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Has anyone here had success with lifting and running and excelling at both?

Vickeree

Vickeree

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I've found that my lifts suffer if I put in too much time on my running and my running performance suffers if I concentrate too much on weight lifting. Has anyone here succeeded in both? What I mean is progressing on the two disciplines at the same time during the same training period?
 
H

Hiatus

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In my personal experience, if you want to be a dedicated runner, then you can't be a dedicated lifter. They both almost contradict each other. My friend is a competitive long distance runner and I am a competitive lifter. There are very big differences in our physiques and when I try to run with him, he'll beat me no problem, but if he tries to lift with me, then he won't be able to do as much as me. We run and lift together, but we both have different goals.
 
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japanesewaterbottle

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There are plenty of people who have had success with both lifting and running. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to be excellent at both at the same time. You can still be decent at both, though. Focus on one thing at a time.
 
Vickeree

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Okay so my current goal is going to be to lift and get as strong as possible and then focus on running. Some of the elite long distance runners I see have physiques that look like they have been emaciated and stripped of all the muscles and testosterone they have, I guess I would have to prioritize my goals into overall strength and health, followed by aesthetics and overall athleticism and then focus on my running goals once I have the first two in place.
 
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japanesewaterbottle

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If you're into long distance running, you should know that it's the antithesis of building muscle. Your body will cannibalize your muscle tissue. I won't stop you if you really enjoy it, but you should be aware that it's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to keep muscle if you're running long distance.
 
T

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Personally I think this is a matter of balance. I know for sure that you will not be able to be good at the both of them at the same time. I think that right now you should make up your mind about the one that you think that you want to be the best at.
 
Heatman

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Seriously, it's definitely going to be difficult combining both running and weight lifting at the same time. They are practically two different exercise drills and it affects the body in a different way.

Maybe you make a timetable on how to get both running and weight lifting in your workout routine.
 
Alexandoy

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It looks like you are aiming to be an iron man. I used to run when I was young although not really competitively. Lifting weights while training to run is not a good idea because weights will make you slower. That is the enemy of boxers when they train because they get stronger when they lift weights but they become slower. Maybe there is a trick to make both running and lifting weights effective but I don't have the answer.
 
Folk Artist

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Some of those triathletes that do the ironman competition have some good sized muscle on them - in this competition they bike, swim, and run and they need to lift weights to be competitive. So I think this is the best example of a runner that lifts weight and competes on both levels, including running and lifting weights.
 
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You cannot cross the same river twice. Though, you can be good in lifting and running exercises but greater body mass, which is acquired from lifting affect the speed of running. You have greater inertia if you have massive body thus decreasing your running speed. As you observed in cars, it needs to lessen its mass to increase its speed. So if you focus on becoming a faster runner then focus on running but if you want to become a strong weightlifter then do focus on lifting.
 

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jeffreyjose48

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I choose running than being a weight lifter. I don't have to purchase any weights with running. I will just have to prepare my Nike or Adidas shoes in order to run. That means its so easy and cheap to run, yet it has big dividend to my body later on in life.
 

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