Running Before and After Weights

by Helen Rogers

Today, most of us realize that to work out more effectively, we have to choose such training programs that consist of running and weight sessions. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re a professional athlete or just a person who leads a healthy lifestyle you can combine these two completely different types of exercise. As you know that weight training exercises all the muscles in the body except one which is the most important – the heart. Running strengthens the cardiovascular system so it helps to move oxygen and blood more effectively through the body and weightlifting, in turn, helps to build muscles and strength. But the question is: what`s the right order for these exercises?

A lot of people are wondering they should run before or after lifting weights to achieve better fitness results from the training. If you read this article, you also want to know how best to combine strength training and running. So in this article, I try to explain how running before and after your weight training will impact fitness.

Do You Set Fitness Goals for Yourself?

Before you start working out you have to set fitness goals for yourself – you have to decide what you want to get from your cross-training program and now the order for these exercises depends exactly on your goals.  And you should keep track of your goals, and your progress towards them, as well.

Running After Weightlifting

If the main goal, why you go to the gym, is to build nice muscle and burn fat you can choose the sports regime with lifting weights first.  In this case, you’ll have more energy for strength training if you do it before running and this, of course, leads to greater gains in size and strength. By the way, such cross-training is also useful for you as it leads to favorable hormonal changes. Weight training will make your body increase testosterone production that helps you burn extra calories faster. The increased testosterone level also reduces the production of cortisol – the stress hormone.

Running Before Strength Training

If you want not only to lose body fat, but also increase your aerobic endurance during the session or you’re just training for a run start your workout with a treadmill. Doing running before weights will require more of your muscle energy that`s why your muscles should be rested after so intensive running session.  Though, if you want to improve your overall fitness and don`t lose muscle mass you can run just 5 – 15 minutes before lifting weights. This moderate-intensive running session helps you warm up your muscles and increase their mobility (it can prevent injury during strength training). Besides, after such warming up you can perform the intense weightlifting workout.  I`d like to focus on one more really important point both during the running and strength session – your shoes! I recommend you choose Puma Roma basic shoes because of their good price, curious design, and wonderful quality.

Bottom line: At the training age of modern times you understand how important to do more than just one exercise that`s why you usually choose cross-training programs. Combining running and weightlifting is the best way to achieve great results and the order of doing these exercises can help you reach your fitness goals.

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This article first appeared in The Havok Journal on August 16, 2018.