Why Strength Training is Needed in Runners

“Specificity is key.” This is a phrase many of us have heard with regards to our training.

This makes sense intuitively as no one would think that training like a powerlifter would lend itself to making the athlete as effective in long distance running compared to training for running.

However, while specificity is a critical component to consider when creating or evaluating a training program, too much specificity is not desirable. This can be said regardless of the individual’s sport.

Perfect specificity to competition would involve a marathon runner only running marathons for their training or powerlifters taking three maximal effort attempts at their competition lifts to prepare for a meet.

However, we know for certain that neither of these examples actually work long-term. In reality, individuals who attempt to train in such a manner would find their progress eventually reaching a plateau.

This could be either due to their bodies failing to perform beyond a certain threshold or due to the injuries that could accumulate over time.

Even if we shift away from these extreme examples and only examine training programs that are structured properly, we still frequently see protocols neglecting to incorporate some of the necessary elements of cross training to optimize performance.

For runners, this goes beyond simply subbing out a run for a bike or swim. It required regularly incorporating strength training into their program.

Research has shown that the inclusion of strength training for runners results in better body composition and performance compared to individuals who only utilized running in their training.

In addition, strength training for runners appears to lower the overall risk of injury. It is believed that this reduction in injury risk occurs by improving the efficiency of muscle contractions as well as increasing the strength of muscles that tend to be relatively weak in runners.

These processes result in muscles that are more reactive and able to contract more forcefully.

The benefits of strengthening weak musculature also serves to improve running efficiency and minimize compensatory motions that over time can lead to injury.

How to Incorporate Strength Training into Your Running Program

When combining strength training and endurance training for running, it is important to consider where you are in your training.

Some overarching concepts will remain the same, but the specifics will vary depending on whether you are in season or out of season.

When preparing for a race or being in season, the strength training will be less of a focus any given week.

In contrast, when competition dates are further in the future, the focus of training should be geared more towards becoming a more well rounded athlete.

This is often referred to as a general physical preparedness (GPP) phase. Below we will discuss the best parameters for your strength training as a runner both when preparing for a race or competition as well as in a GPP phase.

1. Training parameters

The most important parameters for strength exercise include the frequency, intensity, and volume. The frequency refers to how often individuals perform the exercise in a given week.

Three strength sessions per week has been shown to be highly effective for improving performance in runners.

However, this may vary depending on where the athlete is in their training with regards to their competition and their needs in terms of recovery.

For example, an athlete may choose to decrease to two strength sessions per week as they approach race day. Conversely, an athlete who is several months away from their competition or has no planned race day in the near future, may benefit from focusing more on GPP and incorporating more than three days of strength training into their program.

Heavy resistance training was found to be more effective for improving running performance compared to training with very light loads.

When it comes to strength training, this looks like percentages nearing or exceeding 85% of the athlete’s one rep max on the movement for most sessions. This will vary depending on the phase of training, as lighter loads between 60 and 80% are more likely to be used for GPP with the intensity increasing as the program progresses.

The final parameter to consider is the volume. This consists of the sets and repetitions of each exercise that the athlete completes in a given session.

When working at higher intensities, athletes will typically perform sets of between 1 and 8 repetitions. The total number of repetitions at these heavier percentages will likely be between 8 and 24 for the workout.

When working with lighter loads, the athlete should aim to complete sets of 8 to 15 repetitions with the total number of repetitions for the exercise ranging from 25 to 45.

2. Exercise selection

Selecting the appropriate movements in your training is also important to maximizing the efficacy of your program.

Runners should focus primarily on using compound/multi-joint exercises for the upper body, lower body, and core. It is important to train more with compound movements as these allow us to move higher loads and with greater speed than isolation exercises.

Examples of the best lower body exercises to train include squats, deadlifts, the olympic lifts, and variations of these movements.

Compound upper body exercises include rows, pull-ups, overhead presses, and dips.

Isolation exercises can then be incorporated as useful secondary movements to target specific areas of weakness in the athlete.

References:

Šuc A, Šarko P, Pleša J, Kozinc Ž. Resistance Exercise for Improving Running Economy and Running Biomechanics and Decreasing Running-Related Injury Risk: A Narrative Review. Sports (Basel). 2022;10(7):98. Published 2022 Jun 24. doi:10.3390/sports10070098

Prieto-González P, Sedlacek J. Effects of Running-Specific Strength Training, Endurance Training, and Concurrent Training on Recreational Endurance Athletes' Performance and Selected Anthropometric Parameters. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(17):10773. Published 2022 Aug 29. doi:10.3390/ijerph191710773

Eihara Y, Takao K, Sugiyama T, et al. Heavy Resistance Training Versus Plyometric Training for Improving Running Economy and Running Time Trial Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med Open. 2022;8(1):138. Published 2022 Nov 12. doi:10.1186/s40798-022-00511-1

Lorenz D, Morrison S. Current Concepts in Periodization of Strength and Conditioning for the Sports Physical Therapist. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2015;10(6):734-747.