How much strength traing should runners do? Does it really matter? Doesn’t running make your legs strong?
Answers: Twice per week. Yes, it's vital. No, not unless you are pushing an increasingly heavy object while you run.
You have 8-10 weeks until outdoor running and race season is in full swing! Let's get as strong as possible between now and then.
First, let’s define “strength”. Strength, for our purposes, means the capacity to exert a great force. Endurance, on the other hand, is the ability to sustain a level of energy output over a period of time.
Here’s why Strength Training for Runners is vital:
Injury prevention: Under-active glutes and hamstrings plus lots and lots of repetitive stress spell disaster for knee, lumber spine, or both. Runner’s are also prone to forward shoulder and head posture. Combine that with a desk job, and it’s a recipe for stress on the neck and upper back, tension and pain. Getting stronger muscles in the quads, hamstrings and glutes improves knee stability. Stronger upper back and abdominals prevents posture-related pain and injuries.
Being absolutely stronger makes you an absolutely better, faster, more efficient runner! There are several studies that show maximal strength training, like 1-rep maximum heavy squat training, improves running economy and time to exhaustion at maximum aerobic speed. Evidence shows that heavy strength and power training improves performance for experienced long distance runners and marathoners, as well as recreational runners.
So there is no doubt, if you want a more successful, more enjoyable running season with reduced injury and pain, get as strong as you can over the next two months.
Here are the essential movements to include, and the basics of how to progress:
Squats - heavy, all the way down
Single Leg Pushing - lunge varieties and weighted step-ups tend to work best for knee injury prevention.
Hip Hinging - Deadlifts, Romanian Deadlifts, weighted hip bridges and Back Extensions are all good choices.
Weighted Rows - cable or dumbbell, as long as you are pulling toward your chest with good shoulder blade retraction.
Ab stability - planks and side planks, or get creative. Choose at least one that exerts force in a foreward-back plane of motion, and another one that exerts a side bending or twist (anti-twist) plane of motion.
To progress:
Week 1 - work up to the heaviest weight you can control well without straining or forcing it for 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Week 2 - increase all weights by the smallest increment and do 3 sets of 8 repetitions.
Week 3 - increase again, the smallest amount, and do 6 repetitions.
Week 4 - increase again, smallest amount, and do 3 sets with as many reps as you can until you struggle to maintain perfect form and tempo. Take note and use the info for Week 6.
Week 5 - use your Week 2 weights and do 3 sets of 6 reps each. It should feel pretty easy.
Week 6 - refer to Week 4. On exercises you achieved 6-8 reps, use that weight. If you achieved 9-11 reps, use a small increment more weight. If you achieved 12+ reps, use a double-increment more. Once you've figured the weights, do (try) 3 sets of 8 reps.
Week 7 - step up in weight, 3 sets of 6 reps.
Week 8 - step up in weight, 3 sets of 4 reps.
Week 9 - same weights, try 3 sets of 5 reps.
Week 10 - step up in weights, 3 sets of just 3 reps, or as many as you can with perfect form and tempo.
Voila! You are stronger!
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