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

By Dr. Sean Radford•19th May 2025

You can manage and minimise potential interference 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.

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

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