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How to Balance Strength and Cardio Training
5 SureFire Hacks for Success!
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Instead of favouring just one of the two, like most people tend to, think about performing both strength and cardio training, by balancing them out.
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Whatever your training regimen might be, both are valuable.
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However, you shouldn’t do too much or not enough of one type of exercise, so structuring your routine will definitely be of help.
Runners who have a strength training routine know that stronger muscles help you run with more control and stability and help improve form.
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It also improves efficiency in energy use and fatigue resistance. So, creating a routine can help you maximize both your recovery time and performance. Here are some tips for balancing your cardio and strength training.
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Balance Strength and Cardio Training Hack #1
Define Your Focus
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Long- and short-term fitness goals are there to keep you motivated and on track, so it’s important to define them.
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Prioritizing some goals over others can help you determine how to portion out your workout time, which is probably limited.
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For example, if you’re starting from scratch, prioritize strength training in the next 2 months in order to develop the base you need. On the other hand, drop your strength days to 2 per week if you’re training for a race, because it will allow for more mileage.
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Balance Strength and Cardio Training Hack #2
Write Down Your Goals!
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Writing your fitness goals and workout schedule down can help you stay on track and have your goals at the top of your mind.
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Assign a goal to each day of the week to simplify things (for example, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are strength days, Monday and Friday are cardio days, Wednesday is yoga, and Sunday is your rest day).
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Enter your training routine into your calendar and treat it like any other important meeting or appointment.
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Balance Strength and Cardio Training Hack #3
Don’t Forget to Rest
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Every type of good training program incorporates at least one rest day. On this day, you allow your body to recover, be prepared for next week’s training, and help you from overdoing it. If you feel that you need more than one, be sure to take them.
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Adapt your workout if you’re feeling tired, run less, lift less, or take an extra day off. It’s important to learn to listen to your body.
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Balance Strength and Cardio Training Hack #4
Stop Thinking in Miles
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Instead of tracking how fast you’re running, try to focus on the amount of time you spend out there.
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Your pace can vary, depending on how you’re after from your resistance training days. For example, if your goal race pace is 8 minute per mile, and you’re running a 5-miler, you want to be on your feet for 40 minutes. If you fatigue out before finishing those 5 miles, keep walking for as long as it should theoretically take you to finish.
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Three runs per week would be great, but if you can’t fit them in, aim for 1 short but faster day, 1 long day, and 1 medium recovery day (i.e. short – 20min; long – 60 min; medium – 30-40 min).
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Balance Strength and Cardio Training Hack #5
Train Right
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Make sure to get the maximum out of your training, since you’re committing so much energy and time to the process. Not doing the exercises that will help you the most or not doing them properly is a waste of your hard effort and dedication.
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It is better to focus on the lower body muscles (hamstrings and glutes) which will minimize stress on the knees, encourage movements from the hip joint, and help you maintain proper gait and core. Focus on doing the standard plank, as well as step-up, dead lifts, and squats.
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If you are considering using supplements to reach your maximum performance, use preparations like whey protein, creatine, magnesium, or other permitted supplements that are known to deliver on their promises. However, consuming anabolic steroids or sarms is simply not worth the risk.
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For those who have a packed week (and most of us do, due to work commitments, raising kids, and other obligations that consume a large chunk of our daytime), it is possible to run on strength-days. However, it should be low in effort, duration, and mileage. Just be sure to do your cardio after you hit the weights, and have a small snack between the two.
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Also, for building and maintaining mobility and flexibility which many runners lack, consider doing some yoga.
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Just 15 minutes first thing in the morning and before you go to bed can increase your range of motion and help you cool down after a workout.
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