The schedule
3 runs + 2 strength days.
Five training days, two rest days, and nothing sitting next to something that ruins it. Below are four versions of that week for different constraints, and a builder if none of them matches yours.
Part of our guide to Strength training for female runners .
Run easy Tuesday, hard Thursday, long Sunday; lift lower body Monday and upper body Friday. Wednesday and Saturday rest. That is the default, the variants below cover a Saturday long run, a blocked midweek day and a weekday-only week.
The default: long run Sunday
If nothing constrains your week, this is the shape to start from.
- Mon, lower body
- Tue, easy run
- Wed, rest
- Thu, quality run
- Fri, upper body
- Sat, rest
- Sun, long run
Long run Saturday
Everything shifts back a day, and Sunday becomes the full rest that follows the longest session.
- Mon, rest
- Tue, lower body
- Wed, easy run
- Thu, quality run
- Fri, upper body
- Sat, long run
- Sun, rest
If you cannot train Wednesday
A blocked midweek day is the most common constraint, and it is the easiest to absorb, Wednesday was the rest day anyway in the default. What it costs you is the buffer, so the quality run moves to keep two days from the long run.
- Mon, lower body
- Tue, quality run
- Wed, blocked
- Thu, easy run
- Fri, upper body
- Sat, rest
- Sun, long run
Weekdays only
The hardest version, because the long run has to fit a weekday and the week has no weekend buffer. Keep it honest: the long run gets shorter, and the second strength day goes upper body.
- Mon, lower body
- Tue, easy run
- Wed, upper body
- Thu, quality run
- Fri, long run (shorter than a weekend one)
- Sat / Sun, rest
What all four have in common
The variants differ; the rules do not. If you build your own, keep these:
- Two days between the quality run and the long run
- Lower body never the day before the long run
- Upper body in the awkward slot, because it interferes least
- At least one full rest day, planned
Questions
Is 3 runs and 2 strength days enough?+
For most recreational runners, yes. It is five training days a week with real rest, and it is sustainable across months, which matters more than any single week.
Should the strength days be full body?+
With two days, one lower and one upper works better than two full-body sessions: it lets you place the lower-body one away from your hard runs.
What if I can only run twice?+
Drop the quality run before the long run or the easy run. Two runs and two strength days is still a coherent week.
Can I add a third strength day?+
Only if your running volume is moderate, and make it upper body or a lighter full-body session.
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How FitBoost builds these schedules
The placement rules on this page are the ones the app applies: hard sessions spaced apart, heavy lower body kept away from the key run, upper body used as the session that interferes least, and rest planned rather than left over. In the app they run against your own history, what you completed, what you skipped and what you reported as too hard, rather than against a template.
We do not claim a clinical review of this page. It is training guidance, not medical advice, and anything involving pain, injury, pregnancy or the postpartum period belongs with a professional who can assess you. FitBoost has no postpartum programme today.
Last reviewed: August 2026