Back when the gym was open, you would walk by the treadmills every morning to go to the strength floor. Since you can't use barbells, you've started to see running as a chance to enjoy being outside instead of a difficult cardiovascular activity.
Many people are using jogging as a way to stay mentally healthy during the pandemic as it is one of the only ways to spend time outside of the house.
If you are new to running, you may be concerned about the impact it might have on your muscle mass. Many people believe that running will prevent them from gaining muscle, but this is not necessarily true. The difference in body type between a marathon runner and a sprinter is due to other factors, such as diet and genetics.
If you're worried about your muscles shrinking because you're not working out as much during the pandemic, don't worry – your muscles won't disappear. As long as you’re doing it right.
Steady-state cardio is not looked highly upon by those who prioritize strength, but this doesn't mean that a few slow jogs each week will destroy your goals of squatting.
Implying that someone should not run a 5k before they go for a max-effort squat would be like saying that you can't be steadily working and training to be a strong athlete at the same time. If you are strategic with when you work out and what you eat, you can develop a strong aerobic foundation that will make 8-rep sets feel less like you are about to die.
The fitter you are, the better you will recover from intense workouts – and the better you recover, the more effectively you will train. The better you train, the more you can lift. So long as you are doing it correctly, running can actually help improve your strength and muscle mass.
The Cardio “Kills Your Gains” Debate
It is commonly believed that doing a lot of cardio can hinder muscle growth. This statement has some merit, which we will address soon, but it cannot be boiled down to one word to determine how much it affects your progress.
The long-held belief that combining endurance and strength together can limit muscle growth was popularized in a 1980 study. The researchers looked at four male respondents over the course of ten weeks. The first group only did resistance training, the second group only did cardio (a combination of biking and running on the treadmill), and the third group did both.
The study found that doing both strength and endurance training at the same time reduced people's ability to develop strength. However, the study is over 20 years old, and the groups doing cardio were doing it for six days a week. More research has emerged since then.
Some recent studies have found that moderate amounts of cardio can actually improve muscle growth. The keyword in this text is “moderate.” The text is saying that the opposite of our study in the eighties is true, and that moderation is key.
A 21-week 2012 study observed three groups of untrained men: those who did strength-training only, those who did endurance-training only, and those who did both strength- and endurance-training. The study evaluated the impact each of these training programs had on the men's ability to grow muscle mass. A group that did two days of endurance exercise and strength training saw an increase in muscle growth.
However, it's worth noting that the group's endurance efforts interfered with “explosive strength development, compared to strength and endurance training alone.” Simply put, some power or explosive movements might be hindered by cardio, but our body's ability to gain muscle isn't impacted by including some cardio in our weekly rotation.
Proper Running Form
If you're a heavy lifter, you want to avoid damaging your joints with all the repetitive stress. The quickest ways to guarantee you'll get hurt are to run with crappy form and ramp up too quickly.
- Avoid striking with your heel (seriously — it might feel counterintuitive to strike with the ball of your foot at first, but just… don’t heel strike. Your plantar fascitis will hate you)
- When your foot hits the pavement, it should be aligned under your knee.
- Your hips should lean very slightly into your run, but keep your spine nice and tall.
- Keep your hands relaxed and your arms at about a 90-degree angle.
- Avoid hunching your shoulders forward, and keep your gaze directly in front of you.
Running Frequency For Lifters
If you have all of that under control, don't let your ego get the best of you. Just because you have the strength to squat a lot of weight, doesn't mean you can run long distances.
Adopt a gradual approach in everything you do related to running, including how fast you go, how far you run, and how often you run. To start, run a couple of times a week, and keep your runs slow and easy. You should only change one thing at a time when trying to improve your stamina and running strength. This way you can gradually increase your abilities without having to worry about too many variables. Running faster today? Don’t also run longer. Running longer? Keep a slower pace.
You won't lose all your muscle if you gradually increase to jogging 3 or 4 times a week. If you start developing the habit of programming it correctly, these workouts will actually help you recover from heavy lifting sessions when you return to the gym.
Improving Mobility
If you don't already have ankle flexibility exercises as part of your strength routine, you should start. Your squat will improve, and your knees and hips will thank you. If you start running as part of your strength program, it will be even more important to do exercises that improve flexibility, mobility, and balance to prevent injuries.
Doing long lunges and slow, single-leg deadlifts without any weight is going to help you a lot, as will doing lateral lunges and butterfly stretches. Make sure you don't cut corners on these exercises, they will help prevent injuries while you're running and fix your good morning squat. There's no reason to miss out on this important work.
