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Powerlifting and running program [Article]

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Nov 5, 2019 9:30:00 AM

Powerlifting and running program

Powerlifting and running program

 
Combine Stronglifts 5x5 with a 5k running program for good results for beginners. Intermediates might want to opt for Wendler 531 combined with a Half Marathon training plan. 

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What is your why 

 
Before we go into the details of how to combine powerlifting with running, let me ask you a couple of questions: 
 
  • Why do you want to run and lift?
  • Why do you want to change your body? 
  • What happens when you do?
  • What happens if you don’t? 
 
These questions will make all the difference between your success and failure. Research shows that people who write down their goals and reflect on them are more likely to finally get there. When was the last time you did this? Can you even remember? If you can’t it might be time to get out a pen and paper and do some planning. Many people go about their lives like this: 
 
  • What do I want
  • How do I get it 
  • Why do I want it 
 
This is a great way to get yourself in trouble. Focusing on what you want will leave you chasing your own tail. What you want highly depends on who you are with, what you do and where you are. It changes hundreds of times a day. If this becomes the focus of attention you will only get confused and frustrated. Something interesting happens when you flip the running order of these questions on their head: 
 
  • Why do you want something 
  • How do you get it 
  • What needs to be done 
 
This way your long term goals will take center stage. Your thoughts and actions will become more connected and success more likely. If you want to know how this works on a psychological basis read Daniel Kahneman's thinking fast and slow. Simon Sinek's TED talk on the golden circle will change your life. 
 
It all starts with better habits and rituals. The best way to stick to them is to keep a self journal. I have been using it for two years and since then my marriage and salary have dramatically improved. You can check it out via this link. 
 

What is your goal 

 
When I talk to my friends who want to run and lift I always ask them to clarify what they actually want to achieve. Chances are that your goals are actually very fussy when you want to do both. 
 
Really double check what you actually want to get out of fitness before packing your weekly schedule full of running and powerlifting sessions. I did this mistake myself and performance in both areas suffered. 
 

Powerlifting 

 
Powerlifting is the sport of the total. Your total consists of three lifts. These three lifts are the bench press, squat, and deadlift. For each lift, you get three attempts. The best attempt will be counted towards your total. Based on your total you will be ranked against your competitors. 
 
A big difference between competition and lifting in the gym is that you will be judged. The referees determine whether your lifts were performed according to the standard of the federation you compete in. Two out of three judges have to agree for your attempt to qualify. You need one qualifying attempt per lift to make it on the board. 
 
Your total usually splits into 40/40/20. The squat and deadlift usually contribute 40% while the bench press adds 20%. As you can see powerlifting might as well be called powerlegging. 
 
A big disadvantage of powerlifting is that it does not build a lot of endurance. This is better done with running, swimming or cycling. 
 

Running 

 
Running is one of the cheapest and easiest forms of exercise you can do. You only need a pair of runners and some stretch of tarmac or trail. You can focus on different goals when you run: 
 
  • Speed 
  • Endurance 
 
When you focus on speed you will be more likely to help your powerlifting. Training speed and agility is all about explosiveness. This also helps to be better in powerlifting so that you move faster. In this scenario, your training will heavily lean towards sprints. 
 
When you train for endurance you are looking more into the weight loss and stamina part if running. A good return of investment is when you run for twenty minutes, but no longer. A good goal to strive for is to do 5k in 20 minutes. Then push it even further to get to 3 minutes per km. 
 
A great combination of both worlds is interval training which I highly recommend. Run for four minutes at a medium pace and then sprint for one minute as hard as you can. That leaves you with four intervals on a 20-minute workout. 
 

A combo for beginners 

 
A good combo for beginner between running and powerlifting is the Hal Higdon 5k program and Stronglifts 5x5. With this, you will train five days a week making use of the rest days in powerlifting and keeping the weekend free of exercise for social activities. 
 

Powerlifting and running program 

 
Ultimately I do not agree with diluting your efforts between running and powerlifting, especially if you are a beginner. Focus on one of the two and do it for a year. Once you have established the routine make it more complex by introducing a second discipline. 

Topics: Powerlifting