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Running Tips

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17 views

Running Tips

Uploaded by

tom.grootendorst
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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5/3/1 and Run

Tags: Jim Wendler, run, 5/3/1, Hunter Richardson & hybrid athlete

I can't seem to keep my combating itches for running and


lifting at bay. I'm not sure if it's my military background or my
experience as a young wrestler and soccer player, which all
require strength, speed, and stamina to perform sufficiently.
Perhaps it's the desire to be healthy, fit, and well-rounded in
hopes of maximizing quality of life. It might be the
contrasting, yet distantly related, feelings of overcoming new
challenges in the forms of miles versus pounds. I may never
have an elite powerlifting total or qualify for the Boston
Marathon, but I'll be damned if I don't keep chasing and
breaking my own records year after year, both under the bar
and in running shoes.

Concurrent training, commonly known as hybrid training, can


be a frustratingly fine line to walk. If you don't intelligently
regulate your efforts—that is, lifting and running, or any other
form of endurance modality you might train—you won't get
the results you want. One must periodize their strength and
endurance training to prevent them from hindering one
another.
While the template below isn't the recipe for a 1000-pound
squat or a 2:30 marathon, it's a great way to train for
endurance and strength concurrently and benefit a wide
range of training populations. It should not be used by an
athlete training for a specific event (race, meet, etc.) with the
intention of "peaking." It is, however, a very sustainable
approach to getting and staying strong, fast, and fit that can
be used year-round for populations that don't compete and in
the offseason for those that do.

To use myself as an example, I'm running this program right


now as I train for a short four-mile trail race (two months out)
with no specific time or podium goal. Following the race, I
plan on changing my training in preparation for what will be
my first powerlifting meet (nine months out) where I have
established numbers I want to hit.

To recap, populations that would benefit from running this


template include:

 Runners (or other endurance athletes, including swimmers and bikers),


competitive or not, with a desire to introduce or increase strength training
 Offseason athletes, of any sport or age group, with a desire to improve body
composition and conditioning
 General fitness population with a desire to be well-rounded physically

My final caveat before I get down to it: I know that not


everybody can or should run. You can execute this training
template with pretty much any form of conditioning: walking,
swimming, rowing, biking, Prowler®/sled. Go forth and improve
your submaximal strength, work capacity, and overall
athleticism.

5/3/1 and Run Program


Monday:

 Squat (or Deadlift, whichever main lower body lift you find more taxing) 5/3/1
 Supplemental Sets
 Lower Body Accessories + Core
Tuesday:

 Tempo/Speed Run or Intervals

Wednesday:

 Bench (or Press, whichever main upper body lift you find more taxing) 5/3/1
 Supplemental Sets
 Upper Body Accessories + Core

Thursday:

 Moderate Effort, Medium Distance Run

Friday:

 Deadlift 5/3/1
 Press 5/3/1
 Conditioning Circuit

Saturday:

 Long Slow Distance

If you can't train six days a week, combine the strength and
conditioning days, reduce the volume, and separate the
workouts by a few hours if possible. For example:

Day 1:

 Lower Body Lift (no supplemental sets, minimal accessories)


 Speed/Tempo/Interval Workout

Day 2:

 Full Body Lift (no conditioning circuit)


 Moderate, Medium Distance Workout

Day 3:

 Upper Body Lift (no supplemental sets, minimal accessories)


 Long Slow Distance

Running
Tempo/Interval Run: This is your day to run hard. It might
seem counterintuitive to place this day right after a lower
body workout, but there is a method to the madness. If
fatigued or sore after squatting or deadlifting the day prior,
one would have a frustratingly tough time keeping their heart
rate (and level of fatigue) down during a long run with the
purpose of building aerobic capacity by logging miles at a
lower intensity. If your legs are screaming and your heart is
pounding on speed day, that's fine. We want to be in Zone 4
or 5 (see below for heart rate zone explanations) anyway.
This workout will be the shortest of the week for a reason, but
it's where you'll build your speed. Your mileage/volume will
vary depending on your running background and goals for
each run workout.

Example Run Workouts*

*Note: The semi-colons separate different workout examples


for a given day/group.

Tempo/Interval Workouts

 Beginner: 5x 1 Minute Run, 2 Minute Walk; 8x200M repeats; Mile or Half-Mile


Run for time
 5K Runner: 5x 400M repeats; 2 Mile Run below race pace
 Marathon Runner: 10x 1K Repeats; 8-10 Mile Run below race pace
 Non-Runner: Rower, Airbike, SkiErg, Prowler®/Sled Intervals; 30 Minute Walk,
faster than normal walk pace w/ weight vest
 Moderate Effort Run: This should be a Zone 3 workout; in layman's terms, this
run will be faster than your easy conversational ones but should not leave you
gasping for air.

Moderate Runs

 Beginner: 20 Minute Jog


 5K Runner: 3-5 Mile Run
 Marathon Runner: 9-15 Mile Run
 Non-Runner: 20 Minute Row/Bike/Sled; 45 Minute Walk, weight vest optional

Long Slow Distance

Distance running is where we really make our money in terms


of building aerobic capacity. Heightened aerobic capacity
equals better sleep, a lower resting heart rate, and faster
recovery between sets and workouts. Psychologically, this is
the hardest workout of the week, especially for those who are
used to pushing themselves into the red in every workout. It
can also be extremely boring. Slow it down, run/walk with a
buddy, and keep it at a pace where you're comfortable
talking for the duration. If you train alone, throw on some
music, tune into Dave Tate's Table Talk, or call your mother
for once. Your heart rate should be in Zone 2 or the lower
side of Zone 3 throughout. If you start to get out of breath,
slow down/walk/stop for a few minutes to bring your heart
rate down.

