How to fit lifting and running into the same week

By Raph · October 13, 2026

Plenty of runners also lift or do CrossFit, and wonder whether the gym is helping their running or getting in its way.

Done well, it helps. A systematic review of 24 studies of middle- and long-distance runners found that adding strength training improved running economy, which is how much energy you use at a given pace, by about 2 to 8 percent compared with runners who did not lift. Time-trial and sprint speed tended to improve too, while maximal oxygen uptake and body composition were typically unchanged. You get more efficient without changing your body. Our strength training guide goes deeper.

The review's authors concluded that strength training likely benefits these runners when it is two to three sessions a week using a variety of modalities. That is the shape of the plan below.

What to lift

A sensible mix has three parts:

• Heavy compound lifts. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups and calf raises. Heavy means hard for you with good form, not a one-rep max.
• Single-leg work. Running is a series of single-leg hops, so single-leg strength carries over.
• A little jumping or bounding, once you have a base.

Keep the volume modest. A few hard sets beat many easy ones.

How to fit it into the week

Two or three short sessions a week is enough. Running stays the priority. The rest is how coaches usually arrange the week, not a finding from a study:

• Stack your hard days. If your week has a hard run, lift on the same day with a few hours between the two, so the days around it stay easy.
• Protect the day before. No heavy leg work the day before a hard workout or a long run.
• Keep easy days easy. An easy run is only easy if your legs are not already tired from the gym.
• Count the class. A CrossFit workout heavy on squats and jumps is a heavy leg session, whatever it is called.

One way to lay it out: easy run Monday. Hard run Tuesday, with a lift later in the day. Easy run Wednesday. Hard run Thursday, with a lift later in the day. Easy run or rest on Friday, no heavy legs. Long run Saturday. Rest Sunday. Move the days to suit your life. What matters is that your hard days are hard and your easy days stay easy.

If your week has more in it than running, tell Runsense which days you lift or take a class and which days you want free. It plans your runs around them and reworks the plan when something changes.

Raph