We all love running, right? It’s my go-to exercise, the thing I’ve always turned to when I want to stay in shape or just to feel better or relieve stress. It’s not hard for me to motivate myself to run. But, especially with each passing year, I realize I need to add strength training to my exercise routine. There’s just one problem: I don’t want to 😃
I know I should. I really, really do. But I find it incredibly hard to motivate myself to go to the gym and lift weights. I’ve been able to do it when I’ve worked with a personal trainer in the past, but that can get a) expensive and b) hard to fit into a regular schedule that includes young children and a full-time job.
So I’m wondering: what do you do for strength training? How do you incorporate it into your life, and what made you realize you needed to? I’d love to hear what you think and have to say, because I know I need to motivate myself to do it! — Terrell
I started strength training after an injury a few years back. Now I do 10 mins of core and band-work pretty much daily and more structured strength-work 2x a week at home with kettle bells/bodyweight work. I love Shona Vertue's programme, which incorperates strength and mobility.
Jun 15, 2023·edited Jun 15, 2023Liked by Terrell Johnson
What I do instead of going to the gym on a separate day which I share that passion with you (and many other runners), I found out carrying a resistance band and doing some resistance training before my cool down, or a mile away from home, to be the best middle ground for me.. I carry one or two of the resistance bands with me, and when I'm just about to leave the park, I just get into a 15min routine of specific exercises (which I alternate and fine tune depending on niggles and pains and weaknesses), and when I'm done, I just slow jog on the sore muscles to build endurance and hopefully gain a bit more.. Happy to receive recommendations on resistance training for runners!
Others probably already mentioned this (I didn't read through all the, what I know are fantastic, comments) :) You can strength train at home with dumbbells, resistance bands, kettlebells, etc. You don't have to go to a gym and don't necessarily need a barbell.
Body weight exercises are also a great way to strength train - push ups, air squats, pull-ups, sit ups, reverse lunges, mountain climbers. I also like Keri Pierce's online HIIT courses - all done with dumbbells and there are many scaling options.
Hi Terrell! Per Mariana's comment below, I made the program LIFTOFF: Couch to Barbell and would be only too happy to weigh in here. Let me know if you'd like to have a Q&A or something!
I ignored strength training for years until I started having nagging overuse injuries. In a perfect world, I’d run everyday and do nothing else. But after a two plus years of running struggles, I finally accepted thar strength was as essential as breathing if I wanted to continue to run. With that perspective, strength training has become more palatable.
Strength training makes me feel happy, it’s the way my mind can go faster and realice how important it’s it to me, you have to find a way you can train that makes you feel happy! 😊
Nice piece Terrell. Yes, strength training is important and I do to not get enough of it. Like you I need to do better, currently trying to get at least two days in per week. I was committed to a class on Wednesdays but it clashes with work schedule, so I had to pull back. I think the biggest challenge for me is to know what I’ll actually do for the exercise, so I’ll fumble around, and before you know it times gone and I end up doing some abbreviated version of something, LOL. Work in progress, but so important to combine the two. Thanks.
I’m with you. I don’t necessarily run to be fit. I run because I love it. Strength training, I despise, but at 46 and going through physical therapy to strengthen and heal my Achilles - that has an inflammation because the only thing I do is run, according to my PT - I have added some yoga to my training. Twice a week, 25/30 minutes, that's all I can take for now.
Hey Terrell. I agree with you 100%. I just make myself do strength training because I know I should, but I definitely don't love it. I just do push-ups, crunches, squats, lunges, planks and occasionally use a kettle bell and bands, but the last two are rare. I keep it short (10-15 minutes) but almost every day. I switch up what I do so I get in different muscle groups. That's it. Not much, but better than nothing.
I love doing CrossFit style workouts to aid in weight training. You can also pick a simple full body routine that requires body weight and dumbbells to follow 2 days a week. But in the end, whether you are running, lifting, swimming, etc, something is definitely better than nothing!
As a former college athlete, the weight room has always been a place I was comfortable in. Presently, I have a gym membership and I try to go there for weight work 3x/week [M,W,F], right after school ends, before I go home. If/when I go home, I never seem to get back there. The other days, including the weekends, I am running. I take a day off when I'm tired and need one otherwise, I stay pretty consistent.
I don't presently use weights to help with my running, and I do not even use weights for my legs/lower body. I do the major muscle groups of the upper body [chest, back, shoulders] and a lot of core work, which takes about 1 hour. I then end on the treadmill, walking about 30 minutes. I think that the walking has likely helped my running more than the weights. I work on form and cadence when walking and have been able to transfer that to my running.
I think using weights is both healthy and good for you, especially as you age, for it allows you bdy to maintain it's core muscle strength.
So with around 10 minutes per day I get some exercise in + it’s a great break for me between my study sessions since it helps me concentrate afterwards!
Ughhh. I detest strength training. Like… fire of a thousand suns detest it. 😂 But… I recognize it’s especially helpful in injury prevention and recovery, among other things like form, so I force myself to do the bare minimum required. 🤣 Generally I do basic plyometrics and core work twice a week (and complain the whole time.) It’s essentially the dry land workouts from my college swim team days because they’re pretty well rounded. So for instance 4-5 sets of 50 crunches/abs (leg lifts, bird dogs, planks, etc. count), 4 sets each of 15 bench dips, push-ups, triceps push with free weights or water bottles, and 5 sets of 10 squats. Doesn’t sound like much but it gets the job done. 😝 If anyone has found a way to enjoy this form of torture, I salute you!!!
