Concurrent Training: Optimizing Run and Lift Order for Athletes

Should Athletes Run or Lift First?

The optimal sequencing of resistance training and cardiovascular exercise for athletes depends primarily on their specific performance goals, the demands of their sport, and individual recovery capacity.

Understanding Concurrent Training

Concurrent training refers to the practice of combining both resistance (strength) training and endurance (cardiovascular) training within an athlete's overall program. While both modalities are crucial for comprehensive athletic development, the order in which they are performed can significantly impact adaptations and performance outcomes. The challenge lies in optimizing the physiological responses to each type of training, as they can sometimes elicit conflicting signals within the body.

The Interference Effect Explained

The "interference effect" is a well-documented phenomenon where performing endurance training and resistance training too closely together can potentially attenuate strength and power adaptations. This effect is primarily mediated by cellular signaling pathways. Endurance training activates pathways like AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which can inhibit the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, a critical regulator of muscle protein synthesis and hypertrophy, which is strongly activated by resistance training.

Key Considerations:

• Molecular Signaling: AMPK activation (from endurance) can suppress mTOR (from resistance), potentially reducing muscle growth and strength gains.
• Fatigue: Residual fatigue from one modality can impair performance in the subsequent session, reducing the quality and effectiveness of the training stimulus.
• Glycogen Depletion: High-intensity endurance work can deplete muscle glycogen stores, which are crucial for high-quality resistance training.

Running First: When It Makes Sense

Prioritizing running or other cardiovascular exercise before resistance training can be beneficial in specific scenarios, particularly for athletes whose primary goal is endurance performance.

Benefits of Running First:

• Specific Warm-up: For endurance athletes, starting with their primary modality serves as a highly specific warm-up, preparing the cardiorespiratory system and relevant muscles for the main effort.
• Endurance Focus: If the goal is to maximize adaptations for aerobic capacity, speed-endurance, or specific running mechanics, performing it first ensures the athlete is fresh and can execute the session at optimal intensity and volume.
• Skill Practice: For runners, performing skill-based drills or high-intensity intervals while fresh can improve technique and neural adaptations critical for performance.

Specific Considerations:

• Intensity: If the run is a high-intensity interval session or a long, demanding effort, it will induce significant fatigue, potentially compromising the quality and intensity of subsequent lifting.
• Goal: Best suited when endurance performance is the primary driver, and strength training is considered supplementary or for injury prevention.

Lifting First: When It Makes Sense

For athletes prioritizing strength, power, or muscle hypertrophy, performing resistance training before cardiovascular exercise is generally the more effective strategy.

Benefits of Lifting First:

• Maximal Strength and Power Output: Resistance training requires high levels of neuromuscular activation, concentration, and maximal force production. Performing it first ensures the athlete is not pre-fatigued by cardiovascular exercise, allowing for higher loads, better technique, and greater power output.
• Hypertrophy: To optimize muscle growth, muscles need to be challenged with sufficient volume and intensity. Pre-fatigue from running can reduce the ability to lift heavy or perform enough repetitions, hindering the hypertrophic stimulus.
• Neural Adaptations: Strength training relies heavily on the nervous system. When fresh, the nervous system can more effectively recruit muscle fibers and optimize motor unit firing, leading to greater strength gains.

Specific Considerations:

• Interference Mitigation: By lifting first, you ensure the primary strength stimulus is delivered before the potential molecular interference from endurance training becomes significant.
• Goal: Ideal when strength, power, or lean mass development is the primary athletic goal, and cardiovascular training is used for conditioning or recovery.

Optimizing for Different Athletic Goals

The "should" depends heavily on the "why."

Strength & Power Athletes (e.g., Sprinters, Weightlifters, Football Players)

• Prioritize Lifting: For these athletes, maximal strength, power, and muscle mass are paramount. Lifting first ensures they can perform their strength work with the highest possible intensity and quality, maximizing adaptations.
• Cardio as Conditioning: Cardiovascular work for these athletes should be strategically placed, often on separate days or later in the day, and typically at lower intensities or shorter durations to avoid excessive fatigue or interference with strength gains.

Endurance Athletes (e.g., Marathon Runners, Cyclists, Triathletes)

• Prioritize Running/Sport-Specific Endurance: Their primary adaptation goal is aerobic capacity and endurance performance. Therefore, their key endurance sessions should be performed when fresh.
• Integrate Lifting Strategically: Strength training for endurance athletes focuses on injury prevention, improving running economy, and boosting power for surges. It can be performed after key endurance sessions, on separate days, or after an easier endurance session.

General Fitness & Health

• For individuals whose goal is general fitness, body composition, or overall health without specific competitive athletic demands, the order is often less critical. The most important factor is consistency and adherence to both modalities.
• Consider Preference: If an individual finds they are more motivated or perform better by doing one activity first, that order can be prioritized as long as it doesn't lead to injury or disproportionate fatigue.

Practical Strategies for Sequencing

When combining resistance and cardiovascular training, several strategies can mitigate the interference effect and optimize adaptations:

Separate Sessions

• Ideal Scenario: The most effective way to minimize interference is to perform resistance training and cardiovascular training on separate days. This allows for full recovery and distinct physiological responses to each stimulus.
• Within-Day Separation: If separate days aren't possible, schedule sessions with at least 6-8 hours of recovery time between them. This allows the acute signaling pathways from the first session to subside before the second session begins.

Within-Session Sequencing

• Lifting Before Running: If sessions must be combined into one, lifting first is generally recommended for strength and power gains. Follow with a lower-intensity, steady-state run, or limit the duration of the cardio.
• Running Before Lifting (Specific Cases): If the run is a light warm-up or a very short, low-intensity recovery run, it can precede lifting without significant detriment. However, if the run is demanding, it will impair lifting performance.

Nutrition and Recovery

• Adequate Fueling: Ensure sufficient caloric and macronutrient intake, especially carbohydrates and protein, to fuel both types of training and support recovery and adaptation.
• Sleep: Prioritize 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night, as it is crucial for hormonal regulation, muscle repair, and nervous system recovery.
• Active Recovery: Incorporate light active recovery or mobility work to aid in blood flow and reduce muscle soreness.

The Role of Individualization

Ultimately, the best approach is highly individual. Factors such as an athlete's training history, current fitness level, recovery capacity, specific sport demands, and even personal preference should guide the decision. Experimentation, careful monitoring of performance, and listening to one's body are crucial. Consulting with a qualified strength and conditioning coach or exercise physiologist can provide tailored guidance based on individual needs and goals.

Conclusion

There is no universal "correct" answer to whether athletes should run or lift first. The decision hinges on the athlete's primary training objective. For maximizing strength and power, lifting first is generally superior. For optimizing endurance performance, prioritizing running is often more effective. When combining both, strategies like separating sessions or providing adequate recovery time become paramount to minimize the interference effect and achieve optimal adaptations across both critical components of athletic development.