Interesting discussion. But I wasn't really concerned about walking because I take my dog for at least one brisk 45-50 minute walk a day through a former clay pit. For some this might be an OK form of exercise. But even as a couch potato I have to really push myself (might as well start jogging at that point) to get my heart rate above 120bpm on the steepest slopes.
One of my goals for this year (alongside a double BW deadlift for 5 reps) is to improve my cardio to the point were I can run a decent 3km/2mi time without killing myself.
My original question probably should have looked something like this:
-how much jogging/running can you do before it starts to interfere with strength training.
-is it OK to do this immediately after PTTP or is it better to separate them.
But thanks anyways
This makes things more clear, and I have some recent experience and ongoing experimentation on the topic.
But first, to reiterate, for health purposes, walking is fine. You do not need to hit a certain HR, like 120, and it never needs to feel hard. You dog walking routine is all the aerobic work that you “need.”
But you go on to state a performance goal of a “good” running time, so you “want” more aerobic fitness. That will take some additional work.
RE: Concurrent Training
Interference is certainly possible, but usually overstated. The biggest problem is trying to combine them into one session. But if you separate strength and endurance sessions by a few hours, or on separate days, there is plenty of time to recover and benefit from both. The risk of interference is mostly for the top ends of your ability, as time spent doing one takes time away from the other, limiting development, or worse, overtraining.
As a long time Maffetone devotee, I’ve been leery of strength work because of interference. But this past fall, I decided to test it with an experiment, since I was far enough away from any endurance goals that it wouldn’t matter if things went sideways a bit.
For three months, I strength trained in the gym four days a week using the Easy Strength template. I did DL, dips, chins, ab wheel, and farmer’s walk. I trained aerobic endurance at MAF six days a week, for 6-8 hrs combining cycling and running. I did one long ride of 3-4 hrs, all other sessions were 45-60 min. Occasionally I did the DMPM with a KB for fun. I usually trained strength in the AM, and endurance in the PM.
Results:
My strength went up in the gym, and aerobic fitness improved as measured by regular MAF tests. I was not untrained or detrained, nor was I particularly great shape. But I finished the cycle with the best combination of fitness attributes in a very long time, perhaps ever.
In your case, the dog walking is fine for health, but a running performance goal will require some run training. PTTP is like Easy Strength and a great fit since the sessions are so short. Add in 2-3 run sessions at a different time of day and you should be golden.
