Running everyday and weight lifting?

[ImTheGroom]

Cardio does not particularly help agility. Agility is neurological, not somatic. Of course, cardio isn't going to hurt your agility at all. A wider range of movements will help your agility. So, yes, running, and lifting weights, is better for agility than doing one or the other, generally speaking. But neither, on its own, is particularly good for agility, since both are sets of closed skills. Overground running has a bit of an edge because it requires more adaptation as you are moving, being in a somewhat unpredictable environment, and being a cyclical skill. However, don't count on running to make any gains in agility. If you want gains in agility, play soccer, or squash, or something else that requires a lot of changes of direction, and adapting to the changing parameters of the activity.

 

[ImTheGroom]

It develops specific fitness. It's great for hockey and football (gridiron) players, for example, who use the same type of exertion-rest pattern in competition. When used in conjunction with training that develops other fitnesses, it is good for most athletes. For example, a soccer player needs high levels of exertion at times, but has few periods of actual rest. So, he needs both general cardiovascular, and pulmonary, endurance, as well as endurance in his multiple bursts of anaerobic exertion. Rugby, as well. In terms of general fitness, HIIT is good exercise, and doesn't hurt, provided you are fit enough to do the training safely. I would have to go look up its overall health effects, as, in my work, I'm primarily concerned with effects on an athlete's performance.

And, for agility, the directional changes need to be as unplanned as possible. Running hurdles, it could be argued, does not require a great deal of agility, as the hurdles are fixed in place, and at set intervals. Now, if another hurdler somehow trips on his hurdle, and throws it, and himself, into your lane, that would require some agilty.

 

[BKW]

There's a lot of bro-science here, just to give my 2 cents for future readers wanting info.

Steady state cardio:
Aerobic
Slow twitch type I muscle fibers
120-150 heart rate
Uses carbs, fat and muscle protein in smaller amounts for energy, but normally doesn't tap into fat until after 20 mins generous enough exertion. Pretty useless for fat loss, good to keep the heart and lung muscles in check.

High intensity interval training:
Anaerobic
Fast twitch type II muscle fibers
150+ heart rate
Can only use carbs (muscle glycogen) as fuel, once depleted enough and fatigue sets in, can use muscle protein to bridge the gap of using fat borne ketone bodies. 24 hours after, excess post exercise oxygen consumption burns a lot of fat. Muscle/protein only at risk if in prolonged calorie deficit without sufficient protein.

Summary: HIIT in a number of ways plays into the ball park of weight training in terms of muscle growth (abs, back, legs), increased energy, greater glycogen stores, quicker removal of waste product from muscles, don't neglect it because bro-science has you scared you'll become skinny, sprinters are muscular not skinny; and their focus isn't even weight training. Do it after weight training 1 - 2 days a week. Steady state cardio is fine too for 20 minutes or so, can be done more regularly. Either will be affected of course if after squats etc. In either scenario carb up first, take BCAA and if you're in a calorie surplus you can't lose muscle under those circumstances. Pushes your calories lower than you'd like? Eat them back. Don't have a heart attack and be stuck breathing through the mouth, it's not fun. Be hench and run.