Many amateurs claim that they feel much better when they add non-running strength training to running. And there is some truth to this - strong core muscles help improve your running skills. This especially applies to people who spend their free time from running sitting in a chair in the office.

For runners, it ultimately comes down to the fact that strength training should be aimed at improving running performance. We bring to your attention research by Australian scientists on this topic.

So, 15 runners with different levels of training and different weekly mileage added the following types of strength training to their training process: high-intensity for the whole body high-intensity, but only for the legs low-intensity for the whole body 6 hours after each workout, the athletes took a treadmill test track: 10 minutes at an easy pace, 10 minutes at half marathon pace (90% of the maximum possible) and finally running at the anaerobic threshold for as long as possible. A treadmill test was also carried out before the start of the tests to measure the initial results.

High-intensity strength training significantly reduced running time in the third part of the treadmill test. At the beginning of the tests, runners ran at the anaerobic threshold for an average of 5 minutes. After each series of high-intensity strength training, the ability to run at a high pace was reduced by almost a minute. This suggests that six hours of rest is not enough to restore a runner's previous endurance performance when running at high speed.

Leading researcher at the University. James Cook's Dr. Kenji Doma gives practical advice on how to combine strength training and running.

Firstly, it is not recommended to include running training in your schedule if it was preceded by working with heavy weights. Speed ​​running training loses its meaning within 6 hours after strength training in the gym. Moreover, full recovery does not occur even after 24 hours.

Secondly, strength training has no effect on slow, long running. “Runners can combine strength training and running sessions six hours apart if the running workout does not involve speed work,” says Doma.

Researchers also recommend that if you have to run and visit the gym on the same day, start with running. “We studied that leg strength training that precedes a running workout leads to feelings of greater fatigue than the same work done in the reverse order. Therefore, we recommend going for a run in the morning and going to the gym in the evening after work.”

So, let's say you did a morning speed workout that was planned to be your hardest workout of the week. The next day, it makes sense to do a light recovery run, even if you didn't go to the gym in the evening. Kenzi Doma came to this conclusion as a result of his research.

This sequence of training planning is confirmed by many coaches who, when preparing their athletes, alternate days of strength training with “light” days in order to give time for recovery and to come fresh to perform speed-strength running exercises.

Jeff Horowitz ran his first marathon in 1987 and has since competed in more than 170 marathons and ultramarathons around the world. He is a certified running and triathlon coach (AFAA, USAT, USATF, USA Cycling, and RRCA) and the author of several books. In this article, Jeff addresses common misconceptions about combining strength training and running.

In his book Quick Strength for Runners, Jeff Horowitz explains that even small amounts of strength training can make endurance athletes stronger, faster, and more injury-resistant. Despite the many benefits, some runners avoid strength training because they believe it will cause unwanted muscle growth that will hinder their running performance. Horowitz debunks 6 major myths about the negative effects of strength training on running.

Myth #1: Weight training will make you big and slow you down.

Through the phenomenon of hypertrophy, strength training can indeed increase muscle size, but this is not a necessary result. It all depends on your goals and the choice of training strategy.

Using heavy weights and low repetitions promotes muscle growth. Conversely, if you train with moderate weights and high repetitions for each exercise, you will improve strength and muscle endurance without experiencing significant muscle growth. However, what's most important is that you can have a full strength training session without using weights at all, just using your own body weight.

It is worth noting that each person is naturally limited by genetics and body type. If you're thin and have a hard time gaining weight, the chances of you gaining weight by combining strength training and running are extremely low.

However, if you gain weight easily and tend to be overweight, what should you do in this case? The best way out would be to competently structure the training process with an emphasis on a high number of repetitions in one approach.

Another benefit supported by many studies is that strength training can lead to significant improvements in your cardiovascular system, which will ultimately improve your endurance.

Myth #2: Strength training will make your muscles and ligaments less flexible and elastic.