Long Slow Distance

 Beginner: 30 Minute Jog; 45 Minute Run/Walk


 5K Runner: 6-8 Mile Run
 Marathon Runner: 16+ Mile Run
 Non-Runner: 30 Minute EASY Row/Bike/Sled; 60 Minute Walk, no weight vest

If you're not sure where to start in regards to volume or


distance, do as Wendler commands and Start Too Light.
Increase total mileage by roughly 10% each week. If you're
an experienced runner and want to run more than three
times per week, Wednesday after the upper body lift and/or
Sunday are great days to add some more low-intensity miles.
For any level of fitness, I recommend walking daily.
Lifting

For all of the main lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, and press), we
will follow Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 programming. Jim generally
recommends lifting three days per week, only doing one main
lift per workout, and pushing the fourth to the following week.
Personally, I like keeping my workouts the same every week. I
am also operating under the assumption that an athlete
following a concurrent training program that includes both
running and barbell lifting has the capacity to do two main
compound movements in the same workout. Feel free to
adjust this as necessary.

Additionally, feel free to utilize variations for your main lifts—


front squat, safety squat bar, incline bench press, floor press,
hex bar deadlift, etc. Keep the main lifts the same for at least
two 5/3/1 cycles before changing them. Again, if you're not
sure where to start in regards to weight, do as Wendler
commands and Start Too Light.

Supplemental Sets
Supplemental sets are optional and depend upon the
athlete's experience and conditioning. It would be cautious
and wise to start off running the original 5/3/1 with no
supplemental sets if you are not in running or lifting "shape"
when starting this program. I'm a fan of doing 3x5 First Set
Last for lower body lifts and 3x5 Second Set Last for upper
body lifts after the main working sets.

For the extra bench sets, I bring my grip in to address my


personal weakness (triceps). I do not recommend Boring But
Big or Boring But Strong, especially on lower body lifts, while
doing this program. I do recommend browsing Wendler's
5/3/1 Forever book and finding a scheme that will work best
for you or your athlete.

Lower Accessories

Again, you'll want to err on caution and program intelligently


here. Keep volume low and avoid things that will leave your
legs overly sore, like heavy eccentrics. While Jim recommends
cutting out single leg work for runners, I'd argue that it can
be highly beneficial (provided volume and intensity are low
enough to avoid blowing you up). Unilateral work can help
address imbalances in strength and mobility. With the
amount of impact a runner accumulates in their training,
these imbalances will, at best, decrease running performance
and efficiency and, at worst, exacerbate themselves and lead
to injury. Accessories I like include step-ups, lunges, RDLs
(single leg w/ KB/DB and double leg w/ BB), GHRs, Nordic
Hamstring Curls, and 45 Degree Back Extensions (single or
double leg).

Upper Accessories

These are largely up to you as they will have little impact on


your endurance training (unless you are a rower or swimmer).
I recommend addressing your weaknesses, doing the lifts you
like, and focusing on having strong triceps, shoulders, and
back. I gravitate towards pull-ups/chin-ups, dips, rows (in all
directions), and dumbbell arm exercises.

Core Work

Do not neglect your core. Hanging knee raises, ab wheels,


Paloff presses, and single-arm carries are my go-to exercises.

Conditioning Circuits

These will follow the main movements of the "full body" lift
day. You can come up with your own circuit, do a short
CrossFit WOD/METCON (I bias towards those with simple
movements such as push-ups, pull-ups, air/goblet squats, and
kettlebell swings), or use any of the circuits in Wendler's
books to include the WALRUS workouts. Below are two
circuits from my last cycle. I re-tested them a few weeks later
to check my progress.

8 Minute AMRAP

 10 Push-ups
 10 Kettlebell Swings
 10 Ab Wheels
 10 Bent Over Row

8 Minute AMRAP

 5 Chin-ups
 10 Dips
 15 Goblet Squats
 25M Farmer's Carry

Warm-ups and Recovery

Not warming up is a huge mistake. Taking 45 minutes to


address every inch of your body in a warm-up is a huge waste
of time. I like to keep my warm-ups short, simple, and
effective.
Before runs, I do Joe DeFranco's Agile 8 and sometimes add in
lower leg foam rolling, butt kickers, and high knees. Before
lifts, I take my dog for a five-minute walk, do a 3-round circuit
of 3 bodyweight exercises, and do 5-10 jumps or throws.

For recovery, I try to take a 10-20 minute walk in the


afternoons or evenings, followed by 10-15 minutes of
stretching and/or foam rolling. Feel free to throw in a quick
extra workout to get some blood flow if you have the time
and ability. Banded exercises such as face pulls, hamstring
curls, good mornings, and tricep pushdowns are great options
in addition to bodyweight work like push-ups and planks.

Finally, deload (both your lifts and running volume) after two
5/3/1 cycles or every seventh week.

If you're interested in following or learning from some good


examples of athletes who train for strength and endurance
concurrently, check out Hunter McIntyre, Alyssa Olenick, and
Nick Bare.

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