Strength Training for Runners - Part 2

In the last blog article we looked at all the reasons WHY a runner should including strength training into their program. In this article, we’ll look at HOW we incorporate strength into our programs at Endurance Blueprint.

As a first principle, we need to look at the goal of our strength training - to build what running can’t! As we’ve previously mentioned, running is great at improving muscular endurance in a running specific range of motion. But its pretty crap at developing maximum strength and power - that’s the goal of our strength training!

Strength Training Pyramid for Runner

When looking to optimise performance in any discipline, you always need to start with a solid foundation. That's why we use a modified version of the NASM Optimum Performance Training Model (read more here) for our strength training that looks like this:

The purpose of this structure is to build a solid core before progressing to heavier and more complex activities. 

Stability

The terms strength and stability are often used interchangeably when referencing ‘strength programs or workouts that are recommended for runners. However its important to recognise that these are two very separate (although interlinked) physiological outcomes that will provide different benefits to your running.

Lets start by looking at the definition of each:

Strength – the amount of force a muscle can produce.

Stability – the ability to maintain control of balance and joint movements by coordinating the action of muscles.

As you can see, strength may help power you up a particularly steep climb or hold your pace at the end of a marathon. But its your inherent muscle stability that will provide a solid platform for you to run with a balanced, correct gait and maintain it when fatigued (for example at the end of a race, or just during normal training volume).

Running requires your limbs to act independently - one opposite arm/leg combination drives forward, while the opposing combination swings back. This is where muscle stability allows your spine and pelvis (hips) to remain in the correct alignment with all the rotation and swinging going on around them. Another example of stability is single-leg squats. You may have the ‘strength’ to perform multiple squats, but do they look like this?

How do we improve stability? Its generally through completing exercises where you are engaging your core muscles to hold your pelvis / core in place, such as:

• Kettlebell Revolutions / Swings

• Skater hops 

• Side planks 

• Leg Swings 

• T-pushups 

A great exercise to test your stability is to close your eyes, stand on one leg and see how long you can balance for. If you can’t last at least one minute it’s likely you need to work on your core and hip stability. Once you’ve nailed this, you can move on to building strength!

Strength

As mentioned above, there’s a limit to the strength you can build from running alone. Therefore, if you really want to improve your strength to improve your running performance, you’re going to have to lift some weights. 

Luckily humans have been strength training for a very long time, so we have a good understanding of how to do this. Traditional lifting movements such as front squats, back squats, deadlifts, clean pulls, calf raises completed as 3-5 sets of 6-10 repetitions will build strength in the key muscle groups you need.

Worried about building too much muscle? Yes, it's true that this type of lifting results in hypertrophy (bigger muscles), but for endurance athletes that is uncommon. Our large running volume, overall energy balance and relatively low strength training volume is not conducive to muscle building. But we still get strength gains! Win!

Power

We haven’t defined power yet, so if you’re unfamiliar with the term, it means the ability to exert maximum muscular force in the shortest possible time.

When we run, our foot lands on the ground and our body weight is absorbed by the tendons and muscles in our foot, ankle and lower leg. That force is then rebounded through those same tendons and we explode off the ground with power! 

The purpose of this phase is to teach our muscles to generate force quickly - so that when we toe-off the ground, we’re doing it with more strength and power. This makes our stride longer, and longer stride means faster running!

How do we do this? The simplest way is to utilise the same lifting exercises mentioned above, but reduce the repetitions, increase the weight and complete them forcefully. 

The other method is to perform plyometric exercises. These are common explosive movements that can be repeated to teach our muscles to act forcefully. Examples include:

• Pogo hops

• Bounding

• Single-leg hopping

• Box jumps

If you want to take this even further, completing supersets where you perform maximal strength lifts followed by a complementary plyometric. For example you could perform 3 repetitions of backs squats (at lets say 90% max) followed by 8 explosive box jumps. 

Transitions between phases

What we’ve described above is a relatively simple outline of each phase and how to complete it. In reality, athletes don’t perform all of these completely independently of each other. Similar to run programming, its optimal to be working on each of these (just a little) at all times. 

In particular, stability work should be completed year-round to ensure your core remains strong enough to withstand the rigors of endurance training. However, as you progress through your training cycle and get closer to a goal race or races, the intention is that your strength training program also progresses, with the power phase being the last one completed just before your taper. 

Summary

Strength training for runners is more complex than just back squats or step ups and needs to consider the ultimate goal - to increase maximal strength and power. The timing and cycle of your strength training program also needs to complete your running program and be tied to your season goals so you are peaking (in strength, power, running economy) at the right time.

If you think you need some guidance on how to incorporate strength training into your running program, reach out to one of our coaches!