Critical Sports Performance

Introduction

Growing up, I was always smaller than the other kids and I wanted to change that. So I started lifting my junior year of High School . After a few months, I noticed the results in my physique and my races.

Senior year I wanted to qualify for the state cross country meet. I felt like strength training had helped me as a junior so I kept it in my weekly programing. That year I was working with one of the football coaches in the weight room. Most of his strength and conditioning knowledge came from his experience as a football player or coach. If you watched the NFL Combine a few weeks ago then you probably noticed that football players train very differently than runners. I tried to talk to him about my sport and my goals but he wasn’t interested. He had everyone on the same program that was designed for his football players. The day before the conference championship; we were doing As Many Reps As Possible(AMRAP) on back squat. I told him about my race and that I wanted to feel fresh. He told me to lower the weight but still rep it out. I followed his instructions because he was in charge and I didn’t know any better. I now know that is the opposite of what runners should be doing in the weight room and my race suffered because of it. I decided that the best way for me to get to the state meet was to stop lifting. It had worked out and I qualified for the meet. However, my success was short-lived as I got injured a few weeks after that.

I’m probably not the only runner who has had a bad experience in the weight room and decided to give up strength training. Even a lot of elite and professional runners don’t strength train. One study found that about half of the qualifiers for the 2004 US Olympic Marathon trials did not do strength training (Karp, 2007). Strength training has many benefits for physical and mental health. There are also a few additional benefits specifically for runners.

Benefits of Strength Training

Stronger finishes: Many runners don’t lift because they think that running alone will make them stronger. This is partially true. Running will make the muscles and connective tissue stronger. However, it has been found that low-intensity running does not cause neurological adaptations for increased strength (Beattie, 2014). I’ll give you an example. Have you ever been passed in the final stretch of a race? If you have then you have probably tried to increase your mileage. Did that help? You might have felt like you had more in the tank but you couldn’t reach that extra gear. This is because low-intensity distance running does not target the proper muscle fibers. There are two main types of muscle fibers. These include fast twitch and slow twitch. Slow twitch fibers are like a Prius. They use gas very efficiently but they won’t reach top-end speed very quickly. Fast twitch fibers are like the cars you see racing down the interstate. They can reach a great speed but don’t have the best gas mileage. During a long-distance race, the muscle fibers being primarily targeted are the slow twitch fibers. However, during the final stretch, we need to use the fast twitch fibers. They produce more force and can help us shift gears so we can surge when necessary. Strength training improves our ability to recruit these fibers while increasing the amount of force they can produce. When runners incorporate strength training then they have the strength at the end of a race to surge past their competitors. 

Improved Running Economy: Two major markers for running fitness are VO2 Max and Lactate threshold. Runners will usually design their workouts to focus on improving one or both of these markers. However, running economy is a better indicator of performance in distance running events (Beattie, 2014). The problem with these two metrics is that they don’t necessarily correlate with performance. They will increase as you increase running fitness but a certain VO2 max or Lactate threshold doesn’t guarantee a certain race time. For example, one study had runners with a matched VO2 Max race (Beattie, 2014). They found that the runners with the higher running economy performed better in the race. This is because the running economy has to do with the amount of energy we use. A higher economy means that we are more efficient and will use less energy at the same intensity. Running will increase this value but not to the same extent as someone who supplements their running with strength training. Strength training will increase the ability of the body to store and redirect energy to create motion. This leads to a more efficient stride. 

Injury Resilience: Many people know that strength training is good for making our muscles stronger. Muscles are not the only tissue that gets stronger with strength training. During strength training, there is resistance placed on muscles, bones, tendons, and other connective tissue. This resistance will help the tissue become more durable and decrease the chance of getting injured. It is also helpful because it can isolate some areas for runners that are more injury-prone and may not be targeted during a run. For example, many runners have weak lateral glute muscles and hamstrings. More running will not help this but can be isolated in strength training with a single-leg Romanian deadlift or glute bridge variations. There are also areas where a runner may have a history of injury. If these areas have been injured before then there is a high chance that they will be injured again. These spots require a specific strength training protocol. This will strengthen the surrounding muscles to help prevent future injuries. Just remember that you CAN NOT PREVENT ALL RUNNING INJURIES. Strength training for runners is just one way of reducing our chance of getting injured.   

