How can I minimise the interference effect when I'm doing both running and strength training?

You can manage and minimise the potential interference effect by:

• Session Sequencing (if training on the same day):
  • To maximise strength adaptations, try to do your strength training (ST) before your endurance training (ET), or ensure there's a significant recovery window if ET is done first. Performing ET first can cause fatigue that impairs the quality of your subsequent ST.
  • If protecting the quality of key runs is most important, be careful that ST doesn't cause excessive fatigue before these runs.
• Recovery Intervals Between Sessions:
  • Separate Days: Ideally, schedule strength and running sessions on different days. This is generally the best way to minimise interference.
  • Same Day: If doing both on the same day, allow at least 3-6 hours of recovery between sessions. More than 6 hours (or even 24 hours) may be better for maximising strength gains. Shorter recovery intervals generally lead to greater interference.
• Training Load Management:
  • Reduce Endurance Volume: When adding strength training to an existing running plan, you often need to reduce your running volume to accommodate the added stress and avoid overtraining.
  • Avoid Concurrent High Intensity/Volume: Try not to do very hard/long sessions of both strength and running on the same day. If one is tough, the other should be lighter.
• Consider Endurance Modality: On days with strength training, or days very close to it, using lower-impact endurance activities (like cycling or swimming) instead of running can be an option to help reduce overall musculoskeletal stress.