Running and lifting split for beginners
New to doing both? Start with three days a week, keep the runs easy and the lifts simple, and add a little at a time. Here is a split you can start on Monday.
Who this is for
This guide is for people who are new to running and lifting in the same week. That includes complete beginners, lifters who have never run much, and runners who have never touched a barbell. If you already train four or five days a week, our guide to combining running and lifting has fuller sample weeks.
The beginner rules
- Start with three days. Three sessions you actually do beat five you plan and skip. You can add more later.
- Lift full body. Body-part splits need four or five gym days to work. Two full-body sessions cover everything and leave room for running.
- Keep every run easy. You should be able to talk in full sentences. Walking breaks are part of the plan, not a failure.
- Leave a day between sessions. Your legs are doing two new jobs. Give them time to catch up.
- Change one thing at a time. More days, longer runs or heavier weights. Pick one per week, never all three.
The starting split: 3 days
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | GymFull body A: squat or leg press, bench press or press-ups, seated row, plank |
| Wednesday | RunEasy run or run/walk, 20–25 min |
| Friday | GymFull body B: Romanian deadlift, overhead press, lat pull-down, farmer's carry |
| Weekend | RestRest, or a walk if you fancy it |
The days themselves don't matter. The gaps do. Any pattern that puts a rest day between sessions works just as well.
What to do in the gym
Each session has four moves: one for the legs, one push, one pull and one for the trunk. That's enough. Do two or three sets of 8 to 12 reps on each, and finish every set feeling like you could have done two or three more.
When you can do 12 reps on every set with good form, add a small amount of weight next time and work back up from 8. Write down what you lifted so you know what to beat. Progress in the first few months comes from turning up and adding a little, not from finishing every session exhausted.
What to do on the run
If you can't yet run for 20 minutes without stopping, use run/walk intervals. Jog for one minute, walk for two, and repeat for 20 minutes. Each week, make the jogs a little longer or the walks a little shorter.
Pace doesn't matter yet. If you're breathing too hard to chat, slow down. A treadmill is fine if the weather or the dark puts you off.
How to build up over 8 weeks
| Weeks | What changes |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Two gym sessions and one run. Learn the lifts with light weights and find a run/walk pattern you can finish. |
| 3–5 | Add a second easy run of 15–20 min. Start adding weight to your lifts when you reach the top of the rep range. |
| 6–8 | Make one run your longer run by adding about five minutes a week. Keep the other one short. |
If a week feels rough, repeat it rather than pushing on. Nobody is marking your homework.
The four-day week
From week three, your week looks like this:
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | GymFull body A |
| Tuesday | RunShort easy run, 15–20 min |
| Thursday | GymFull body B |
| Saturday | RunLonger easy run |
The short run sits the day after a gym session, which is fine because it's easy. The longer run gets a rest day before it, so your legs are fresh for the session that asks the most of them.
Common beginner mistakes
- Running every run hard. It feels productive and it's the quickest way to dread your next session. Easy running builds the base everything else sits on.
- Leg day right before the long run. Heavy squats the day before your longest run makes both worse. Keep a day between them.
- Adding everything at once. A new gym day, a longer run and heavier weights in the same week is three changes. Make one.
- Eating like you're not training. You're now doing more than before. Regular meals with enough protein and carbohydrate make the sessions feel easier.
- Keeping it all in your head. If you don't write it down, you can't see what's working.
That last one is what Strand is for. It keeps your gym sessions and GPS runs in one log, so the whole week sits on one screen and you can see when a heavy leg day and a long run are about to land too close together.
Need a reason to start this month? Hybrid 12 is our free October challenge: log 12 sessions of any kind. Three sessions a week gets you there.
Common questions
What is a good running and lifting split for beginners?
Start with three days a week: two full-body gym sessions and one easy run or run/walk, with a rest day between each. After two or three comfortable weeks, add a second short easy run to make four sessions.
Should beginners run and lift on the same day?
Separate days are simpler when you are starting out, because each session gets fresh legs. If one day is all you have, do the session you care about most first and keep the second one short and easy.
Do I need to be able to run 5k before I start?
No. Run/walk intervals count as running. Jog for a minute, walk for two, and repeat for 20 minutes. Lengthen the jogs a little at a time as it starts to feel easier.
When should I add more training days?
When your current week has felt comfortable for two or three weeks in a row. Add one session at a time, and don't add a new day in the same week that you make your runs longer or your weights heavier.
Log your first week in one place
Strand tracks gym sessions, GPS runs, swims and nutrition in one app. Free on iPhone and Android.
This guide is general information, not medical or coaching advice. If you have an injury or health condition, speak to a qualified professional.