Athletes who have developed and large muscles (most often bodybuilders and weightlifters) are considered by many to be clumsy and inflexible, and this stereotype serves as an argument for some runners against using strength training in their preparation.

This is fundamentally wrong, since strength training cannot lead to shortening of ligaments and tendons or loss of muscle elasticity. Most often this depends on whether the athlete performs stretching and flexibility exercises. And, again, do not forget about genetics: some people have naturally soft and elastic ligaments, while others do not.

Myth #3: If you train at the gym, you must use barbells and machines.

This training equipment greatly increases the effectiveness of your workout, but other methods can also be used. Bars, a horizontal bar, TRX loops, as well as exercises with your own body weight (push-ups, squats, lunges, etc.) will help you conduct a quality strength training almost anywhere.

Myth #4: Strength training takes a long time.

Many runners associate strength training with going to the gym, but this is far from true.

Performing strength training 2-3 times a week for 15-20 minutes, even at home, significantly reduces the injury rate among runners and allows them to achieve their goals faster.

You can read an example of a short workout at home for runners.

Myth #5: Muscle will turn to fat if you stop lifting weights.

One of the most popular misconceptions not only among runners. Muscle cannot turn into fat, just like lead into gold, as they are different types of tissue in the human body.

Strength training burns a certain amount of calories, and when you stop doing it, the extra calories will be stored as fat. This means that you have started to gain weight, not primarily due to a lack of strength training, but because you are consuming more calories than you burn.

Myth #6: Strength training is not for women.

Not long ago, it was believed that women were physically unable to compete with men in long-distance running and that strength training was “unnatural” for them.

Today, many women take part in the Olympics, various professional and amateur sports competitions, have many achievements and successes in running disciplines, so there is nothing “unfeminine” in the desire to achieve maximum results!

Based on site materials triathlon.competitor.com

From the very beginning of my running training, I was tormented by the question: how to combine strength training and long running? I wanted not only to run, but also to have beautiful, strong muscles. But running was more interesting to me. I had running goals and little time for strength training. I mainly worked on my abs and back.

As usual, I looked for the answer on the Internet. A preliminary analysis showed the following. Strength training and running don't mix well. You have to choose one thing. These are different tasks. Running burns muscles. Strength exercises kill running technique and make muscles stiff.
But what if you want to run and work out in the gym?
I think I have found the answer to this question for myself. And it turned out to be quite simple. I just had to think about it.

Strength training and running. How to combine?

So, three months ago I decided to cut back on my running and start spending more time doing strength training in the gym.
The circumstances were so fortunate that I had the opportunity to test several halls and communicate with experienced people.

The first training sessions in the gym were quite difficult. After every workout, my muscles hurt, I almost fell off my feet from fatigue. I never dreamed of running. But the habit of running was strong. Besides, it was a shame to lose my shape. At least 10 km, but you have to run.

One Saturday, out of habit, I decided to do a running workout. And I was shocked. My legs could barely move.
There was a heaviness in my thighs. The first three km were difficult and slow. But gradually I got used to it and ran at my usual pace. 5:00-5:20 per km.
Then there were several more running workouts and each time the story repeated itself. At first, heavy, unusual thigh muscles, then I ran away.

I must say that I started training in the gym with three strength exercises with a barbell. Bench press, back squats and deadlifts. And then I did various exercises with dumbbells and barbells for the upper body.
If the bench press has no effect on the legs, then squats and deadlifts load the legs very well.
As a beginner, I didn’t understand how much weight to start squatting with, that I could even do it, and therefore I suspect that I somewhat overestimated my capabilities.

In addition, the body was just getting involved in new loads for it and naturally this was stressful for it. That’s why it was difficult for me to run after strength training.

After two months of going to the gym, I gradually began to realize what I wanted to get from these workouts.
Definitely

• I don't want big muscles
• I don't want to forget how to run,
• I don't want to lose my stamina.

