STRENGTH TRAINING FOR RUNNERS

If your goal is to run better and faster, you should strength train. If you consider yourself a runner, you should strength train. Period.

Most runners believe that to be better-performing and faster-running machines, and they need to run more and hone their craft by following a well-designed running program. Well, that's only half true.

The other piece of the puzzle comes from a structured resistance-training program. Even if a runner wishes to improve their running time in the middle or long distances, training for strength in the gym is no longer merely an option, and it's a must.

No butts about it. If you want to see marked improvements in your race times, you need to run to the gym. (And then lift in it, of course lol.)

The goal here is to get you a stronger running body. You won't look like Arnold, trust me. So, here are a few tips below.

1. Lift Year-Round, But Back Off around Running Events

It's more important that you focus on building a solid foundation of strength and movement proficiency with the major lifts (more on that in the next point) than anything else. Dial back the strength-training frequency during racing season to ensure you don't cut into the recovery and performance of your running training.

Just as you would continue to run to keep from getting rusty, you would keep lifting weights to ensure that the body stays healthy throughout the year. Alas, a break of just a couple of weeks from massive stimuli can be enough to signal your body to start shedding strength.

2. Choose Functionally Superior Exercises

Not all exercises are created equal. The power and neuromuscular improvements from exercises like squat and deadlift variations will offer far more carryover to running than isolation curls. I recommend having a certified strength and conditioning coach or personal trainer to instruct you on proper and safe lifting techniques for these exercises.

Single-leg variations, like single-leg split squats, single-leg deadlifts, and lunge variations, are also crucial for the development of dynamic stability, which is essential for increasing running economy.

3. Train Within A Spectrum Of Sets And Repetitions

Exercise repetitions (aka reps) refer to the number of times you perform the same exercise one after another, and sets refer to how many total times you perform those repetitions in distinct groups, as in "3 sets of 10 reps." There is an ideal rep and set ranges for different effects on muscle, but for our purposes, focus on lifting weights that challenge you in the 5-reps-or-less field.

That means you should choose a weight that makes you feel like your muscles are on fire by the fifth rep. This 5-rep range works best for squats and deadlifts. For single-leg variations, focus on the 8-12-rep range. For core stabilisation exercises, concentrate on timed sets lasting 30-60 seconds.

4. Lift Weights With A Ballistic Intent

In other words, you need to move the weight as quickly as possible with your best form and technique possible, regardless of weight. Sometimes the pressure will move slowly, but your "ballistic intent" will preferentially recruit your fast-twitch muscle fibres. Doing this will help with power generation for times when you need to push off in the last mile.

5. Jump, Hop, And Skip

Frog jumps, jump squats, bounding, quick high-knees, these are all forms of explosive bodyweight training called plyometric training. Plyometrics can improve the stretch-shortening cycle of your lower limbs by making joints, tendons, and muscle less stiff. (Don't worry, stiffness isn't a bad thing.)

When your foot lands with each running stride, your tendons and muscles store elastic energy, which can be useful for the subsequent push off the ground. The better you use this energy, the better your running economy becomes.

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