I started doing CrossFit when I turned 40 and have kept it up now for 15 years. I do 3 wods a week if I’m not in heavy mileage for races and cut back when I am. It’s super helpful mentally when I am doing a 1/2 of full. I love it!
As I moved into my 60s, I recognized (like you and others) that it probably made a lot of sense to do SOMETHING with regard to strength training. My daughter had introduced me to Orange Theory a few years back, and I decided to simply go with their basic membership which allows me to schedule an hour class one day a week. I think it comes out to roughly $15/class, so not free but manageable.
I've never been a big fan of hitting the gym, but I like their mix of rower/weights/treadmill and the fact that the instructor makes the hour go by for all of us pretty quickly. I also can go as hard or easy as I want on that day, but at a minimum I take comfort in knowing that I'm doing something different than just pure running at least one day a week, and hopefully in doing so it'll extend my running years. I've been very fortunate injury-wise as I've aged (hopefully I haven't jinxed myself), and I thoroughly enjoy just lacing-up and getting out the door. I don't want to take any of this for granted, and I am inspired by the folks in their 70s and 80s that are still having fun with marathons, so I'm viewing the once-a-week class as prescriptive even though I don't necessarily cherish it. Loving the comments from others as it is giving me a few things to think about. Thanks!
A couple of years ago, I lost interest in running, and did my cardio on a rowing machine instead. I noticed that the resistance was leading to muscle gains...at which point I started to learn how to work with dumbbells, then barbells.
And: wow!! Having muscle on your frame is so 👏🏼 freaking 👏🏼 cool! It made me feel super powerful and confident, especially as a tiny 5’2” woman. Plus, I running got so much easier when I actually had leg muscles to speak of. 🤯
That’s what motivates me to keep fitting strength training in my running schedule: I feel like I can conquer the world when I do.
I am not strongly motivated to strength training...when we were all in lock down in 2020, I closed my gym membership and built a small home gym. Even tho I have dumbbells, bands, and a few kettlebells I still can’t get my butt in gear. I made the decision a few months ago that I really need to do more strength
Training as I age and continue to run. At the same time, I have really developed a love for Sally McCrae, ultramarathoner, mother and wife. She is incredible! I love her choose strong podcast and her overall outlook on life. She has an app that I use now where the routines are short and sweet and very little equipment is required. I’m hoping that this will be what I need to push me over the edge! 🤞
I have the inverse "issue" - I don't really have any problem getting to the gym and throwing heavy weights around, but it requires some extra motivation to go for a run. I guess I'd better take advantage of it not quite being fully summer yet and go for an outside run this weekend. Maybe it's the treadmill.... 8-)
I have been doing relatively consistent strength training for over 40 years. Primarily I use resistance machines with spot work on free weights or when a gym wasn’t available. I added in running with my first half marathon in 1986. And, I have always been careful about following a healthy diet. This regimen has paid big benefits over the long haul. My BMI is right on target, blood pressure right where it should be, and strength and endurance pretty darned good for a 74-year old who is still doing halfs about 6 per year. I firmly believe you must do both consistently, and as you age you also need to add in flexibility and balance work.
This winter, the coach of my rowing club put together group strength-training sessions at a local barebones gym, and I loved it. Now that we're back on the water (and running, of course), I've kept it up, adding maybe half a strength workout's worth of exercises after a row (again, using a very barebones gym set-up). I wrote about this in one of my Substacks a few months ago--about the delight of incremental progress with, say, the deadlift. I'm a convert! https://henriettelazaridis.substack.com/p/the-deadlift-and-the-flow-state
Well, I don't know if it counts, but carrying bags full of groceries is my forte. We live two miles from the grocery stores ( 1 mile + each way) My daughter does not like to drive or cannot because of her eyes--at night. I don't drive--its her car! I've been carrying at least 30 pounds of food several times a week for the last I don't know how many years--going on at least 7. I carry through rain, heat, nice weather, you name it, but someone has to bring the food home. Now, it is Market Season, I carry 3 bags of produce home (strawberry season, this week!) Do I like it, not particularly, but it has to be done. I run or walk on top of it. I can truthfully say, I've never been part of a gym or had a "personal trainer"--just natural movement. Go figure. At times, I check in with Gold Medal Bodies (https://gmb.io/) as they have fantastic movement training. I've followed them since Born to Run came out. Love their training, it is simple and practical, but I've never followed it religiously. . . My only suggestion is to ditch the car and lift and carry. Unpractical for many, but what I do seems to work!