Running Programming For Lifters
It can be difficult to stick to your normal workout routine while training from home, but if you've been relatively consistent, you may be working your legs harder on some days. It's probably not a good idea to go for a long run the day before leg day at the gym, because your legs might still be feeling the effects of the run and won't be able to perform as well during your workout. Although split squats are very difficult, a longer recovery jog the day after you have worked your legs hard can help you recover more quickly and get back to squatting more efficiently.
If you want to start running sprints or hill runs, make sure you increase your training gradually first. You should start jogging with good form a few weeks before you start to do speed or hill work. When you are ready to begin, approach these days with the same amount of effort you would expend on a leg day. That is, push yourself hard with sprints and hill runs, and then take the time to let your muscles and your nervous system recover. You can accomplish more work in a week by doing sprints or hill work on the same day as your heavy lower body workouts, as this will allow you to recover from both together. You should always stretch and do mobility work before doing this.
When you are creating a program, keep in mind that what may seem like a long process to you might be a shorter one for someone else. That is perfectly fine. A mile is a long run if it is long for you. Do not judge yourself by other people's standards. It's okay if your sprint is someone else's warmup. You'll get better over time if you accept your body as it is.
Energy balance
The thermodynamic laws are the basis for weight loss and weight gain at a fundamental level. Similarly, if you’re eating in a calorie deficit (fat loss), you’re losing weight If you're consuming the same number of calories that you're burning, you're maintaining your weight. If you're consuming fewer calories than you're burning, you're losing weight. You'll put on weight if you're consuming more calories than you're using up, and you'll lose weight if you're using up more calories than you're consuming. It’s that simple (kind of).
The most common misconception about building muscle is that you can't do it while in a calorie deficit, unless you're new to training or have good genetics. Although it is more difficult to do, especially if you have less body fat and more lean muscle mass, it is possible to build muscle while in a calorie deficit. It will just take more time and effort.
If you're going to regularly mix in some long runs in your training, it’s important to pay attention to how many calories you’re burning.
Calculate your maintenance calories
You can roughly guess this from a calorie calculator. Some calculators are not accurate in calculating the number of calories you need, but it's a decent starting point. To calculate your maintenance calories, track everything you eat and your weight for at least a week without making any big changes to your diet or exercise plan.
To calculate if you're eating below maintenance, you take your weekly averages and compare it to how much weight you're losing. You’re at maintenance. If you gain weight, you're eating more than you should be, and if you don't gain weight, then you're eating the right amount. You’ve found your maintenance calories.
Adjust your calories to eat in a surplus
Make sure to include the calories you burn from running when you calculate how many calories you need to maintain your weight. If you want to put on muscle without adding too much fat, you should consume 10-20% more calories than you need to maintain your current weight.
Macros
After you calculate the amount of calories you should be eating, the next step is to make sure you're consuming enough protein. A complex issue is one that has many parts or is difficult to understand. This issue is complex, but if you get 2 grams of protein per kg of body weight, you should be good.
What is important is finding what works best for you in terms of the carb and fat splits. Some people operate better with a high fat diet while others do better with a higher carb diet. You need to consume enough protein to support muscle growth.
Progressive training plan
The principles of progressive overload are the last component to building muscle. A common rule of thumb for gaining muscle growth is to aim for a rep range of 8-12 until muscle failure, but there are some exceptions.
Rest
Your muscles don’t actually grow in the gym. Your body is repairing the torn muscle fibers during the period of rest. The process is called muscular adaptation. You should pump the brakes a bit if you're constantly checking your appearance in the mirror after working out.
Preserving Muscle Mass as a Runner
What typically happens after eating a lot of calories for a long time – what is called a bulk phase – is that you will lose the body fat that you gained with your muscle. If you cut calories, you want to keep the new muscle you've gained, especially if you run long distances regularly.
You don't have to actively try to reduce the amount of fat you're consuming, but you should be aware of the number of calories you're eating compared to the number of calories you're burning. If you're eating too few calories, you might start to lose muscle.
You should not eat more than 20% below the number of calories you need to maintain your weight. 10–20% off maintenance is recommended for gradual fat loss. You can lose muscle and mess up your metabolism if you overtrain, as well as suffer from hormone imbalances, bad moods, and low energy. No thanks.
If you're an endurance athlete who likes longer runs, make sure you're getting enough energy. If you are running a long distance, you need to make sure you are eating enough calories to compensate for how many you are burning. Also, keep track of your protein intake. If you are aware of this type of information, running will not consume your muscle and you can also have a leaner looking physique from the additional cardio (which will result in fat loss).
