should be included before the running session and the last ones after. In the warm-up I have then run to warm up my legs, then do one exercise, run a little more, then do the next, and finally run a little more before I started my intervals.
The disadvantage of this method is of course that you drain a bit of energy from your legs before you start the race itself. And you may also need to wait 3-4 weeks before starting it in the program. Then the body and legs are more ready for it.
I then did the last exercises immediately after the runs, before I started my cool down. It can be really hard, after doing 6×1000 meter all-out intervals, to spice it up with both lunges and squats, but the advantage is that the body is warm and ready for it. and you can then let the body recover completely. Of course, you still have to be aware of overloads.

Example of “easy running pass”:
There are actually many options here. But what I ended up with most times was building those exercises into the run. And then maybe cutting 1-1.5 kilometers off the route. But then making some stops on the route where you just do 15 lunges or 15 squats, and then keep running.

Is some strength training better than others for running?

When we talk about strength training in connection with running, it is primarily about the legs, and partly your core muscles. Strength training of the arm muscles naturally does not have the same influence on your running as strength training of the thigh muscles. It goes without saying. Are some exercises better than others? Yes!

Or maybe we should say accessible. Because training leg muscles is good for the legs no matter what (if it’s done correctly). But when I talk about legs and strength training in this article, it’s primarily in extension or in combination with running training. And then there are exercises that are more accessible than others. It’s rare that you run past a nature training park where there’s even the possibility of a regular leg press..
Therefore, my 3 favorite exercises to strengthen my leg muscles are:

Lunges:
The exercise where you take a step forward and keep your body in an upright position. The exercise can be done on the spot, or you can expand it to “walking lunges”. Both exercises strengthen your leg muscles to a great extent and increase your balance.

Squats:
The classic squat exercise. You can do it almost anywhere. You don’t need any machine or center. and it’s so incredibly effective. If you have the opportunity, you can expand this to “sit up against a wall”

Jumps:
Either as squat jumps to build a little extra on the regular squat. Or as a “box jump” If you strength train while running, you can find places where you can do holds and do your jumps. Jump up with your legs together in a selected place. This strengthens both legs and core, and you also get better balance.

Squat or squat jump is a good exercise. Can be done anywhere

If you can find something to sit on during your run, this exercise is really great.

Strength training while running

We have touched on this a little in previous sections.
You can distinguish between 2 scenarios: Strength training in connection with a running program (i.e. strength training on days other than when you run) or strength training as part of the training (you strength train while you run).

If you do strength training on days when you don’t run, you have a lot of options. You might be the one who sneaks into the gym and works out, so you already know a lot of strength exercises for your legs. If you don’t use the gym, but still train on days when you don’t run, you can go a long way by making a relatively small investment in one or two dumbbells and or kettlebells. If you have them available, you can expand your squat and lunge exercises with a lot of combinations.

If, on the other hand, you like to do strength exercises when you’re out for a run, then it goes without saying that you won’t have dumbbells or kettlebells available. Then you’re definitely a hardcore runner.
But you can, with very little effort, spice up your run while also doing strength training. If you’re going to be very specific, you could argue that strength exercises where you lie on the ground might not be that good. At least not for half the year. It’s not great to do sit-ups on an icy or soaking wet surface. But if it’s dry and warm, it’s a great break to do it. But again, I’d like to highlight squats, jumps and lunges as obvious options for strength training in connection with running. And if you want a little boost for your upper body (or core) too, you can do both body lifts and push-ups on the run as well. For example, push-ups can easily be done on a bench if the ground is cold or damp.
A good tip is to create a system in your strength training. Stick to a “program” so you know what you’re going to end up doing, and then build it into your running routine. That way it will be more fun, much more structured, and ultimately much more effective.

Push-ups on a bench. Also an option WHEN you run.

Combining running and strength training prevents injuries

If you do it right, you will achieve a lot of benefits. If you understand how to build your strength training correctly into your running training, you will go a long way.

You get bigger muscles. You get stronger tendons. You get (hopefully) more flexibility..
And all of those things result in great prevention of injuries and overuse.

Of course, this only works if you let your body and muscles recover. It’s when you rest that you get strong. This is where the muscles work and rebuild themselves. And if you’ve trained hard, your body makes sure it’s a little more ready for the next time you try, and that’s how you get stronger and your muscles grow.

Overtraining is your worst enemy

Even though you may do it with the best intentions. Even though you have concluded that strength training primarily in your legs is good for your running because you get bigger and stronger muscles. You still need to be careful.

For example, when you follow a running program that you find on our site. The program is structured so that there is an even distribution of calm runs and high intensity runs. Many running programs are structured this way because you need to be able to recover and the body (especially the legs) needs to recover and actually get the effect from your training that it should.

But you can easily be fooled. Because can strengthening your muscles hurt? Doesn’t it just give you more endurance? Yes, it does as a rule. But if you don’t give your muscles, tendons and joints the chance to heal and recover properly, then not only do you lose the effect of your training, you also increase the risk of overtraining to the maximum.

Strength training is many different things

The above excerpt has mostly focused on leg strength training in connection with running. And that is quite natural because this is primarily where you will experience complications in combining strength training with running.

But strength training is many things, it’s not just about leg training. For example, you can easily train your upper body in connection with one of our running programs. There you will not be able to feel or risk a direct consequence in the same way as with leg training. Of course, you also use your upper body when you run, but it does not experience the same strain as the lower part of your body.
Of course, you still have to listen to your body’s signals. Because even if you haven’t used your upper body as much as your lower body on, for example, a hard interval, the body recovers as a whole. So it may be that your upper body is not stressed and tired, but it is still part of a recovery process along with the rest of the body.

18 minutes of strength training per week

With only 18 minutes of strength training per week in connection with your running training, you are really well on your way. Of course, it can be put together in many ways and with many different exercises. But if you have 6 exercises, and you expect 1 minute for each exercise. You then do them 3 times a week. Either in connection with your run or next to your run. (read previous section)
The exercises could look like this – there are more than the 6 mentioned:
(Note that weather and surface are not taken into account here. If it is on your run and the surface or weather does not allow it, you can double up on the exercises. This means that you might then remove “lying K2E” from the program, but then do 2x1min squats in the combination. You can do them without having to lie down)

Air Squat (regular squat)

Jumps to set-up (jump from one point to another. Either vertically or horizontally)

Plank

Lunges (either standing or walking. can also be separated into 2 exercises, so one is standing lunges while exercise number 2 is walking lunges)

Lying K2E (K2E means in plain Danish, knees up to the elbows.)

Sit-ups (Core training)

Backbends (Core training)

Push-ups (core training)

As you have probably discovered, the above exercises are not only aimed at the leg muscles. There is also a little focus on the core. This is because the two things belong more or less together when we are talking about strength training in connection with running training. Or at least they are good to have with both..
Strength in the legs is a given, so why is that good? But if you can strengthen and train your core as well, you’re 20% further.

An exercise like lunges is a great combination of both leg training and core training. You train all the major muscles in the legs, and you keep your body (core) in a stable position to perform the exercise correctly. That’s why it’s my absolute favorite strength exercise when we talk about strength training in connection with running training.

It’s about focus

Much of the above is of course about how your strength training should benefit your running training, and or about how to combine the 2 styles without destroying anything. But maybe it’s about finding out what your focus is. Have you started a running program to train for a race, then maybe that’s where you should put your primary focus? If, on the other hand, you’re really into strength training, and are really “just” looking for big muscles, then put your focus there. Then you can use your running training to get your metabolism up.