How can a person maintain strength and be an endurance athlete?

Apologies for the convoluted nature of this post.

Am I flawed in my thinking for assuming that High Velocity Force Production has better transfer to running than Low Velocity Force Production? The reason I ask is that I need to run considerably for my job (military), but I am conflicted because I prefer powerlifting.

It seems these two forces are always at odds in my training and prevent me from making great progress in either. Periodically I must train running/rucking (distances past 12 miles) to prepare for a school/training, but in the “off season” I powerlift because it’s my preferred modality.

During the running/rucking blocks I lose strength and size (no surprise). Then during the lifting blocks, I am always playing catch up trying to get back to where I was so I can start making gains again.
I ran the Endurance template and although my running improved my strength diminished greatly. I am not surprised by this because that template represented a big reduction in volume. I was just disappointed because I wanted it to be magic and allow me to have the best of both worlds (strength and speed).

So, my original question is postulated because I am curious if I would find greater success by lifting for velocity over strength (i.e., Olympic weightlifting vs. powerlifting, this is just an example not the only example). Success in the previous sentence being defined as maintain adaptations for strength and running simultaneously. I understand that I am moving the goal post on what I consider strength.

In summary what do? How can a person maintain strength and be an endurance athlete?
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Hey Sawyer,

Thanks for the post. A few things here:

  • I don’t think power training/speed training transfers better to non sprint-based running, no.
  • The endurance requirements for military are relatively low IMO and do not disqualify PL as a resistance training programming style. The endurance template is not really a PL-style training template so I wouldn’t expect an individual who has previously down PL-style programming to do well in PL-style tests (e.g. 1RMs). I’d bet your 5-10RM stayed pretty close.
  • I don’t think I would ever do a running block unless you preferred it, but losing size would not be an acceptable outcome.

I think programming is going to be the most important factor in your success.

Yes, I agree with your assessment regarding relative levels of endurance. What I meant is that I would classify them as relatively low compared to other sports, particularly with VO2max requirements.

I appreciate your kind words. Thank you for your service and let us know if there’s anything we can do for you!

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