I do a lot of distance running to keep fit, but I’d also like to do weight training to bulk up my muscles a bit. Are the two totally incompatible?
Donald Randall, Manchester

Matt Hart, personal trainer, replies:
Endurance exercise and bodybuilding mix like oil and water. While strength and power training builds large fast-twitch muscle fibres, endurance activities such as distance running eat these up and tune the smaller slow-twitch muscle fibres.

Achieve a compromise by making sure your diet includes good sources of protein and carbohydrate, weight training with high weights and low repetitions, and scheduling your training with care so that you have separate strength and endurance phases throughout the year. This could allow you to be more ‘built-up’ at some points in the year and a stronger distance runner at others.