Us runners know one thing, and that’s we’re all not great at strength work (well I’m not anyway). It’s not because we’re not good at it, it’s because I think we’d rather be out running!
One of the biggest questions I get as a personal trainer/runner is strength essential? The answer is a great big YES. It’s really important not to miss out on your strength days.
Pounding the roads is good and is definitely better than doing nothing at all. But if there’s one thing I can strongly advise, it’s do not miss that strength work. It’s the only real way to build a strong body – strong joints, strong muscles and strong bones!
Why you need strength training as a runner?
As a runner you will know you’ve either been injured or had niggles that may prevent you from being an optimal runner. Strength training when structured and done properly will activate muscles that may lay dormant in us runners. The biggest one is lazy glutes – lazy bum and weak core, bad posture and a weak back. Glutes are our biggest muscle in the body and can cause a lot of biomechanical issues if they are weak or one isn’t working as well as the other. Strength training can isolate these weak muscles and encourage the body to move better, faster and be stronger.
As someone who is so passionate about running, it has taken me several injuries, weaknesses and a whole lot of niggles to accept I cannot neglect this. I’ve actually discovered I quite enjoy lifting too. And since integrating strength work into my plan, I’ve managed to smash more pbs and now finish runs not feeling broken.
When should I do strength training as a runner?
For me I struggle dedicating time to long strength sessions. I would rather be running so I quite simply add on some strength before and after crucial sessions. It’s really important you plan your strength training right. If you are training for a marathon then typically you would do your long run on a Sunday, so it would then be stupid to do a strength session on a Saturday for example. Periodisation is key and structured training is essential.
Where to start with strength training for running
If you are a runner new to strength then start off with basic body weight work using natural movements like squats, lunges, press ups and planks then progress into weighted dumbbell and bar work. Reps and sets are very ability dependent. Feel free to look at my Instagram page for workout strength ideas or get in touch with me to see how I can help.
So don’t forget that strength work runners!
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