Here's my wish list:

• I want to increase muscle strength;
• I want to strengthen my ligaments;
• I want to strengthen my bones;
• I want a more defined torso.

I probably want to be like a welterweight boxer (60-64 kg). Agile, resilient and strong.

I like strength training and I like running. So the answer for me was simple. Do both. Enjoy your workouts. And the body itself will build the muscles that you need for these activities.

In December I started training every other day. Mon, Wed, Friday strength exercises. It turns out 1:30-1:40 in time. On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday – running for about an hour and a half. So far this regime suits me. On running days, I run 10-13 km at an easy pace. Sometimes I do intervals. In general, I consider this running workout as volume exercise.

Who else combines running and strength training?

I began to remember examples known to me where athletes combine both heavy strength exercises and running.
These are athletes of various martial arts. Arsen Markaryan (Thai boxing, vice-champion) who does strength training and runs almost every day came to mind.
And then I finally calmed down in my tossing. When I realized this, I changed my workouts at the gym a little. I removed the deadlift and decreased the weight on the squats. But I began to devote more time to my back and shoulders.
Now running training starts quite easily. It’s even nice to feel a slight stretch in your legs. And what’s especially nice is that I wanted to speed things up.

How the body reacts to the combination of strength training and running.

For now I would say this is great. Today is Saturday and I ran in the morning, but now I already want to go to the gym. And it’s only the commitment I’ve made to publish this article today that’s keeping me at home for now.

The body is recovering well. I think since I don't do any hard work when running, everything goes fine. In this version, running works as a recovery workout. It helps the muscles to rest and fill with new blood. The lungs saturate the blood with fresh forest air. After all, the atmosphere in the hall is far from the best. Overall, I'm happy with everything so far. There is progress in the gym and no noticeable regression in running. We'll see how events develop in the future.

And here is a video on this topic that I recorded immediately after a running workout.

Running has been popular since ancient times; even the first Olympic Games, held BC in Greece, included competitions only in this sport. And now it remains the most accessible and favorite type of physical activity among fans of a healthy lifestyle. But there is a category of athletes who stubbornly deny the benefits of running for themselves - bodybuilders. Every second athlete is sure that running and bodybuilding cannot be combined, and simultaneous practice of these two sports will only reduce the results of each of them. Let's try to dispel this misconception.

Refuting the version about the incompatibility of running and bodybuilding

Supporters of the version of the incompatibility of running and bodybuilding claim the following:

1. Running takes away energy that the athlete could spend in the gym for a full workout.
2. During jogging, not only fat mass is burned, but also muscles so dear to the athlete’s heart.

In fact, these claims are very easy to refute. Although running requires significant energy expenditure, it allows you to constantly increase your level of endurance. And this is especially true for bodybuilders who perform only so-called “mass” exercises - when a small number of repetitions are used in one set. The stamina gained from running will only benefit your progress in the gym. And in order to have enough energy left for strength training, you need to alternate with cardio loads, distributing them on different days of the week.

The second statement also has a reasonable refutation. Aerobic exercise actually provokes the destruction of muscle fibers, because fat mass cannot change in volume separately from muscle mass. The process of losing excess weight is always accompanied by losses in muscle mass, and vice versa, muscle growth is impossible without a simultaneous increase in body fat. Based on this, the conclusion suggests itself that running only burns calories, which would be more useful when doing bodybuilding. But not everyone knows that cardio exercise, and especially running, greatly accelerates metabolic processes. In fact, these are anabolic steroids, and they are absolutely safe and even beneficial for health. From this point of view, running can be an excellent assistant in gaining quality mass. It is only important to adhere to certain rules.

Rules for running training in combination with bodybuilding

In order for running to only contribute to progress in gaining muscle mass, you need to adhere to the following principles:

1. Don’t get too carried away by running for several hours. Exhausting loads will do more harm than good. But even 15 minutes of running will only be a waste of time, because metabolic processes start only after the 20th minute of training. Thus, the optimal time for cardio exercise would be 40 minutes of running at an average pace, not too fast, but not relaxed either.

