Strength Training For Runners

Running shouldn’t be your only priority in your training regimen, despite what you would believe as a runner. Strength training for runners is an essential component of a well-rounded fitness routine. Strength training can help reduce the likelihood of injury, make you run faster, more efficiently, and more comfortably. We’ll go through these advantages of strength training for runners in this blog post, along with the research that backs them up.

Reduce Risk of Injury

One of the most important benefits of strength training for runners is that it helps reduce the risk of injury. Running enthusiasts can lower their risk of muscle strains, tears, and other injuries by building lean muscle mass and strengthening key running-related muscle groups such the hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core muscles. Strength training also lessens the chance of injury by addressing muscular imbalances that can develop from running and by enhancing joint stability and mobility.

Strength training, according to research, can help lower the likelihood of common running problems like achilles tendonitis, IT band syndrome, and patellofemoral pain syndrome. Researchers at the  Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine discovered that runners with IT band syndrome had weaker hip abductor muscles than those without the condition. Exercises that strengthen hip flexors and muscles responsible for hip abduction are key areas to focus on. The trap bar deadlift, split squats, lateral lunges, and front rack marches are great movements considerations as strength training for runners.

Improve Your Running Pace

Another significant benefit of strength training for runners is improved running pace. A runner will push oneself forward more and run faster per mile on average if they have more strength and power in their legs, which increases force generation. Strength training increases muscle mass, which increases force generation and enhances running economy and neuromuscular coordination.

According to research, plyometrics and other forms of explosive strength training can enhance muscle power and running economy, which will enhance running performance. For instance, a research in the Journal of Applied Physiology indicated that running explosive-strength training helped runners run more efficiently and with more muscle power over a 5-kilometer distance. Athletes can increase their power output and running speed by include exercises like jump squats, box jumps, and explosive lunges as part of their strength training for running.

Running Posture

Running performance and injury prevention depend on having good posture. Poor posture can cause a number of problems for runners, including greater stress on the joints, lower back pain, and reduced running effectiveness. Strength training for runners in this case can improve posture and these problems avoided by strengthening the glutes, hip flexors, and core.

According to research, lower extremity function and injury prevention in runners are highly related to core stability. Injuries to the lower extremities are more common among runners with poor core stability, according to a study that was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Basic strength training for running movements like planks, side planks, and bird dogs can improve stability and lower the chance of injury by strengthening the core muscles. Advanced movements like a half-kneeling pallof press, deadbug variations, and coppenhagen side planks are a few of my go to strength training for runners exercises.

Running Easier

An additional benefit of strength training for runners is that it makes running easier. In order to feel less exerted when running, athletes might increase their muscle strength and endurance. As a result, individuals will have less mental weariness and be better able to run with assurance and ease. Strength training also helps to increase cardiovascular endurance and general fitness, which makes running easier.

According to research, progressive strength training can lessen the sensation of exertion experienced when jogging. According to a study that appeared in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, runners who did strength training twice a week for ten weeks improved their running economy and felt less exertion while jogging at submaximal rates. Strength training is a key component of a runner’s training program since it helps them become more physically fit overall, feel less exerted when running, and go faster.

Final Thoughts

Overall it’s pretty clear to see why strength training for runners makes sense. Whether it is a 5k charity walk or run, your first marathon, or just to improve your experience for your weekend runs, strength training for runners is part of a complete strength & conditioning program. You cannot assume that practicing your running alone through sprints, intervals, and long-runs will help you achieve the most optimal performance for your body. Focusing on your supplementation, your sleep, mobility, and recovery all can go a long way to improving your running experience.