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.
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:
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Why do you want to run and lift?
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Why do you want to change your body?
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What happens when you do?
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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:
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What do I want
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How do I get it
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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:
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:
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
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.