# Help me put together a workout schedule **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 18, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847 "2011-04-18T15:45:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/1 "2011-04-18T15:45:22Z")
I’ve been running three days a week pretty regularly now for several months. I really want to incorporate some weight training into my routine. My problem is that my schedule is such that, if I’m going to get in more than one weight training day, the days will have to be consecutive or occur on a day where I also am running. I’m also interested in trying to improve my running speed. I did an interval workout this morning and it kicked my butt, so I think that’s something I should also incorporate regularly. Working out in the evening is out. I just won’t do it. I know that from experience. Right now, Tuesday and Thursday mornings are good for regular (2 - 2.5 miles-ish) runs, and then I can plan a longer run on the weekend. Monday, Wed., and Friday are potential days for an interval workout, because I walk with my son part of the way to school and can then run home. I did that this morning and the distance was just right to get in four intervals. I have the opportunity to take a Pilates class at noon on Tuesdays. I can’t fit in a noon workout on Thursday or Friday because of a standing commitment over the lunch hour. So that leaves Monday and Wednesdays as potential days for that. I’m having a hard time figuring out how to make this work and allow myself adequate recovery time. It has occurred to me that I can split up my weight training sessions so I concentrate on upper body one day and lower body another. Or is running enough of a lower body workout? Any suggestions for combining all these activities in a way that won’t be counterproductive? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/2 "2011-04-18T16:40:25Z")
Nix the intervals. The effort is too hard to maintain year round. Better used for peaking for a race or short season of racing. Three a week is also not needed even if racing unless you’re racing under 5K on a regular basis. Tempo runs are a better option for year round speed training. Tempo pace is a pace you would _race_ at for one hour. Effort level is right on the border between comfortably hard and uncomfortable. Trying to talk would result in being able to talk in bursts of 2=3 words. ETA: if you have a heart rate monitor-85% of max heart rate. Also known as lactate threshold runs. [Calculator here.](http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm) Splitting upper/lower is fine. You do need to train the legs as running is an endurance activity not strength. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/3 "2011-04-18T21:02:46Z")
Well it sounds to me like this is what fits with your schedule: Monday - Weights Tuesday - Run (plus pilates if you want) Wednesday - Weights Thursday - Run Friday - Intervals I assume that since you didn’t mention anything about the weekends, you don’t intend to have a steady workout routine on the weekends? If you’re just starting to incorporate weights, go ahead and do a full body workout. There’s a lot of science behind this, but to put it as simply as I can (and hopefully still make sense): The longer you have been lifting weights consistently, the closer you come to your genetic potential. The closer you come to your genetic potential, the more taxing it is on your body and the more recovery time you need. Unless you have been consistently lifting weights for at least a year, doing a full body workout would be a better use of your time, and with the day of recovery in between you should feel refreshed by Wednesday. I disagree with what **runner pat** said. I would do intervals, although I must confess that I know much more about weight lifting than I do about running. Speed is different than pace. If you want to increase your speed, then you would need to do exercises that involve speed, i.e. intervals. Also, intervals are good at speeding up your metabolism. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/4 "2011-04-18T21:22:21Z")
**TWOMS** , I did mention doing a longer run on Saturday or Sunday. (It’s kind of buried in my OP.) I am interested in increasing my metabolism to try to get rid of these last few stubborn pounds. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/5 "2011-04-18T21:25:19Z")
Before really designing a workout, it’s really important to know exactly what your aims are. Are you just trying to get in a bit better shape? Are you trying to use it to improve your running? Are you trying to gain muscle mass or tone? Depening on what your goals are, how you should weight train should be different. For instance, if you’re trying to improve your running specifically, you can get away with mostly complex, large muscle group exercises and through in some targetted ones, like lunges and such that will help with running. If you’re going for overall shape, which it sounds like, you can nix the stuff specialized toward running and focus more on circuit training and such. Either way, I’d generally say that if you can, you want to aim for 3-4 days of weight training a week if you can; if you can only do 2, try to get them as far apart as possible. Either way, at this point, you can definitely get away with doing your whole body all at once each time to maximize your effort unless they’re sequential days. As for increasing your running speed, there’s other options besides intervals too, but it’s mostly functional speed training, things like running ladders and that sort. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/6 "2011-04-18T22:07:50Z")
