Cross Training Questions

What should I do if I have weight training and a race on the same day?

I am starting weight training for the first time since early summer, on Mon. I haven't done it in a while, so I will get sore after the workout on Mon morning. I have already bought all the food needed for the meal plan, so I have to start lifting on Mon. no matter what unless I want $150 worth of food to go to waste. On Wed. is our first cross country meet at 4:30. I have weight lifting on that same day. I have legs on Mon. and Arms and Chest on Wed. I did some squats last week to see if I will get soar and I did. I ended up not being able to run at my fullest. I feel better now, but I am afraid I will do horrible at the meet if I start again on Mon. My weight lifting program has to be in this order: lift rest lift rest lift rest rest. I was thinking about starting on Sun. and performing weight lifting again on Tues. and then again on Thurs. Any tips on how I should structure my program and not be sore for the meet? I would GREATLY appreciate any advice.

Public Comments

1. skip weight training the day of the race. it's worth it, and you won't suddenly be out of shape by stalling your training. or you could do weight training after the race. good luck!! =]
2. Don't do any weights two days leading up to a run that you need to get a good speed. You want to be in good shape with no pains. Doing weights and exercise running is fine though as your run time isn't so crucial.
3. Why don't you swap your Monday and Wednesday routine so that you lift arms and chest on Monday and then lift legs after your meet on Wednesday? (or like you suggested, lift arms on Tuesday and legs on Thursday) Also - I wouldn't lift to exhaustion on Monday, since sore arms and chest will also hurt your performance in a meet. Remember to stretch afterwards and make sure you're drinking enough water. It sounds like you've probably already taken care of getting enough protein with your meal plan. Something to keep in mind - if you're training competitively for running and weight lifting at the same time, you'll need to ultimately prioritize which is more important to you and put that first. If you try to do both all-out, you won't get the full performance of both. You can still definitely do both, but one should complement the other. Another thing - it's great that you're following a program, but if it's a long-term program, you'll need to build in a little flexibility. Your lifting program sounds good, just keep in mind that you should have at least a 48-hour recovery for muscles before lifting again. Beyond that, you can adjust your program if needed (especially if you're also racing).