Better posture: Have you ever been out on a run and noticed that your shoulders hunch over? Have you ever had back pain after a run? Have you ever felt your shoulders get tight while running? If you said yes to any of these questions then you are probably suffering from poor running posture. Runners will often focus on getting stronger legs but they ignore their hips and torso. The hips and torso provide a foundation for our legs to push off. If your legs don’t have a sturdy base then you are limiting performance and may be experiencing some of the symptoms I described above. Strength training allows runners to target areas that may be needed but don’t get enough focus while running. It has been found that runners that included a core strength training routine improved their 5k performance more than the group that only ran (Sato, 2009). Runners who add in core strength training sessions may also naturally see an improvement in running form as they become stronger. 

Improved Body Image: Distance runners are traditionally smaller than the average person. A few strength training sessions a week won’t turn you into a giant bodybuilder especially if you are running high mileage. However, you will still gain a few pounds of muscle. This probably won’t be enough to slow you down but it can help with your self-confidence. It’s a thrilling feeling when you look in the mirror and start to see the results of your hard work. It can also be used as an intimidation tactic on the start line of your next race. You won’t be getting pushed around when people see your muscles popping out under your tank top.

Strength training for Runners

Hopefully, if you made it this far then you are considering adding strength training into your routine. I mentioned earlier that not all strength training programs are going to benefit runners. I can not give you a specific program in this article. There are two many variables to create a good program for anyone who reads this article. So I will instead give you a few pointers that can help you get started in the weight room.

First, technique is the most important aspect of training. If you can’t complete a rep with proper technique then lower the weight or volume. If you load up the bar for a squat and then only come a quarter of the way down then the weight is too heavy. Focus on technique then add in weight later.

A majority of your exercises should be compound movements. Compound movements involve multiple joints. These are movements such as squats or pull-ups. These allow you to target more muscles with fewer movements. You can still add in a few isolation movements but these should be areas reserved for posture or injury risk reduction. Once you start to feel comfortable with the compound movements then start lowering the reps and increase the weights. You can initially begin with sets of 8-10 reps but decrease it to sets of 3-5 reps as you feel more comfortable with the movement.

Next, just like distance running, consistency is key. You can’t expect your mile time to drop by two minutes overnight. You also can’t expect to add 200 pounds to your squat overnight. Focus on being consistent with your sessions and try to gradually increase the intensity.

Finally, practice safety in the weight room. The weight room can be a very dangerous place if you are not smart about it. If you are going for a heavy weight that you are unsure about then make sure you ask for a spotter. Keep your lifting space clear so that you are not tripping while lifting then after the session make sure you leave the space nicer than you found it.

Conclusion

Most runners are always looking for new ways to get faster. Usually, they limit their ideas to mileage or the intensity they run at to get better. Strength training can fill in some of the gaps that we can often be missing with running alone. Runners that supplement with strength training can improve their finishing kick, increase running economy, decrease the risk of getting injured, improve running posture, improve body image, and help run new personal records.

If you found this article interesting then you should check back regularly for more content on how to improve your performance. If you have questions or want to train with me then reach out to me on Instagram @coachchrisskibinski.

1. Karp, J. (2007). Training Characteristics of Qualifiers of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 72-79.
2. Beattie, K., Kenny, I., Lyons, M., & Carson, P. (2014). The Effects of Strength Training on Performance in Endurance Athletes. Sport Med, 845-865.
3. Sato, K., & Mokha, M. (2009). Does Core Strength Training Influence Running Kinetics, Lower-Extremity Stability, and 5000-M Performance in Runners. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 23(1), 133-140.