I’m with you I hate it. My trainer gave me 2 options one at the gym and one for home. I will say that I go to the gym only because the home one kicks my but and I feel it for like 3 days…. Which means it’s probably better😬
Great topic Terrell! For me, I simply dread doing strength training! It’s easy for me to get outdoors and do a run because I enjoy it! But, I end up with injuries as a result of not doing much strength training 😞! So, I did hire a run coach for this summer/fall season to help me build a foundation of strength. He changes my routine every two weeks which has kept things interesting. I’m not getting bored with having to do the same routine over and over. The SQA concept that another member of the group mentioned earlier is spot on! My run coach is helping me do exactly that! I’ve been able to have minimal equipment (a few dumbbells, resistance bands and a floor mat) to leverage at home. It allows me to fit it into my busy schedule. I’m training for a marathon in Tucson in early December. So, the run coach will help me learn how to appropriately balance strength training and running routines throughout the training cycle. I’m hoping to carry forward that learning on my own for the winter/spring season. Crossing my fingers 🤞! I have noticed that the strength training helps speed up my metabolism and lose fat %...another added benefit for a 50+ female 😊! I’m 5 weeks in so far and it seems to be working so far. I’ll let you know how it ends at the end of the year!
Thanks for raising this necessary topic Terrell. Looks like some great responses. I resonate with all you have said. Perhaps you might come up with a routine that is simple, quick & affordable ( SQA) for the rest of us who are struggling to make sense out of a complicated area. As our de facto leader in this “wellness” space, you can take the lead on this and help get us a bit stronger over the long term. If you are not motivated to take up this opportunity, perhaps someone else can volunteer?
I am the same. Running gives me so much. I just love being outside and I love how mindless yet mindful it is at the same time. But the gym? No way. However I do know I need to do something.
I’ve started a daily plank routine and I’ve bought a kettle bell which I try to use daily too. I know it’s not enough, but it’s a start!
I’m right with you, Terrell! I find it so hard to get motivated to do weights on my own. I usually need a class or trainer environment. During the lockdown I got a resistance band and some small hand weights, occasionally I can motivate myself to do a short workout at home.
I had a shoulder issue around the time I started running many years ago and my PT gave me exercises to do with a band, then I moved to light weights as I healed. I’ve added to that repertoire over the years and currently lift weights (upper body) three days a week after running. What I’d love to do is get a machine or two that would enable me to leg press and some other leg strengthening. 👍🏼
Triathlete here! During triathlon season (March – September), volume is so heavy that I know I’ll never commit to doing a lot of strength work. So I worked with a physical therapist to come up with daily routines, under 10 minutes, utilizing resistance bands, body weight and adjustable dumbbells. Compound movements, so I’m hitting multiple areas in the same exercise. Most of them are no longer than six or seven minutes. I’m not convinced it’s the optimal situation, but I know that over the course of a week, I’ll get 45 minutes total in, and I’d be much less likely to get two 20-25 minute sessions in if I did a longer focus. Better than nothing and I have seen less injury since doing it 6-7 days a week.
I got into strength training way before I got into running. So motivation is not the issue for me. It's fitting it all in. I've been following MAPS 15 from the Mind Pump guys. It's 2 strength movements 5-6 days a week. It takes 15 minutes. With a basic home gym setup it is easy to get it done and move on with the day.
Great post Terrell. I strength train at home: a few dumbbells, resistance tubing and a yoga mat is all I need. I keep it simple and focus on running specific drills and strength. I spend 20-25 minutes tops 2-3x a week. I find it's best for me to do the strengthening after a run or first thing in the morning or I tend to forget. I want to run as long as I can so I remind myself strengthening will not only help my longevity but my running. You got this!
I have a great gym upstairs, but for some reason I can’t seem to ever go up there! I felt like only running was not enough and getting older, my bones need more strength. So, I go to Camp Gladiator two or three times a week. I like the community and I have a sense of obligation to show up, so it makes me do it, and just as with running, I’m never sorry I went. And on another note, clear skies here in NYC today!!
I love strength training (more so than running hahaha) because I can take it slow and not run out of breath every time😂
What I did initally was watch a lot of youtube videos, pay attention to the form and do those moves at the gym. Slowly, I will increase the weights.
The key to lifting same as running as you be making progress, its called progressive overload I believe. Up the weight and reduce the reps over time, it feels super rewarding when you are able to lift the weights you struggled before
Check out Caroline Girvan on YouTube. She has programs you can follow or just pick and choose routines. I’ve never been able to be motivated to do strength training consistently but there’s something about her programs that keeps me going! I’ve been doing it consistently for about 9 months and my running has benefited as well as overall strength. She now has an app as well but everything on YouTube is free.
HybridCalisthenics.com is something I've been using for myself and recommending to patients. I'm just not at a place in my life where I can commit to going to the gym so I don't have a membership. But I don't have the build or fitness level to crank out pull-ups and push-ups. But his daily routines are simple, don't take all that long and can be scaled to a beginner level. I have three dollar jump rope looped around a tree branch I use for modified pullups.
And you can do it all outside which is a major plus for me! I'll always take an outside workout over an indoor workout.
I started barbell training the summer I turned 50. (Before I started running, even.) It changed my life. I lift at Bay Strength in Berkeley, CA. I lift twice a week -- Tuesdays are squats and bench press. Thursdays are deadlifts and overhead press. I can now squat and deadlift more than I weigh. And even though I'm a brand new runner -- and an older one to boot -- I haven't had any injuries. (During my last HM training, I did strength and spadework on Tuesdays. It was a lot. This upcoming programming block, I'm just going to run four days a week rather than five and not double up the workouts.)
