Marathon Training And Muscle Building ?

Many runners believe that endurance training cannot build muscle.

Sure, if you see the professional marathon runners, then they are skinny and far from muscle mass a la Arnold Schwarzenegger.But marathon training and building muscle mass, is that possible?

Running Is Not Just  Running

 If you compare sprinters and marathon runners, muscle mass looks a lot different. A sprinter won't be able to run a fast marathon, but they can run very fast for short periods of time. It has something to do with muscle distribution. Sprinters have more of the so-called white muscle fibers. These are thicker, can generate more power and are controlled faster. Energy is supplied anaerobically without oxygen and the white muscle fibers tire very quickly due to the rapid increase in lactate. Marathon runners have significantly more red muscle fibers than sprinters. They are much thinner than the white fibers and are also activated more slowly. The energy supply is aerobic with oxygen and they work much more energy-efficiently. The distribution of the two types is relatively even in normal people and is shifted in one direction by training.

Requirements Of A  Marathon  Runner 

A good marathon runner needs not only very good endurance capacity but also other components in order to be able to run successfully and injury-free for a long time. In addition to good running technique, this is above all good trunk stability, which in turn has a positive effect on running technique. However, I'm not talking about muscle mass here, but about stabilizing muscles that avoid compensatory movements when running and maintain the running style for as long as possible. It is therefore essential for a marathon runner to also carry out adequate mobility, strength and stability training. The main focus here should be on the torso and leg muscles. The upper body should also not be forgotten and can be strengthened with bodyweight exercises, for example.

Positive aspects of endurance sports for strength athletes

Better Regeneration: Endurance training (30-40min) after intensive strength training improves your blood circulation and the muscles are better supplied. This improves the removal of lactate, for example, and you regenerate faster after strength training.

More power during strength training through better stamina: If you go into your strength training with more stamina, then you will be fitter between the individual exercises and can make the training more intensive.

Injury susceptibility decreases: Your susceptibility to injuries is reduced through varied training. Endurance training brings variety to your everyday training and strengthens your immune system. So you go hardened into the next strength training session.

Training Tips For Intensive Strength Training Despite Running A  Marathon

If you want to tackle a marathon despite intensive strength training, the following tips can be helpful for you

Plan Your Training In phased : In the last few weeks before the marathon (8-12), running should make up at least 50% of your total training. During this time, reduce the maximum strength training and scale back the strength training a little in favor of running. In the build-up phase of strength training, short sprint intervals are suitable for working on your running style, e.g. 15x 50-100m sprint improves your running technique and makes your leg muscles stronger.

Strength Before Endurance: In general, strength training comes before endurance training. A running unit after strength training causes the previously trained muscles to get used to the subsequent running movement and thus deal with it more economically.

Combine With Brain : On which days you train which muscle group and how you coordinate this with running is an art. When running increases, you can also use circle training for strength training and focus more on stability training. Intense sessions should be no more than two per week, be it strength or interval running.

No Sober Runs: building muscle and going for a long run in the morning without eating won't be easy. The muscles need energy, otherwise they will not grow. Oatmeal or muesli before the run doesn't put as much strain on your stomach and gives you enough energy not to chew on your reserves while running.

Regeneration Is Everything : Despite the double burden of running and strength training, you should regenerate at least one whole day a week and not do any sport. This promotes muscle growth and your immune system is happy too.

The Right  Diet

For a healthy person, a balanced mixed diet is still the best way to eat healthily. In extreme phases of physical exertion and to avoid muscle breakdown, the supply of increased protein is necessary. This can also be done naturally through ingestion of animal protein (eggs, fish, chicken, etc.) or plant-based sources (beans, tofu, nuts, lentils, etc.). BCAAs, so-called essential amino acids, are the building blocks that make up a protein. BCAAs are not converted in the liver and are therefore directly available for the muscle tissue. They are essential because your body cannot produce them itself. By taking BCAAs you save unnecessary calories. They are found in meat and fish, for example. The vegan alternative is hemp protein. It contains all the amino acids essential for humans and is rich in BCAAs. It also contains fiber, essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins.

Conclusion

Muscle mass and marathon running are not mutually exclusive. Muscle building is also possible in combination with endurance training. However, it is important that the diet is tailored to the requirements and that enough building blocks for the muscles are ingested in the form of protein. When planning the training, good coordination is necessary in order not to overload the body and to prepare it for the extreme stress of a marathon. However, ambitious marathon running and extreme muscle building do not go well together, since on the one hand the required muscle fibers are different and on the other hand the weight also plays an important role in fast running. But if you want to have a super beach figure and still run a marathon, then there is no contradiction.