# Concurrent training interference

The interference effect is the way endurance training can blunt your gains from resistance training, especially strength, power, and muscle growth (hypertrophy), when you do both in the same training cycle. The proposed mechanism centers on AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Endurance exercise switches on AMPK, and AMPK inhibits mTORC1, the master driver of muscle protein synthesis. Wilson and colleagues' meta-analysis (J Strength Cond Res, 2012) pooled 21 studies and 422 effect sizes. Hypertrophy and power were clearly blunted by concurrent endurance. Running interfered more than cycling, and longer or more frequent endurance sessions made it worse. Strength was less affected. The effect is modest, usually around 10 to 15%. Practical fixes: separate the two by at least 6 to 24 hours, cap your endurance volume, prefer cycling if you lift, and do your goal-relevant session first.

## Sources

- Wilson JM, Marin PJ, Rhea MR, et al.. (2012). Concurrent training: a meta-analysis examining interference of aerobic and resistance exercises. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31823a3e2d
- Hawley JA, Hargreaves M, Joyner MJ, Zierath JR. (2014). Integrative Biology of Exercise. Cell. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.10.029
- Coffey VG, Hawley JA. (2017). Concurrent exercise training: do opposites distract?. The Journal of Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP272270

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