A couple of years ago I injured my hamstrings and went to see a PT. After a month of specific exercises to help my hamstrings, she recommended HASfit you tube strength training workouts.
I love them. They have made such a difference in my running and just feeling better and stronger overall.
I get up about 45 min earlier and get a workout done before work. They have workouts of different lengths. During school I usually choose some that are about 30 min. Over the summer I try some longer ones.
It is a husband and wife team. The husband does the exercise. His wife does a modified version. I started doing some of the modifications for some exercises and have worked up to doing the unmodified exercise.
I live way out in the country, so a gym membership isn't practical for me. This had been a real life changer for me.
I'm so glad you brought this up! Great topic. I am very, very fortunate to have some basic weight equipment in my basement but limited weights (max 165) but what I have helps me to more easily incorporate the strength work. If I had to go to a gym outside the house it would be very hard with my schedule. For those who don't have time to get to the gym for strength, kettlebells are a great alternative. Especially the ones that are adjustable with ring plates that can be added to increase the weight. I have had one of those for years and it is a total body exercise. But I wanted more--so I am largely switching over to compound lifting starting after my next half (was supposed to be a full, but we have air quality issues here from the wildfires) tomorrow!
As I get older (turning 41 soon) I am finding that I really do need to take strength work more seriously. I am planning to scale back from marathons to the half marathon distance so I can more easily fit strength days into my routine. Right now I primarily deadlift and do farmers walks in the basement, but if anyone has a good beginner routine to recommend, I would be very interested!! Just a silly side tip but weight lifting gloves that you can get even at places like Target or TJ Maxx make a huge difference in preventing pain in your hands if you are working with raw plates for things like farmers walks :)
Hi Terrell! Great topic 😊 I have 8-pound weights at home that I use. Just turned 66 and am aware of the probability that my bones have already begin to thin. So that’s a good motivation for me to keep it in my routine. I also like that it keeps a check on any arm flab that I might have going on. I have a reminder on my phone for every weekday but after every run is when I most often go through my 8-minute exercises. Nothing too crazy but I’m thinking that it’s better than nothing! Happy Friday and Happy weekend running - it’s the BEST!!!!!!
I get intimidated by the many, many internet videos with "20 MINUTE BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT YOU MUST DO!", and then they have about 5-10 new exercises one would have to memorize or have printed out.
I decided...but have not actually started yet...to start with ones I know: planks, pushups, sit up/crunches, and maybe that bicycle thing on your back. 4 times a week, 3 sets of each. Add stuff as it becomes less awkward. But that is the main problem, not just in starting strength training, but as it was in starting running too...it feels awkward and I feel I'm not doing it right. I've got to get over that.
I have for the last several years had a coach, we call it "Strength Training" it is more injury prevention and mitigation training. I have it worked into my schedule as I do it first thing in the morning 5 days a week while everyone is a sleep. It does require that I get morning very early (04:30) in the morning so if you are not a morning person this will not work for you. Depending on the days running activity it would depend on what I do but most of it can be done with a few dumbbells and body weight. Here is an example of the types of exercises I do :Thoracic Spine Foam Rolling, Active Lumbar Rotations, 90/90 Hip Switch with Hip Internal Rotation, Inchworm, 1/2 Kneeling Thoracic Rotation on Wall, Stir the Pot, Stability Ball Pike, Extended Side Plank, Lateral Lunge with Overhead Reach, Supported Single Leg Bent Over Row, Single Leg Skater Squat, Band Resisted Push-Ups, Dumbbell Forward Lunge, Standing Alternating Dumbbell Overhead Press.
Again I stress my personality allows for me to make this a habit and now I feel out of sorts if I am not doing something first thing in the morning on a workout day
I try to incorporate strength training regularly but I struggle with it. I've been on a pretty good roll with it since December though. I have a lifetime membership with the Jillian Michaels app, and I really enjoy her workouts so that is what I do. Right now I've been doing her Lift & Shred workout which is straight up strength with weights. I will keep doing this one through my marathon training, and will hopefully not fall off the wagon until after my race (or not at all!). I also add some hip, calf, and core exercises to that routine to kind of "shore up" some of my weak areas. Fingers crossed I can keep with it, as it really can be a struggle sometimes.
For me, the key 4 years ago was to stop drinking. Once I removed alcohol from my life, I found out a few things about myself.
1. I am actually a morning person
2. I can be disciplined
3. I love having a routine (and need it)
My brother lives in the Northern Mariana islands, so, to keep in touch over the years, we put a "Bros Comp" in place that included some financial incentive at first. We challenged each other to hit a certain number of sets in the gym each week, as well as miles (running, biking, elliptical, etc). It has grown over the years to include core work, stretching and diet. We found that that accountability was paramount to consistency. Its a marathon, not a sprint!
Now it is just a part of my daily life and days off are actually harder than days at the gym because I get squirrely.
Every evening while watching a show, I do my hip strenthing floor exercizes, and balance exercizes. Then I use the kettle bell to work on arms and core. And a plank. It might not be enough, but it's something!
I started strength training after an injury a few years back. Now I do 10 mins of core and band-work pretty much daily and more structured strength-work 2x a week at home with kettle bells/bodyweight work. I love Shona Vertue's programme, which incorperates strength and mobility.
