← Guides 27 October 2026 · Forge

How to combine running and lifting in the same week

Running and lifting have a reputation for getting in each other’s way. In practice, most people can do both in the same week and get fitter and stronger at once, as long as they plan around the two places they clash: tired legs and limited recovery.

Decide what comes first

Before planning the week, decide which matters more to you right now. If you’re training for a 10 km run, the key runs come first and lifting supports them. If you want to get stronger, lifting gets the best slots and runs fill in around it. Doing both equally is fine too, but it helps to know what you’d protect in a busy week.

Keep most runs easy

The simplest rule is to run most of your runs at an easy, conversational pace. Easy running builds fitness without leaving you too tired to lift. Keep the hard efforts, like intervals or a fast 5 km, to one session a week at most when you’re starting out.

Give your legs space

Heavy squats and deadlifts followed by hard running is where most problems start. A few ways to avoid it:

• Don’t put a hard run the day after heavy legs. An easy jog is fine.
• Do upper-body lifting days next to hard runs, since they don’t compete.
• If you do both on one day, separate them by a few hours if you can.
• If they’re in the same session, do the one you care about most first.

Sample weeks

These assume you’re relatively new to both. Rest days are blank.

The three-day week is a good place to start. It gives you two full-body lifting sessions and one easy run, with a rest day after each. Move to four or five days once that feels comfortable for a few weeks.

Eat and sleep for both

Doing two kinds of training means you need more food, especially carbohydrate for the runs and protein for the lifting. Most people who feel flat when they add running are simply under-eating. Sleep matters just as much. If you’re sleeping badly, cut a run before you cut sleep.

Signs you’re doing too much

• Your lifts go backwards for a couple of weeks.
• Easy runs start feeling hard.
• Your legs feel heavy every day, not just after training.
• You’re sleeping badly despite being tired.

If those sound familiar, take an easier week with shorter runs and lighter weights, then build back up.

Running and lifting in Forge

Forge is a workout app for iPhone that tracks both. I make Forge, so weigh that. Runs log with live GPS, pace and splits, and they count towards the same streak as your gym sessions. On a busy day, a short run keeps the streak going when you can’t get to the gym.

Your lifting plan comes from your goal, experience and equipment, and you choose which days you train, so you can leave room for your runs. With Apple Health connected, Forge reads your sleep and heart rate and suggests whether to push or take it easy, which helps when two kinds of training add up. Forge’s Apple Watch app is part of Forge Black, the optional paid tier, and logs runs with a live map. Tracking workouts on Apple Watch.

Common questions