2. Aerobic exercise requires a lot of energy, which the body gets from carbohydrates. This is why people who are losing weight combine jogging with reducing the amount of carbohydrates in their diet. But this option is suitable for you only in case of “drying”, when you decide to increase the relief of your body. To gain weight, you need to do the opposite; you must increase the proportion of carbohydrates in your diet so that your runs acquire the properties of a natural anabolic. In this case, the percentage of body fat will remain unchanged, and the effectiveness of strength training will increase.

3. In order not to harm muscle mass, two cardio workouts per week are enough.

4. It is important to choose the right shoes and clothes. Sneakers should be chosen with a fairly rigid and elastic sole, with reinforcement in the heel area. Clothing should not restrict your movements and prevent sweating.

5. To reduce the negative impact on the joints, which already receive considerable stress in the gym, it is better to conduct training in a stadium with a special running surface, or on well-trodden forest paths. Do not run on sand, soft ground or asphalt.

6. Training should be systematic. Omissions will not allow you to get the desired effect.

7. While running, the load should only be felt on the leg muscles; the rest of the muscles must be relaxed. If you can't do this, slow down.

8. If you don’t have the stamina to run for 40 minutes right away, increase the time gradually. You don’t go for a world record to get yourself into such a state that the next day you not only won’t be able to do strength training, but you’ll also have difficulty simply moving around.

By following these simple rules, you can move much faster on the path to success in bodybuilding. In addition, such a useful sport as running will bring you many additional bonuses.

Additional benefits of running for a bodybuilder

In addition to helping to build muscle mass, running has other beneficial effects for the athlete:

1. Running perfectly pumps up the leg muscles, including the smallest ones. Exercises in the gym, as a rule, act in isolation only on large muscles, while small fibers remain idle, which affects progress as a whole. Involving small muscles in training through running will allow you to quickly increase working weights.

2. Strength training, although it strengthens the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, but do not force them to work at full capacity. Cardio exercise will better train your heart and lungs, significantly increasing your endurance.

3. With the help of aerobic exercises it is easier to achieve body relief. Exercises in the gym, aimed at relief, force you to gruelingly repeat the same movements a huge number of times; in this regard, running is much easier and more exciting.

4. Running cleanses the body by flushing out toxins through sweat. As a result, metabolism returns to normal.

5. Additional access of oxygen to cells during cardio training has a positive effect on muscles and the central nervous system (CNS). A well-functioning central nervous system, in turn, promotes more coordinated muscle function, reduces the risk of injury and increases the body’s ability to heal itself.

There are many benefits to running, but there is a way to make it even more powerful. To do this, you need to create a training program individually for your body type.

Recommendations for combining running and strength training for different body types

Athletes involved in bodybuilding know that success in building muscle mass largely depends on the genetic predisposition manifested in your somatotype (physique features). When adding cardio to your training program, your body type should also be taken into account.

Ectomorph. This is a naturally thin person who is not prone to gaining fat mass. Such people Progress in bodybuilding is very difficult. It would seem that running is completely contraindicated for them, so as not to lose their hard-earned muscles. But it is not so. The fact is that exercises with iron involve white muscle fibers, and when running, red and intermediate fibers are connected to work. Combining these sports will allow you to fully develop all types of muscles, which, of course, will contribute to their increased growth.

Principles that ectomorphs should adhere to during aerobic exercise:

• The duration of the run is no more than 25 minutes;
• running at a slow pace without acceleration, so as not to provoke a large consumption of glycogen;
• workouts 1, maximum 2 times a week;
• on the day before cardio training, you should not load your legs with exercises, they will not have time to recover.

Mesomorph. They are considered genetically lucky, A striking example of a mesomorph is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Such people easily gain muscle mass and have the most harmonious proportions. This body type will benefit the most from running.