What I do instead of going to the gym on a separate day which I share that passion with you (and many other runners), I found out carrying a resistance band and doing some resistance training before my cool down, or a mile away from home, to be the best middle ground for me.. I carry one or two of the resistance bands with me, and when I'm just about to leave the park, I just get into a 15min routine of specific exercises (which I alternate and fine tune depending on niggles and pains and weaknesses), and when I'm done, I just slow jog on the sore muscles to build endurance and hopefully gain a bit more.. Happy to receive recommendations on resistance training for runners!
Others probably already mentioned this (I didn't read through all the, what I know are fantastic, comments) :) You can strength train at home with dumbbells, resistance bands, kettlebells, etc. You don't have to go to a gym and don't necessarily need a barbell.
Body weight exercises are also a great way to strength train - push ups, air squats, pull-ups, sit ups, reverse lunges, mountain climbers. I also like Keri Pierce's online HIIT courses - all done with dumbbells and there are many scaling options.
Hi Terrell! Per Mariana's comment below, I made the program LIFTOFF: Couch to Barbell and would be only too happy to weigh in here. Let me know if you'd like to have a Q&A or something!
I ignored strength training for years until I started having nagging overuse injuries. In a perfect world, I’d run everyday and do nothing else. But after a two plus years of running struggles, I finally accepted thar strength was as essential as breathing if I wanted to continue to run. With that perspective, strength training has become more palatable.
https://youtube.com/@JuiceandToya
20 - 30 minute workouts with Juice and Toya have become my go to strength training workouts.
Strength training makes me feel happy, it’s the way my mind can go faster and realice how important it’s it to me, you have to find a way you can train that makes you feel happy! 😊
Nice piece Terrell. Yes, strength training is important and I do to not get enough of it. Like you I need to do better, currently trying to get at least two days in per week. I was committed to a class on Wednesdays but it clashes with work schedule, so I had to pull back. I think the biggest challenge for me is to know what I’ll actually do for the exercise, so I’ll fumble around, and before you know it times gone and I end up doing some abbreviated version of something, LOL. Work in progress, but so important to combine the two. Thanks.
I’m with you. I don’t necessarily run to be fit. I run because I love it. Strength training, I despise, but at 46 and going through physical therapy to strengthen and heal my Achilles - that has an inflammation because the only thing I do is run, according to my PT - I have added some yoga to my training. Twice a week, 25/30 minutes, that's all I can take for now.
Hey Terrell. I agree with you 100%. I just make myself do strength training because I know I should, but I definitely don't love it. I just do push-ups, crunches, squats, lunges, planks and occasionally use a kettle bell and bands, but the last two are rare. I keep it short (10-15 minutes) but almost every day. I switch up what I do so I get in different muscle groups. That's it. Not much, but better than nothing.
I love doing CrossFit style workouts to aid in weight training. You can also pick a simple full body routine that requires body weight and dumbbells to follow 2 days a week. But in the end, whether you are running, lifting, swimming, etc, something is definitely better than nothing!
As a former college athlete, the weight room has always been a place I was comfortable in. Presently, I have a gym membership and I try to go there for weight work 3x/week [M,W,F], right after school ends, before I go home. If/when I go home, I never seem to get back there. The other days, including the weekends, I am running. I take a day off when I'm tired and need one otherwise, I stay pretty consistent.
I don't presently use weights to help with my running, and I do not even use weights for my legs/lower body. I do the major muscle groups of the upper body [chest, back, shoulders] and a lot of core work, which takes about 1 hour. I then end on the treadmill, walking about 30 minutes. I think that the walking has likely helped my running more than the weights. I work on form and cadence when walking and have been able to transfer that to my running.
I think using weights is both healthy and good for you, especially as you age, for it allows you bdy to maintain it's core muscle strength.
I bought a speed bag, super fun. Add wrist weights, been a nice work out. Fun at the progress of getting better and faster.
Also not a big fan of strength training although the benefits are too great to ignore. What I try to do is do a couple of 1-2 minute workouts a couple of times each day, research (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02100-x) has shown that this can help you live longer + it offsets some of the negative (metabolic) effects of sitting all day (study: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/japplphysiol.00106.2022)
So with around 10 minutes per day I get some exercise in + it’s a great break for me between my study sessions since it helps me concentrate afterwards!
I’ve started going to a gym class - just once every 2 weeks but has made a difference already 😊
Ughhh. I detest strength training. Like… fire of a thousand suns detest it. 😂 But… I recognize it’s especially helpful in injury prevention and recovery, among other things like form, so I force myself to do the bare minimum required. 🤣 Generally I do basic plyometrics and core work twice a week (and complain the whole time.) It’s essentially the dry land workouts from my college swim team days because they’re pretty well rounded. So for instance 4-5 sets of 50 crunches/abs (leg lifts, bird dogs, planks, etc. count), 4 sets each of 15 bench dips, push-ups, triceps push with free weights or water bottles, and 5 sets of 10 squats. Doesn’t sound like much but it gets the job done. 😝 If anyone has found a way to enjoy this form of torture, I salute you!!!
