REF-1300 · Palmer & Sleivert, 2001 · Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport · Paper · PubMed

Can I run the same day after lifting?

Submaximal running, yes: in 9 well-trained runners with lifting experience, oxygen cost was 2.6% higher 1 h and 1.6% higher 8 h after a 50-min session; no significant rise at 24 h (B).

Main caveat: Read from the abstract only; the session content, the order of conditions, the speeds and the 24-h numbers could not be checked.
limited, mixed evidenceMeasured on trained to highly trained athletes

Palmer and Sleivert asked whether a low-volume, high-intensity resistance session changes running economy in a later treadmill run.

Nine well-trained distance runners (VO2max 66.6 ± 10.2 mL·kg-1·min-1, 65.8 kg, 173.4 cm, 20 years) with resistance-training experience ran at two submaximal speeds, 0.56 and 0.20 m/s below the speed at lactate equilibrium, either rested or 1, 8 or 24 h after a 50-min whole-body resistance session.

Oxygen uptake was measured by open-circuit spirometry, and quadriceps contractile properties by percutaneous electrical stimulation after each session and before each run. Submaximal oxygen uptake rose 2.6 ± 2.3% at 1 h (p = 0.007) and 1.6 ± 2.5% at 8 h (p = 0.032), not at 24 h.

Heart rate, ventilation, respiratory exchange ratio, perceived exertion and running mechanics did not change. Peak twitch torque, time to peak torque and half-relaxation time fell immediately after the session, and peak twitch torque was still lower at 1 h.

The authors conclude that running economy is impaired for up to 8 h after resistance training, without a rise in heart rate, possibly through impaired force-generating capacity.

Our reading: for a trained runner who lifts, a same-day lift costs a little economy and the next day it is gone — support for the short (24 h) end of SYNTH-31 before submaximal work; it does not test harder running the next day.

Protocol

Participants: n = 9 well-trained distance runners; VO2max 66.6 ± 10.2 mL·kg-1·min-1, body mass 65.8 ± 10.2 kg, height 173.4 ± 7.8 cm, age 20 ± 1.1 y; sex not stated in the abstract.
Familiarity: "with resistance training experience" (frequency and recency not given).
Resistance session: a 50-min whole-body session described as low-volume, high-intensity; exercises, sets and loads not in the abstract.
Running test: treadmill running at two speeds, 0.56 m/s and 0.20 m/s below the speed corresponding to lactate equilibrium; conditions: rested, or 1 h, 8 h or 24 h after the resistance session. Running economy by open-circuit spirometry; heart rate by telemetry; RPE; running mechanics.
Neuromuscular: quadriceps femoris contractile properties (peak twitch torque, time to peak torque, half-relaxation time) by percutaneous electrical stimulation after each resistance session and before each run.
Time points: 1 h, 8 h, 24 h.
Funding and interests: not stated in the abstract or the PubMed record (University of Otago, New Zealand).

Key Results

Submaximal running after a 50-min whole-body resistance session vs rested (abstract):

Time after the sessionOxygen uptake vs restedp
1 h+2.6 ± 2.3%0.007
8 h+1.6 ± 2.5%0.032
24 hnot significantly different—
Other measuresResult
Heart rate, ventilation, RER, RPE, running mechanicsno significant differences at any time point
Quadriceps peak twitch torque, time to peak torque, half-relaxation timereduced immediately after the session
Quadriceps peak twitch torquestill lower at 1 h
The abstract does not give the speed-by-speed results, the 24-h difference or confidence intervals; the SDs of the change (2.3% and 2.5%) are as large as the means, so some runners showed little or no change (no control-condition spread is reported to compare).

Mechanisms

Measured: oxygen cost rose while heart rate, ventilation and perceived exertion did not; quadriceps twitch properties were impaired immediately and at 1 h.
Authors' interpretation: impaired force-generating capacity of the muscle after resistance training raises the oxygen cost of running; because heart rate did not change, a heart-rate-guided run would not reveal the higher cost.
Inference: the deficit had gone by 24 h in runners accustomed to lifting, in contrast with resistance-untrained runners whose running stayed impaired at 24-48 h (REF-1299); training status in the gym, not in running, is the likely difference.

Practical Application

Can I run the same day after lifting? Submaximal running, yes: in 9 well-trained runners with lifting experience, oxygen cost was 2.6% higher 1 h and 1.6% higher 8 h after a 50-min session; no significant rise at 24 h (B).
For a runner with lifting experience, submaximal economy showed no significant cost 24 h after a lift (this study, n = 9; harder running not tested). Not from this paper; the base's own practice: a familiar heavy lift ≥24 h before threshold or VO2max work and ≥48 h before a sprint or a test; a new or damaging one (eccentric-heavy, plyometric, downhill, taken to failure) ≥48 h before quality (SYNTH-31), and no testing in the 24-48 h damage window (SYNTH-23).
Same day: endurance first when the run matters. A run 1-8 h after the lift carried a small economy cost (this study); when the lift comes first, the ≥3 h condition comes from REF-330 and the "endurance first" order from SYNTH-31.
Heart rate will not show it: the higher oxygen cost came without a change in heart rate or perceived exertion (this study).

Limitations

Read from the abstract only; the session content, the order of conditions, the speeds and the 24-h numbers could not be checked.
n = 9 young runners; sex not stated; no women reported.
Submaximal running only; no threshold, interval or time-trial outcome, so "back by 24 h" applies to economy, not to hard running.
Economy changes of 1.6-2.6% are close to the day-to-day variation of running economy (typically a few percent, base inference); the SDs of change equal the means.
Funding and conflicts of interest: not stated.
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level

n = 9 (the rubric's crossover <15 band, B), lowered a step because it is an abstract-only small study with key methods missing and an economy outcome rather than performance; trained runners who lift, the population this question is about; the outcome is running economy, a determinant of performance, not performance; read from the abstract (the full text is not open and OpenAlex lists no repository copy), so the order of conditions, the session's exercises and the test speeds in km/h could not be checked