Quick Tip: When is the Best Time for Strength Training?
Ah yes, the age old question for runners: what is the best time for strength training?
It’s no secret that regular strength training is important for runners, both to reduce the risk of injury and to improve performance.
But when is the best time to incorporate said strength training? Or does timing even matter?
When is the Best Time for Strength Training?
For runners, the best time for strength training is AFTER they’ve done a hard workout.
Allow me to explain why.
After you’ve done a hard workout (think speed intervals, tempo, etc.), your legs are pretty well shot, right?
So now is a good time to pile on. Adding 10-15 minutes of mostly body weight exercises after a hard workout really isn’t going to make any difference in terms of recovery, especially if you can do the strength training almost immediately after your run.
What About Before a Run?
Strength training before you run just doesn’t make much sense when you stop and think about it.
Doing your strength training routine before a run is going to fatigue your legs and prevent you from running your workout as hard as you could have which is going to limit the amount of benefit you’ll receive from doing that workout.
And it also increases your injury risk. When your legs are fatigued you have a better chance of straining a muscle, rolling an ankle, and a whole host of other injuries that will prevent you from running for a few days to a few months.
There really isn’t a good reason to do your strength training before you run, at least not one that I’ve heard.
An Off Day or an Easy Day?
No.
What is the purpose of an off day or an easy day? To allow your body to recover, right?
If you schedule your strength training for your recovery days, how much recovery is your body getting?
That’s right, at best very little and more likely nada.
The Answer is Fairly Obvious
When you stop and think about it, the only time that it really makes sense for runners to do their strength training is after a hard workout.
And in case you’re worried that you don’t have time, remember we are only talking about a 10-15 minute workout. 20 minutes at most!
You’ve got the time, I’m sure of it.
Now you just have to do it!
When Do You Do Your Strength Training? Why Does That Time Work for You?
What are your thoughts on Piyo?(Pilates & yoga mixed) Would that be better to do before or after a run? Or a rest day?
Good question Pamela!
I definitely wouldn’t advice doing it before your run, unless you were doing PiYo in the morning and running later in the evening. In that case, before could be ok. In the case of after a run or on on rest day, I could go both ways. So for me, my recommendation would be whatever fits your schedule best!