I have nothing to contribute ... I’ll keep swimming and jogging and watching my diet. I tip my baseball cap to you all
I mix bodyweight and traditional strength training.
I really love the challenge of bodyweight training. Even something as simple as a pull-up offers new challenges through different variations.
I started doing CrossFit when I turned 40 and have kept it up now for 15 years. I do 3 wods a week if I’m not in heavy mileage for races and cut back when I am. It’s super helpful mentally when I am doing a 1/2 of full. I love it!
As I moved into my 60s, I recognized (like you and others) that it probably made a lot of sense to do SOMETHING with regard to strength training. My daughter had introduced me to Orange Theory a few years back, and I decided to simply go with their basic membership which allows me to schedule an hour class one day a week. I think it comes out to roughly $15/class, so not free but manageable.
I've never been a big fan of hitting the gym, but I like their mix of rower/weights/treadmill and the fact that the instructor makes the hour go by for all of us pretty quickly. I also can go as hard or easy as I want on that day, but at a minimum I take comfort in knowing that I'm doing something different than just pure running at least one day a week, and hopefully in doing so it'll extend my running years. I've been very fortunate injury-wise as I've aged (hopefully I haven't jinxed myself), and I thoroughly enjoy just lacing-up and getting out the door. I don't want to take any of this for granted, and I am inspired by the folks in their 70s and 80s that are still having fun with marathons, so I'm viewing the once-a-week class as prescriptive even though I don't necessarily cherish it. Loving the comments from others as it is giving me a few things to think about. Thanks!
Pull-ups, a variety of push-ups, and dumbbell squats are more than enough!
A couple of years ago, I lost interest in running, and did my cardio on a rowing machine instead. I noticed that the resistance was leading to muscle gains...at which point I started to learn how to work with dumbbells, then barbells.
And: wow!! Having muscle on your frame is so 👏🏼 freaking 👏🏼 cool! It made me feel super powerful and confident, especially as a tiny 5’2” woman. Plus, I running got so much easier when I actually had leg muscles to speak of. 🤯
That’s what motivates me to keep fitting strength training in my running schedule: I feel like I can conquer the world when I do.
I am not strongly motivated to strength training...when we were all in lock down in 2020, I closed my gym membership and built a small home gym. Even tho I have dumbbells, bands, and a few kettlebells I still can’t get my butt in gear. I made the decision a few months ago that I really need to do more strength
Training as I age and continue to run. At the same time, I have really developed a love for Sally McCrae, ultramarathoner, mother and wife. She is incredible! I love her choose strong podcast and her overall outlook on life. She has an app that I use now where the routines are short and sweet and very little equipment is required. I’m hoping that this will be what I need to push me over the edge! 🤞
I have the inverse "issue" - I don't really have any problem getting to the gym and throwing heavy weights around, but it requires some extra motivation to go for a run. I guess I'd better take advantage of it not quite being fully summer yet and go for an outside run this weekend. Maybe it's the treadmill.... 8-)
I have been doing relatively consistent strength training for over 40 years. Primarily I use resistance machines with spot work on free weights or when a gym wasn’t available. I added in running with my first half marathon in 1986. And, I have always been careful about following a healthy diet. This regimen has paid big benefits over the long haul. My BMI is right on target, blood pressure right where it should be, and strength and endurance pretty darned good for a 74-year old who is still doing halfs about 6 per year. I firmly believe you must do both consistently, and as you age you also need to add in flexibility and balance work.
This winter, the coach of my rowing club put together group strength-training sessions at a local barebones gym, and I loved it. Now that we're back on the water (and running, of course), I've kept it up, adding maybe half a strength workout's worth of exercises after a row (again, using a very barebones gym set-up). I wrote about this in one of my Substacks a few months ago--about the delight of incremental progress with, say, the deadlift. I'm a convert! https://henriettelazaridis.substack.com/p/the-deadlift-and-the-flow-state
Well, I don't know if it counts, but carrying bags full of groceries is my forte. We live two miles from the grocery stores ( 1 mile + each way) My daughter does not like to drive or cannot because of her eyes--at night. I don't drive--its her car! I've been carrying at least 30 pounds of food several times a week for the last I don't know how many years--going on at least 7. I carry through rain, heat, nice weather, you name it, but someone has to bring the food home. Now, it is Market Season, I carry 3 bags of produce home (strawberry season, this week!) Do I like it, not particularly, but it has to be done. I run or walk on top of it. I can truthfully say, I've never been part of a gym or had a "personal trainer"--just natural movement. Go figure. At times, I check in with Gold Medal Bodies (https://gmb.io/) as they have fantastic movement training. I've followed them since Born to Run came out. Love their training, it is simple and practical, but I've never followed it religiously. . . My only suggestion is to ditch the car and lift and carry. Unpractical for many, but what I do seems to work!
I’m with you I hate it. My trainer gave me 2 options one at the gym and one for home. I will say that I go to the gym only because the home one kicks my but and I feel it for like 3 days…. Which means it’s probably better😬
Planks. Push-ups. Squats. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Oh. And some HIIT and Conditioning classes at Life Time.
