Lift Weights, Run Faster — Strength Training Made Simple for Runners
If you know me, you know I am an advocate of strength training (aka lifting weights) for distance runners.
I get a lot of push back from runners and coaches on my stance. Many think all runners need to do is run to improve. There is truth to this: to get better at running you do need to run. But it’s not the end of the story.
At a certain point the gains from an Only Run approach will start to stall out. Usually this leads to imbalances which result in injury, unplanned time off and inconsistent training. Or a lack of neuromuscular power, which leads to always getting out-kicked at the end of races.
Regular strength training refines the nervous system, increases high-threshold motor units, and advances muscular contractile force. All good upgrades for running. Strength gained from weight training is an advantage, not a determinate, to running performance.
A misconception many runners and coaches have is you’ll get “bulky,” developing large muscles from weight lifting, thus will skyrocket body weight, and the runner will get slower as a result. This is false. Extreme hypertrophy (muscular enlargement) happens with body building, not strength training. There is an important difference between the two.
The goal of body building is to isolate a small group of muscles to increase their size, not function. This method works parts of the body, not the whole. The result is you end up looking like Frankenstein’s Monster — a collection of big, swollen muscles that have limited mobility and effectiveness for sports.
The goal of strength training is to increase overall strength of the nervous system and many muscle groups that work together to support, sustain, and enhance athletic movements. This method focuses on the whole body, not the parts. The result is increased and sustained power of each step, jump, throw, or swing.
Strength training refines overall muscular function for performance purposes. Body Building increases muscle size for showing-off purposes.
Protocols for Body Building vs. Strength Training
In practice these two methods look different.
Body Building is done with light weights, very high reps (10+) at slow speeds.
Strength training is done with heavy weights, very low reps (2-5) at faster speeds.
Body building lifts go one for hours or until complete exhaustion.
Strength training last no more than 30 minutes per session or until the proper stimuli is achieved.
Body building does a lot of different exercises.
Strength training focuses on only a few.
With that understood, now let’s look at the short list of strength training exercises all runners will benefit from doing regularly, which is 3-6x per week. (Yes, some of my runners do strength training up to 6x week at different periods throughout a training year.)
Here’s the list of movements to include, with an example exercise:
Hinge — ex. Deadlift
Squat — ex. Back Squat
Pull — ex. Pull-ups
Press — ex. Bench Press
Sprint — ex. 30m flys
Jump — ex. Jump Rope
Throw — ex. Med Ball Floor Slams
Loaded Carries — ex. Farmer Carries
(And if you have time) Lunges — although I am not a big fan of them.
Sorry, no planks for this routine.
That’s it. Anything else is just more work. Which could add value but most likely will not. Remember, if these basics movements aren’t addressed consistently, all “fancy” stuff in the weight room will likely have little-to-no impact.
What Equipment You Need
All you need is basic equipment: A barbell. A bench. Dumbbells or Kettlebells. A box. A jump rope. A pull up bar. Med Balls. And your body weight. This sounds like most weight rooms in the world.
You don’t need inflated balls or discs. Bungie cords. Ab rollers. Sand bags. Parachutes. Or altitude training masks.
The most important piece of equipment to investment in is a good barbell. Don’t go cheap on your barbell. They’re like running shoes. You’ll use it every time you lift. So, invest in a high quality one.
When Runners Should Lift
Lift after easy running or speed work. You can strength train right after a run, or anytime later that day.
Don’t lift before runs or after longer workouts or runs.
Eat some quick carbs before lifting (banana, sports drink) so your brain and muscles have lots of fuel on hand. Don’t go into lifts dehydrated or an empty stomach.
Final Details
Take 2’-3’ rest after every set of each exercise. Full to 90% recovery is ideal, don’t rush the rest. You’re training the primarily the nervous system, not the metabolism.
Schedule 3 - 5 exercises per session, and make sure they compliment each other. For example, follow squats with deadlifts (hinge). If you bench, also do pulls. If you jump rope, compliment it with med ball throws.
Now you can see why my runners might do strength training 6x per week — we’re only doing about 4 exercises per session, so the demand and load is not exhausting. And since there are only 8-9 core movements to do, they’re exposed to a good variety day-to-day.
Have a protein, carb rich snack within 60 minutes post-lift to fuel the recovery and repair process. A turkey sandwich is a good option. A couple slices of pepperoni pizza, not so much. Hydrate liberally with water, but don’t over do it. And get good sleep. That’s it for recovery.
Performed regularly over many months/years strength training is a power performance enhancer for distance runners.
Strength training is simple. Keep it that way. Don’t get fooled into believing otherwise.
You may have more questions after reading this piece. I’m happy to answer them.
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Thx. | jm