Aerobic exercise rules for mesomorphs:

• training time 35-40 minutes;
• average running pace, without acceleration;
• Cardio training is carried out every day after strength training, that is, they need to be alternated.

Endomorph. This is the densest body type; such people often go into weightlifting or kettlebell lifting. For them, running is mandatory as the only way to get rid of excess fat.

Principles of running for endomorphs:

• loads for 40-45 minutes;
• You should always run after strength training, when glycogen reserves have already been depleted and fat deposits become the source of energy;
• on days off from the gym, you can do additional jogging, preferably in the morning.
• Post-workout running should be at a measured pace, but during additional runs you can do light accelerations.

The benefits of running for gaining muscle mass are real if you have the right information and create a training program according to your body type. To get a beautiful, harmoniously developed body, you need to expose it to a variety of physical activities; you should not limit yourself to one sport. In addition, by starting to run, you will not only get a positive external effect, but also become more energetic and healthier.

Beginners in bodybuilding training are often interested in how running affects the improvement of muscle building, and whether it is effective for gaining weight. Let's try to figure this out. In the sports world there are two completely opposite points of view on this matter.

So, is running harmful or beneficial for a bodybuilder to gain muscle mass?

Definitely harmful - this is what supporters say, adhering to the version of the harm caused by running to an athlete in bodybuilding, and their position is argued by the fact that running has a negative impact on the athlete’s condition, since it is an extraneous load that only causes the athlete to sweat and burns off fat, resulting in loss of precious muscle mass. In addition, running takes a lot of energy, as a result of which the bodybuilder is no longer able to work in the gym, giving all his best with full dedication, and as a result, the effect of training is significantly reduced.

But there is also an opposing opinion that states the opposite. According to this version, which is followed by supporters of running, running to build muscle is extremely useful. Muscle mass requires sufficient blood supply and moderate load, which is precisely what is achieved during running. Therefore, bodybuilders should add jogging to their weight training in the gym - it is recommended to run a distance of five to ten kilometers per day. The maximum effect can be achieved if you divide the training and jogging, performing them on different days. And although running will not directly increase muscle mass, it will be a rather powerful stimulating factor for this.

Discussions about the compatibility of running with bodybuilding do not subside, remaining a relevant topic to this day. At the same time, it is possible to understand the logic of both opposing sides in this issue and therefore determine on whose side the truth is so far no one has succeeded. Below are various aspects of the impact of jogging on the body of a trainee, on the muscle growth of a bodybuilder, and also provides an answer to the question of the advisability of jogging in addition to training in the gym.

In the process of getting rid of excess weight, or rather, its fat component, some part of the muscle tissue valuable for the athlete is inevitably lost, the building of which is again impossible without gaining fat mass. Thus, it seems that running, which inexorably burns kilocalories, a priori cannot be useful for a bodybuilder. But, looking at it from a different angle, you can come to the conclusion: jogging can not only remove extra pounds, but also speed up muscle gain.

It is a well-known fact that aerobic exercise provokes the destruction of muscle fiber. And for this reason, some athletes refuse them, without even realizing that aerobic exercise, including jogging, helps speed up metabolic processes and, in fact, are real natural anabolics. Adhering to this view of running, we can consider it a truly real help to the athlete, without causing harm. However, in reality, not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance.

Running actually contributes to the destruction of muscle fibers and if you overdo it without taking certain measures, then for a bodybuilder this can result in muscle loss. In order for running to truly benefit an athlete and to effectively combine jogging with bodybuilding, you need to know and adhere to some specific rules. Aerobic exercise requires the expenditure of large amounts of energy, the main supplier of which in the body is carbohydrates. Therefore, if, in order to lose excess weight, an athlete jogs in the morning and evening, it is necessary to reduce his carbohydrate consumption as much as possible so that the body begins to use its natural reserves - fat deposits - as fuel. In this case, it is advisable to increase the proportion of protein in the diet to avoid loss of muscle fiber.