Great topic Terrell! For me, I simply dread doing strength training! It’s easy for me to get outdoors and do a run because I enjoy it! But, I end up with injuries as a result of not doing much strength training 😞! So, I did hire a run coach for this summer/fall season to help me build a foundation of strength. He changes my routine every two weeks which has kept things interesting. I’m not getting bored with having to do the same routine over and over. The SQA concept that another member of the group mentioned earlier is spot on! My run coach is helping me do exactly that! I’ve been able to have minimal equipment (a few dumbbells, resistance bands and a floor mat) to leverage at home. It allows me to fit it into my busy schedule. I’m training for a marathon in Tucson in early December. So, the run coach will help me learn how to appropriately balance strength training and running routines throughout the training cycle. I’m hoping to carry forward that learning on my own for the winter/spring season. Crossing my fingers 🤞! I have noticed that the strength training helps speed up my metabolism and lose fat %...another added benefit for a 50+ female 😊! I’m 5 weeks in so far and it seems to be working so far. I’ll let you know how it ends at the end of the year!
Thanks for raising this necessary topic Terrell. Looks like some great responses. I resonate with all you have said. Perhaps you might come up with a routine that is simple, quick & affordable ( SQA) for the rest of us who are struggling to make sense out of a complicated area. As our de facto leader in this “wellness” space, you can take the lead on this and help get us a bit stronger over the long term. If you are not motivated to take up this opportunity, perhaps someone else can volunteer?
I am the same. Running gives me so much. I just love being outside and I love how mindless yet mindful it is at the same time. But the gym? No way. However I do know I need to do something.
I’ve started a daily plank routine and I’ve bought a kettle bell which I try to use daily too. I know it’s not enough, but it’s a start!
I’m right with you, Terrell! I find it so hard to get motivated to do weights on my own. I usually need a class or trainer environment. During the lockdown I got a resistance band and some small hand weights, occasionally I can motivate myself to do a short workout at home.
I had a shoulder issue around the time I started running many years ago and my PT gave me exercises to do with a band, then I moved to light weights as I healed. I’ve added to that repertoire over the years and currently lift weights (upper body) three days a week after running. What I’d love to do is get a machine or two that would enable me to leg press and some other leg strengthening. 👍🏼
Triathlete here! During triathlon season (March – September), volume is so heavy that I know I’ll never commit to doing a lot of strength work. So I worked with a physical therapist to come up with daily routines, under 10 minutes, utilizing resistance bands, body weight and adjustable dumbbells. Compound movements, so I’m hitting multiple areas in the same exercise. Most of them are no longer than six or seven minutes. I’m not convinced it’s the optimal situation, but I know that over the course of a week, I’ll get 45 minutes total in, and I’d be much less likely to get two 20-25 minute sessions in if I did a longer focus. Better than nothing and I have seen less injury since doing it 6-7 days a week.
I got into strength training way before I got into running. So motivation is not the issue for me. It's fitting it all in. I've been following MAPS 15 from the Mind Pump guys. It's 2 strength movements 5-6 days a week. It takes 15 minutes. With a basic home gym setup it is easy to get it done and move on with the day.
Great post Terrell. I strength train at home: a few dumbbells, resistance tubing and a yoga mat is all I need. I keep it simple and focus on running specific drills and strength. I spend 20-25 minutes tops 2-3x a week. I find it's best for me to do the strengthening after a run or first thing in the morning or I tend to forget. I want to run as long as I can so I remind myself strengthening will not only help my longevity but my running. You got this!
I have a great gym upstairs, but for some reason I can’t seem to ever go up there! I felt like only running was not enough and getting older, my bones need more strength. So, I go to Camp Gladiator two or three times a week. I like the community and I have a sense of obligation to show up, so it makes me do it, and just as with running, I’m never sorry I went. And on another note, clear skies here in NYC today!!
I love strength training (more so than running hahaha) because I can take it slow and not run out of breath every time😂
What I did initally was watch a lot of youtube videos, pay attention to the form and do those moves at the gym. Slowly, I will increase the weights.
The key to lifting same as running as you be making progress, its called progressive overload I believe. Up the weight and reduce the reps over time, it feels super rewarding when you are able to lift the weights you struggled before
Check out Caroline Girvan on YouTube. She has programs you can follow or just pick and choose routines. I’ve never been able to be motivated to do strength training consistently but there’s something about her programs that keeps me going! I’ve been doing it consistently for about 9 months and my running has benefited as well as overall strength. She now has an app as well but everything on YouTube is free.
HybridCalisthenics.com is something I've been using for myself and recommending to patients. I'm just not at a place in my life where I can commit to going to the gym so I don't have a membership. But I don't have the build or fitness level to crank out pull-ups and push-ups. But his daily routines are simple, don't take all that long and can be scaled to a beginner level. I have three dollar jump rope looped around a tree branch I use for modified pullups.
And you can do it all outside which is a major plus for me! I'll always take an outside workout over an indoor workout.
I started barbell training the summer I turned 50. (Before I started running, even.) It changed my life. I lift at Bay Strength in Berkeley, CA. I lift twice a week -- Tuesdays are squats and bench press. Thursdays are deadlifts and overhead press. I can now squat and deadlift more than I weigh. And even though I'm a brand new runner -- and an older one to boot -- I haven't had any injuries. (During my last HM training, I did strength and spadework on Tuesdays. It was a lot. This upcoming programming block, I'm just going to run four days a week rather than five and not double up the workouts.)
