Concurrent Training for Strength and Cardio, How to Avoid the Interference Effect
- Alastair Hunt
- May 1
- 6 min read
Updated: May 3
It’s an age-old gym debate: can you train for strength and cardiovascular fitness at the same time without compromising your progress? For those pushing beyond basic workouts or circuit style training, this question lies at the heart of what’s known as the “interference effect” - the idea that combining aerobic and strength training might blunt your gains. But recent research suggests the reality is far more nuanced. With the right strategy, you can get stronger and fitter simultaneously.
As ever, please talk to your doctor or medical practitioner most familiar with your medical history before implementing any changes in diet, exercise or lifestyle, especially if you are under treatment. Links to all studies at bottom of page.
What Recent Research Tells Us About Concurrent Training
Three major systematic reviews and meta-analyses have explored how strength and endurance training interact. Their combined findings reveal a largely positive picture - though not without some trade-offs, especially if your goals involve building power or muscle size.
The largest and most comprehensive review, by Schumann and colleagues in 2022, analysed 43 studies and found that concurrent aerobic and strength training did not meaningfully reduce gains in maximal strength or overall muscle hypertrophy. This held true across different ages, fitness levels, and types of endurance training, whether running or cycling.
However, the picture was slightly different when it came to explosive strength, such as jump height or sprint speed. These gains were reduced by around 28% when strength and endurance training were performed together—particularly when both occurred in the same session.
Further nuance comes from a study by Lundberg et al., which focused specifically on muscle fibre growth. While whole muscle size wasn’t significantly affected, fibre-level growth - particularly in type I (slow-twitch) fibres - was slightly blunted. Interestingly, this effect was more pronounced with running than cycling.
A third review, Mikkonen et al, looked at female-specific outcomes and found clear benefits to concurrent training. Women improved both strength and endurance, and some studies also showed improvements in body composition and metabolic health. However, the review also highlighted a significant gap: most studies didn’t account for potential hormonal differences or track menstrual status, limiting conclusions about how best to adapt training across the cycle.
How to Reduce the Interference Effect
If you want to enjoy the benefits of both strength and endurance training while avoiding unwanted compromises, your training plan needs to be intentional.
First, avoid doing strength and endurance workouts back-to-back. The strongest evidence shows that separating the two by at least three hours helps preserve gains - especially when explosive strength is a priority. If you train both in one day, placing strength training first is usually best, since it relies more heavily on neuromuscular effort that can be blunted by prior fatigue from running or cycling.
Running, though accessible and popular, appears more likely to interfere with muscle development than cycling. This may be due to the eccentric loading and greater inflammatory stress associated with running. For those focused on hypertrophy or strength, replacing some runs with low-impact cycling may be a smarter choice.
Equally important is moderating the overall training load. In the studies reviewed, training frequency for both modalities was usually moderate - two to four sessions per week each. High volumes of endurance work, especially when combined with frequent lifting, increased the risk of interference. If your primary goal is strength or physique-focused, keeping cardio sessions short and controlled can help maintain cardiovascular benefits without hindering muscle growth.
For female athletes and active women, concurrent training is effective, but awareness of individual factors such as hormonal fluctuations, energy availability, and menstrual health is crucial. These can all influence recovery and adaptation and may explain variability in outcomes.
Using Training Cycles to Balance Competing Goals
A powerful way to minimise interference and maximise progress is to periodise your training. This means organising your training year into blocks, or cycles, with a focus that shifts over time.
For example, you might spend one month prioritising running - three to four endurance sessions per week and one or two lighter lifting days. The following month, the focus could shift to strength - three lifting days supported by one or two moderate-intensity runs to maintain your cardiovascular base. Over the long term, this alternation allows both systems to develop without directly competing at every turn.
Periodisation also allows for structured deloads and recovery phases. These are essential in concurrent training, where total workload can escalate quickly. Thoughtful planning not only protects your performance, but also reduces injury risk and helps you stay consistent.
The Often Overlooked Role of Recovery and Nutrition
No training plan can be effective without attention to recovery. Concurrent training places greater demands on your energy systems and musculoskeletal system, increasing the need for adequate rest, sleep, and fuelling.
Recovery is especially vital for women, whose hormonal systems can be more sensitive to chronic stress or low energy availability. Regular meals, sufficient protein and a nutrition strategy a central role in preventing fatigue and supporting adaptation.
Sleep, too, must not be overlooked. It’s during rest that the body repairs muscle tissue, consolidates learning, and restores energy levels. Without it, even the most well-structured programme will underperform.
Final Thoughts
The so-called interference effect is real - but it’s also manageable. Most people can safely and effectively train for both strength and endurance with minimal compromise, so long as they are thoughtful about how sessions are timed and structured. And if you are combining a run with a few push-ups, don't let this stop you from benefiting from a perfectly healthy work-out!
For the dedicated pursuer of strength and cardio, avoid cramming cardio and weights into a single block of time. Rotate training priorities across the months. Choose cycling over running when hypertrophy is the goal. And never underestimate the importance of recovery, particularly if you’re managing multiple goals at once. With these strategies in place, you can lift, run, recover and grow - without being pulled in opposite directions.
Changing health for the better is about progress, not perfection, and even small changes can have a powerful and positive effect on health. For most people, improving health is about finding motivation and prioritising self-care - with an ultimate goal of taking action. If you want to take effective and targeted steps that fit into your unique lifestyle and circumstances, The Whole Health Practice is here to help.
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Stay Healthy,
Alastair
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Related Studies
Mikkonen RS, Ihalainen JK, Hackney AC, Häkkinen K. Perspectives on Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training in Healthy Adult Females: A Systematic Review. Sports Med. 2024 Mar;54(3):673-696. doi: 10.1007/s40279-023-01955-5. Epub 2023 Nov 10. PMID: 37948036; PMCID: PMC10978686.
Lundberg TR, Feuerbacher JF, Sünkeler M, Schumann M. The Effects of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training on Muscle Fiber Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2022 Oct;52(10):2391-2403. doi: 10.1007/s40279-022-01688-x. Epub 2022 Apr 27. PMID: 35476184; PMCID: PMC9474354.
Schumann M, Feuerbacher JF, Sünkeler M, Freitag N, Rønnestad BR, Doma K, Lundberg TR. Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training for Skeletal Muscle Size and Function: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2022 Mar;52(3):601-612. doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01587-7. Epub 2021 Nov 10. PMID: 34757594; PMCID: PMC8891239.
Other
Petré H, Hemmingsson E, Rosdahl H, Psilander N. Development of Maximal Dynamic Strength During Concurrent Resistance and Endurance Training in Untrained, Moderately Trained, and Trained Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2021 May;51(5):991-1010. doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01426-9. Epub 2021 Mar 22. PMID: 33751469; PMCID: PMC8053170.
Murlasits Z, Kneffel Z, Thalib L. The physiological effects of concurrent strength and endurance training sequence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2018 Jun;36(11):1212-1219. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2017.1364405. Epub 2017 Aug 7. PMID: 28783467.
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