If an athlete intends to use running as a natural anabolic, then he should, on the contrary, increase the amount of carbohydrates in the diet, thereby increasing the body’s energy resources accordingly. The amount of protein can be left the same. This is the case when the bodybuilder’s fat layer will not decrease, but the effectiveness of his strength training will significantly increase. In addition, jogging helps increase endurance, which allows the athlete to recover faster after heavy loads.

What are the benefits of running? Development of endurance.

Jogging allows the body, along with sweat, to actively remove toxins and toxic substances, and normalize metabolism. Due to the additional supply of oxygen, all cells of the body, including the brain and muscle tissue, are cleansed. This has a positive effect on both the muscles and the central nervous system (central nervous system), especially parts of the brain. Good functioning of the central nervous system implies coherence of muscle work, high resistance to post-workout stress, more efficient muscle growth, and a reduced risk of injury and overtraining syndrome. Aerobic exercise is extremely effective in accelerating muscle fiber growth, increasing muscle reserves and providing an additional stimulus for their development.

Like all other cyclic exercises, running helps to maximize the development of overall endurance of the body. At the same time, the cardiovascular and respiratory systems trained under stress are perfectly strengthened, blood circulation improves, and metabolic processes are activated.

How does a bodybuilder benefit from this?

• The endurance developed through running will allow the athlete to train more efficiently and become more confident in their abilities. He will recover faster after strength training. Running gives the athlete more options, allowing him to exercise more intensely by increasing the load, which accelerates the growth of his muscles.
• Regular aerobic exercise forces the body to burn calories, converting fat deposits into energy, which is necessary to restore the athlete’s strength and, as a result, improves body contour.
• Running improves your leg muscles. In the process of performing heavy basic exercises aimed at working the legs, mainly large muscles are involved, and small muscle fibers are left idle, which does not contribute to their development. Running allows you to engage small muscles, which will also be used in strength exercises. This will allow you to increase the working weights, which will accompany the growth of larger muscles to work with such increased weight.

Running in bodybuilding becomes a kind of compensation for what the athlete cannot fully obtain in strength training and creates the necessary balance. Exercising in the gym strengthens the cardiovascular system, but cannot make it work at full capacity. The same thing happens with regard to terrain - numerous training programs designed to improve the terrain exhaust and take away the athlete’s strength. Jogging allows you to make progress in this direction without much effort.

Running and somatotypes

Knowing now that bodybuilding and running can be combined and, only, it is only necessary to clearly understand the purpose of including jogging in the training program, you should also take into account the somatotype (body type) of the trainee. Body type determines the general nature of training, both in the gym and outside of it, in all cases when it comes to various training combinations, including combining bodybuilding with running. Yuri Vlasov also spoke about the need to combine bodybuilding exercises with activities that increase flexibility and endurance.

Regardless of the definition, the somatotype should be considered not even a body type, but a kind of constitutional psychology of the body according to the theory developed by Shelton and Kretschmer. The theory is based on the following: there are three main body types, between which there are many different transitional types. According to Shelton and Kretschmer, each body type is characterized by a certain psychology, although in terms of bodybuilding this is already secondary - the main thing here is that the direction of development of his body and the possibility of its adjustment are determined by the type of build of the athlete. Knowing your own body type allows you to most effectively combine the gym with jogging.

Ectomorphs

Ectomorphs, also called hardgainers, belong to the thin body type. And at first glance, it seems that combining strength training with running will do absolutely nothing for ectomorphs, given that aerobic exercise is designed to reduce fat layers, which thin athletes have practically none. On the other hand, during running, muscle fibers that are considered “slow” are mainly involved - these are red fibers, densely permeated with a capillary network. Intermediate type fibers, located between fast and slow (red and white), work in the same way, but to a slightly lesser extent, when running.