Good morning, Terrell,
A couple of years ago I injured my hamstrings and went to see a PT. After a month of specific exercises to help my hamstrings, she recommended HASfit you tube strength training workouts.
I love them. They have made such a difference in my running and just feeling better and stronger overall.
I get up about 45 min earlier and get a workout done before work. They have workouts of different lengths. During school I usually choose some that are about 30 min. Over the summer I try some longer ones.
It is a husband and wife team. The husband does the exercise. His wife does a modified version. I started doing some of the modifications for some exercises and have worked up to doing the unmodified exercise.
I live way out in the country, so a gym membership isn't practical for me. This had been a real life changer for me.
I'm so glad you brought this up! Great topic. I am very, very fortunate to have some basic weight equipment in my basement but limited weights (max 165) but what I have helps me to more easily incorporate the strength work. If I had to go to a gym outside the house it would be very hard with my schedule. For those who don't have time to get to the gym for strength, kettlebells are a great alternative. Especially the ones that are adjustable with ring plates that can be added to increase the weight. I have had one of those for years and it is a total body exercise. But I wanted more--so I am largely switching over to compound lifting starting after my next half (was supposed to be a full, but we have air quality issues here from the wildfires) tomorrow!
As I get older (turning 41 soon) I am finding that I really do need to take strength work more seriously. I am planning to scale back from marathons to the half marathon distance so I can more easily fit strength days into my routine. Right now I primarily deadlift and do farmers walks in the basement, but if anyone has a good beginner routine to recommend, I would be very interested!! Just a silly side tip but weight lifting gloves that you can get even at places like Target or TJ Maxx make a huge difference in preventing pain in your hands if you are working with raw plates for things like farmers walks :)
Hi Terrell! Great topic 😊 I have 8-pound weights at home that I use. Just turned 66 and am aware of the probability that my bones have already begin to thin. So that’s a good motivation for me to keep it in my routine. I also like that it keeps a check on any arm flab that I might have going on. I have a reminder on my phone for every weekday but after every run is when I most often go through my 8-minute exercises. Nothing too crazy but I’m thinking that it’s better than nothing! Happy Friday and Happy weekend running - it’s the BEST!!!!!!
I get intimidated by the many, many internet videos with "20 MINUTE BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT YOU MUST DO!", and then they have about 5-10 new exercises one would have to memorize or have printed out.
I decided...but have not actually started yet...to start with ones I know: planks, pushups, sit up/crunches, and maybe that bicycle thing on your back. 4 times a week, 3 sets of each. Add stuff as it becomes less awkward. But that is the main problem, not just in starting strength training, but as it was in starting running too...it feels awkward and I feel I'm not doing it right. I've got to get over that.
I have for the last several years had a coach, we call it "Strength Training" it is more injury prevention and mitigation training. I have it worked into my schedule as I do it first thing in the morning 5 days a week while everyone is a sleep. It does require that I get morning very early (04:30) in the morning so if you are not a morning person this will not work for you. Depending on the days running activity it would depend on what I do but most of it can be done with a few dumbbells and body weight. Here is an example of the types of exercises I do :Thoracic Spine Foam Rolling, Active Lumbar Rotations, 90/90 Hip Switch with Hip Internal Rotation, Inchworm, 1/2 Kneeling Thoracic Rotation on Wall, Stir the Pot, Stability Ball Pike, Extended Side Plank, Lateral Lunge with Overhead Reach, Supported Single Leg Bent Over Row, Single Leg Skater Squat, Band Resisted Push-Ups, Dumbbell Forward Lunge, Standing Alternating Dumbbell Overhead Press.
Again I stress my personality allows for me to make this a habit and now I feel out of sorts if I am not doing something first thing in the morning on a workout day
I try to incorporate strength training regularly but I struggle with it. I've been on a pretty good roll with it since December though. I have a lifetime membership with the Jillian Michaels app, and I really enjoy her workouts so that is what I do. Right now I've been doing her Lift & Shred workout which is straight up strength with weights. I will keep doing this one through my marathon training, and will hopefully not fall off the wagon until after my race (or not at all!). I also add some hip, calf, and core exercises to that routine to kind of "shore up" some of my weak areas. Fingers crossed I can keep with it, as it really can be a struggle sometimes.
Great topic!
For me, the key 4 years ago was to stop drinking. Once I removed alcohol from my life, I found out a few things about myself.
1. I am actually a morning person
2. I can be disciplined
3. I love having a routine (and need it)
My brother lives in the Northern Mariana islands, so, to keep in touch over the years, we put a "Bros Comp" in place that included some financial incentive at first. We challenged each other to hit a certain number of sets in the gym each week, as well as miles (running, biking, elliptical, etc). It has grown over the years to include core work, stretching and diet. We found that that accountability was paramount to consistency. Its a marathon, not a sprint!
Now it is just a part of my daily life and days off are actually harder than days at the gym because I get squirrely.
Every evening while watching a show, I do my hip strenthing floor exercizes, and balance exercizes. Then I use the kettle bell to work on arms and core. And a plank. It might not be enough, but it's something!