Goals. Hmmm. I’ve always been bad at goal-setting. I specifically want to improve my upper body strength, because art show season is coming, and that means wrangling crates in and out of my car, putting up my canopy (with canopy weights), etc. I want to improve my running – both speed and distance. I really like running. I’m just so freakin’ slow. I’m running about a 15-minute mile. I’d love to get that down to 12 or even 10, since all the couch to 5K programs seem to assume that 30 minutes of running = 5K. I don’t feel the need to improve quickly. I just want to improve. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/7 "2011-04-19T01:33:43Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > Either way, I’d generally say that if you can, you want to aim for 3-4 days of weight training a week if you can; if you can only do 2, try to get them as far apart as possible. Either way, at this point, you can definitely get away with doing your whole body all at once each time to maximize your effort unless they’re sequential days. I’m not sure I agree with this advice. Two reasons why: (1) **freckafree** , are you a woman? I thought you were, although I don’t think the OP directly says you are. Anyways, if you are, I would say to do weight training 3-4 times a week if and only if you can also get cardio in on at least half of those days. If you’re a woman and you want to be in good health, you should do half an hour of cardio just about every day. Weight training, while certainly beneficial, should not be done more frequently than cardio. (2) Make sure that you don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you think you can sustain weight training 3-4 times a week, then great, do it! But I definitely have known people who get so ambitious planning their workout programs that they have trouble keeping up with the program they’ve laid out. I will concede to **Blaster Master’s** point that spacing the workouts out as much as possible would be a good idea. One last thing to consider: When I first started working out every day, I had two workout sessions: one for weight lifting and one for cardio. I would do one session around lunchtime and one around dinnertime, because that worked into my college schedule. See if that works. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/8 "2011-04-19T01:48:03Z")
If you’re lifting weights two days in a row, you have to make sure not to work the same muscles again on the second day. I love the routine a friend made for me and have had great results (it’s a four day a week routine, but it’s the same work out twice just with different weights/reps). It’s a push day then a pull day. For the push day: Flat Bench Press Incline Dumbbell Press Machine Flyes Shoulder Press Lateral Raises Reverse Flyes Tricep Pushdown Lying French Press Kickbacks Abs For the pull day: Squats Deadlifts Leg Curls Calf Raises Seated Rows Pulldowns Shrugs Crumple bar curls Incline dumbbell curls I do 1 day of each with 8 reps at 80% of my [1RM](http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html) and 1 day each of 12 reps at 65% of the 1RM. [I’ve actually made a good Excel spreadsheet](https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AgLYCp-lbBM3dDlmSUpkRW9PZ1BnVVdrR3BpLXA1c3c&hl=en#gid=0). (I’m not sure if the calculator works in google docs, but if you figure in the 1RM, it will filter over to the other columns). ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/9 "2011-04-19T01:55:35Z")
I am a woman. And 52, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/10 "2011-04-19T02:03:34Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > If you’re lifting weights two days in a row, you have to make sure not to work the same muscles again on the second day. I love the routine a friend made for me and have had great results (it’s a four day a week routine, but it’s the same work out twice just with different weights/reps). > > It’s a push day then a pull day. > > For the push day: > Flat Bench Press > Incline Dumbbell Press > Machine Flyes > Shoulder Press > Lateral Raises > Reverse Flyes > Tricep Pushdown > Lying French Press > Kickbacks > Abs > > For the pull day: > Squats > Deadlifts > Leg Curls > Calf Raises > Seated Rows > Pulldowns > Shrugs > Crumple bar curls > Incline dumbbell curls > I do 1 day of each with 8 reps at 80% of my [1RM](http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html) and 1 day each of 12 reps at 65% of the 1RM. [I’ve actually made a good Excel spreadsheet](https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AgLYCp-lbBM3dDlmSUpkRW9PZ1BnVVdrR3BpLXA1c3c&hl=en#gid=0). (I’m not sure if the calculator works in google docs, but if you figure in the 1RM, it will filter over to the other columns). Ooh this does look good. I may try this myself! