Running is a high impact and repetitive sport. Your body needs to be strong to withstand that. Furthermore, as we age we naturally accumulate little imbalances in our body. Even being left or right handed creates some dominance on one side. While these incremental imbalances are totally normal and part of being human, we need to ensure that we are training from a strength point of view in order to both enhance our running performance and help combat injury.
We often hear people say that they avoid strength training as they do not want DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) while they are running, or they are worried about “bulking up”. I can assure that you if you program your training effectively and appropriately each week, it is more likely that you will simply become a better runner by strength training.
3 benefits of strength training for runners are:
Strengthening muscles, tendons, and ligaments can help protect against injuries.
By helping to build muscle power, which can improve running speed and contributes to faster acceleration, or the ability to maintain a faster paces for longer periods.
Stronger muscles can help reduce the impact on joints and connective tissues during running, leading to potentially faster recovery times and less soreness.
There are several ways in which you can train strength, and I would recommend you find a method that is fun for you. As the more fun you are having, the more likely you are to maintain it. You do not need to be lifting extremely heavy weights or spending hours in the gym. For you, it might be more sustainable to use bodyweight or resistance bands and target the key muscle groups used in running.
From a very running specific side you would ideally need to be including some core exercise and single leg work. That way you can ensure to stay strong through your midline while running, and by working your legs individually you can help balance out any discrepancies you have from compensating or favouring one side of your body.
Here are 5 key exercises for you could include:
- Single Leg Deadlifts
- Lunges or Split Squats
- Plank Holds
- Side Plank Holds
- Single Leg Glute Bridges
I encourage all my athletes to block out some time each week so that we can train their strength, even if it means forgoing one run, and I highly suggest you do the same.
Written by Steph Humphrey, Instagram here.