When performing exercises with weights, fast fibers and, to a slightly lesser extent, intermediate type fibers are included in the work. What follows from this? Ectomorphs, by combining exercise in the gym and running, have the opportunity to quickly and efficiently build muscle mass as a result of a full load on exclusively all muscle fibers and, accordingly, they have all the prerequisites for building muscle throughout. The classic combination of bodybuilding and jogging will not suit them. The ideal option, leading to an excellent result, would be to separate them in time - running is performed on days when there is no training.

Do not forget about the main thing - you cannot overload your muscles in one day by combining leg exercises and running - muscle tissue will not have time to recover, resulting in overtraining, which the athlete should avoid. The same thing, you should not do jogging with acceleration, because they affect fast-twitch fibers and destroy glycogen reserves, which are restored quite slowly in an ectomorph. It is recommended for an ectomorph to run leisurely, at a slow pace. Additional weights such as greaves and belts are acceptable. It is recommended to do running training twice a week maximum.

Endomorphs

Endomorphs refer to the full body type. First of all, running with the use of local accelerations is recommended for them, since this results in a noticeable (up to 7%) increase in metabolic rate within 20-24 hours after the end of running training. It is also important that endomorphs should go for a run immediately after the gym. When exercising with weights on the muscles, the entire glycogen reserve is burned and during running the only source of energy remains fat deposits, which are effectively consumed during aerobic exercise.

The correct timing for jogging is important. Excess subcutaneous fat is burned best during morning jogging, but if training in the gym takes place in the evening, then it is not possible to combine it in this sequence with morning jogging. The ideal option is to move both workouts to the morning. If this is not possible, then there are two more options. The first is to run both in the mornings and in the evenings after strength training, which is an undoubted advantage for an endomorph, but it happens that it is not always possible to implement this. The second option is to do morning jogging on days free from strength training, and on days of strength training, jogging only after it. The post-training run does not have to be accompanied by local accelerations; the only thing is that you will have to run every day.

Mesomorphs

Combining running with bodybuilding for mesoform (athletic body type) means getting an excellent opportunity to comprehensively develop the body - strength and endurance at the same time. The athletic type is recommended to run without acceleration, in a single rhythm, as a result of which the load falls only on slow fibers, and at the same time there is practically no glycogen consumption. During strength training, the growth occurs mainly in fast fibers, and in running training, slow fibers grow. For the athletic type, it is advisable to alternate days of training on exercise machines with running.

Knee joints

Regardless of your body type, when combining jogging and bodybuilding, you should remember about the health of your knee joints. Squats with a barbell performed simultaneously with running significantly increase the risk of injury, which is most important for “pure” endomorphs and ectomorphs, as well as an athlete whose build occupies an intermediate position between them - all of them are distinguished by relatively weak development of tendons and muscle tissue.

Therefore, ectoforms are recommended to jog only for up to 20-25 minutes at a time and perform squats with weights for a maximum of two sets with a number of repetitions of up to five. Endoformers need to jog for 40-50 minutes and, combining training in the gym with running, it is recommended to reduce the weight of the barbell in squats and perform them in no more than two approaches.

Only mesoforms, including intermediate types close to them, located between them and the other two main somatotypes, can safely combine bodybuilding with running training.

Conclusion

So, we have looked at all the main aspects of combining strength training in the gym and running training. We know that running training alone will not allow you to build muscle mass, but it will be useful in the training of every bodybuilder, since it is a natural anabolic that promotes and accelerates muscle gain. As a result, absolutely all athletes, in addition to strength training, are recommended to jog. It goes without saying that the main emphasis should be on strength training. Jogging plays an additional role here, and you should not get too carried away with it to avoid harm to your health. It is necessary to take into account your body type when drawing up a training program, not forgetting the peculiarities of the body processes responsible for the restoration and growth of muscle fibers. An athlete’s choice of the right regimen is a guarantee that the athlete will ensure significant progress by building high-quality, sculpted muscles.