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/11 "2011-04-19T03:06:21Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > I disagree with what **runner pat** said. I would do intervals, although I must confess that I know much more about weight lifting than I do about running. Speed is different than pace. If you want to increase your speed, then you would need to do exercises that involve speed, i.e. intervals. Also, intervals are good at speeding up your metabolism. Depends on how you’re defining intervals. Short sprints of 40 yds. will work the fast twitch fibers _if you have them_. Your typical distance runner has very few fast twitch muscle fiber and doing loads of short sprints is a waste of time. Intervals as usually done involve several repeats of longer runs(200-800 meters or more) with a shorter recovery jog. The purpose is to condition the body to resist the effects of acidic waste products of anaerobic metabolism and improve neuromuscular coordination at race pace. The longer term effect is the body is brought to a condition of peak performance. That peak cannot be maintained for more than 6-8 weeks at most. Speed will increase as aerobic fitness increases. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/12 "2011-04-19T10:22:17Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Speed will increase as aerobic fitness increases. What I did yesterday was two minutes at a faster pace (not an all-out sprint) followed by a one-minute recovery jog. I did that for basically a mile and a half. I was surprised at how taxing it was. So how do I increase aerobic fitness if not through intervals? One of my other constraints (at least until the end of the school year) is that, in the morning, a 30- to 35-minute run is all I have time for. That’s one of the reasons I try to get in a longer run on the weekends, but longer right now, “longer” is only about 45 minutes or 3 miles or so. Thanks, everyone, for your responses! This is very helpful! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/13 "2011-04-19T11:38:21Z")
Even a 30 min run three times a week will be enough. Running longer on the weekend is the right idea, you just need patience. Besides your cardiovascular system, your muscles, tendons and ligaments need time to adapt to the load. Try this: every week, add 5 min. to your long run with a dropback every fourth week. Thus: 45, 50, 55, 60, 50, 55, 60, 65, 60, 65, 70, 75 At 75 min you can hold at that level for two months before attempting further increases. Don’t try to push the pace, as your fitness improves, you will naturally go faster at the same effort. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/14 "2011-04-19T13:17:18Z")
That sounds quite doable, **runner pat**. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![MobiusStripes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@MobiusStripes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MobiusStripes)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/15 "2011-04-19T14:03:26Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > What I did yesterday was two minutes at a faster pace (not an all-out sprint) followed by a one-minute recovery jog. I did that for basically a mile and a half. I was surprised at how taxing it was. That’s pretty much the definition of a “fartlek” (it’s a swedish term and not related to flatulence). It’s a nice way to mix things up. It’s a form of speed work but not what comes to my mind when I hear the term “intervals”. To me, intervals are hard track sessions like repeat 400’s below 5K pace. I would not recommend you do something like that. The possibility of injury is very real. Doing some pickup pace work like that during a run like described sounds fine to me. I imagine you’re going from your 15 min/mile pace to a 12-13 min mile pace for a min or two? A nice quote I saw once regarding speed work: “Speed work is the icing on the cake and you don’t have the cake yet.” Even when doing speed work it’s recommended to keep it to 5-10% of your overall mileage. Assuming you’re running 10 miles a week (an estimate) that’s a grand told of 1/2 to 1 miles of speed for the week. The link here ([The Basics of Speed Training](http://www.hillrunner.com/jim2/id24.html) - from random Google search) has a summary of speed work based on data from Daniels book. In general Runner Pat’s advice is spot on (unless I’ve put my foot in my mouth and contradicted it above.) ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/16 "2011-04-19T15:18:49Z")
Yeah, definitely not doing intervals at a track. Even if I had easy access to a track, my “intervals” on Monday were a pretty strong indicator that I’m not anywhere ready to do that kind of work. I’m guessing that going up to a 12-13 minute mile pace is about right. Next time, I’ll use my run tracking program on my iPhone to record it. I like the quote! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-put-together-a-workout-schedule/578847/17 "2011-04-19T15:55:38Z")
> [@MobiusStripes](#): > > That’s pretty much the definition of a “fartlek” (it’s a swedish term and not related to flatulence). It’s a nice way to mix things up. It’s a form of speed work but not what comes to my mind when I hear the term “intervals”. To me, what she describes is intervals. Two minutes on, one minutes off, consistently for a certain amount of time or distance. A fartlek is less structured, varying distances, effort level, and recovery times during the run. I do intervals on my usual running course, varying 400m interval paced runs with 200m recovery jogs (bookended by a mile warm-up and a mile cool-down). If I fartlek, I might start with a slow jog for a mile, do a one mile tempo, recover, do a few 100m sprints, jog, find a hill or do longer 400-800m interval-paced runs, etc. Also, fartleks are usually longer sessions, hovering at around the one hour length or so. Intervals are tough, tough workouts and, as mentioned above, they generally should not be attempted until you’ve reached a base level of conditioning.