strength training for runners ebook.pdf
TRANSCRIPT
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................... 2
Introduction................................................................................... 3
The Importance of Core Work for Runners ................................... 5
The Benefits of Circuit Training for Runners .................................. 7
General strength for runners....................................................... 10
The Benefit of Plyometrics for Runners ....................................... 15
Hard Days Hard, Easy Days Easy .................................................. 19
Progression and Phases in Strength Training............................... 22
Should You Ever Lift Heavy Weights ............................................ 25
Strength Training to Help Transition to Minimalist Running........ 28
Putting it all together................................................................... 30
Introduction
First, we wanted to say thank you for downloading the Strength
Training for Runners eBook. This guide has been a labor of love and a
collection of research, personal experience, and conversations with
some of the best coaches and minds in our sport. By following the
principles outlined in this eBook, we are confident you can become a
stronger, healthier and faster runner and achieve the results you’re
looking for.
One of our my main reasons for writing this guide was to provide a
simple and practical handbook you can follow and implement into your
own training plan. We’ve also detailed and outlined the research so you
can be confident that the time you’re investing in strength training will
pay off. If you have any questions or read anything you want to discuss
in more detail, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at
Finally, we want this information to benefit as many runners as
possible. So, please feel free to e-mail it to all your running friends,
share it via Facebook and Twitter, and get the word out. For the latest
updates and information, you can visit our website:
http://runnersconnect.net; follow us on Twitter @runners_connect; or
join us on Facebook . Enjoy!
The RunnersConnect Team
Jeff GaudetteOwner/CEO
Blake BoldonHead Coach
Nate JenkinsAssistant Coach
Casey CollinsAssistant Coach
Melanie Schorr, MDTeam Physician
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The Importance of Core Work for Runners
Your core refers to more than just your abdominal muscles you flex in the mirror. Core,
in the running sense, refers to your abdominals, glutes (butt), hips, hamstrings, hip
flexors, and lower back. These muscles are what keep your form strong at the end of a
race, prevent injuries from over compensation or bad mechanics, and allow you to run
in an upright and fluid position.
Working on your core from a running perspective is different than someone in the gym
who is trying to look better at the beach or the golfer trying to add power to his or her
swing. This is why it is important to perform a core routine that specifically targets the
muscles you will use while running. If you’re looking for an ab routine that is going to
give you the “ripped muscles” you won’t see results that transfer to your training.
How does core work help keep you injury-free?
Perhaps due to the inherent strength of the trunk, it may be hard to see how a lack of
abdominal strength could contribute to running injury. However, in one particularly
creative study conducted in 2004 by Leetun et al., researchers investigated how various
measures of hip and abdominal strength affected injury risk in a group of track athletes.
The researchers found that injured runners were significantly weaker in their
abdominals and lower back. The healthy runners in the study all tended to be slightly
stronger through their trunk.
In addition, research has shown that strengthening of the transverse abdominis, or TVA
for short, can significantly reduce injury rates. The TVA is a thin cylindrical muscle that
lies underneath the abdominals. Its main role in daily life is to hold in the chest cavity
(lest your innards sag outwards). However, the TVA also plays an important role in
running: Contraction of the TVA compresses the chest cavity and increases its inner
pressure, much like squeezing a deflated beach ball causes it to become stiff again. It’s
postulated that this increase in pressure facilitates stability throughout the body,
essentially “hardening” the connection between the upper and lower body and thus
improving your running form and posture. Researchers have demonstrated a clear
connection between stabilization and lower back injuries and the strength of the
transverse abdominis muscle.
How does core work help you run faster?
When you get tired while running, especially during longer races like the half marathon
and marathon, one of the first things your body does is to start hunching over or leaning
back. This causes your form to be inefficient and makes you start to slow down. So, if we
can train the muscles that are involved in keeping the body tall, strong, and moving
forward, you’ll be finishing races faster and feeling better than you normally do.
Second, all running occurs in what we call the Sagital Plane. (The Sagital Plane is the
forward and back motions that are critical to running faster). You can waste a lot of
energy when your body starts moving side to side, or in the Transverse Plane. The more
we can train your body to focus all of its energy into moving forward, the faster and
more efficiently you will run. Likewise, by strengthening the muscles that control the
transverse plane, you can become a better overall athlete and runner.
What type of core exercises should you be performing?
Looking at the evidence, it’s clear that the a strong core is essential to staying injury-free
and performing your best. However, while there’s no evidence that suggests traditional
core exercises like crunches and sit-ups are bad for you, your time can be better spent
performing running-specific core exercises like planks, lower back exercises, and hip
work. In the interest of space, here is a link to our core strength routine designed
specifically for runners (it’s free as a PDF and YouTube video):
http://runnersconnect.net/runners-core-workout/
The Benefits of Circuit Training for Runners
You’d probably be surprised to learn that as part of her training for the 2008 Beijing
Olympics, Shalane Flanagan included copious amounts of circuit training work in
addition to her running workouts. In fact, on hard workout days, circuit training
comprised almost a third of her total training time. The result? An American Record at
10,000 meters and an Olympic bronze medal.
While circuit training has a bad reputation in running circles, thanks mostly to mis-
information and oversimplification by the personal training industry, when done
correctly, it can provide significant running-specific benefits for injury-prone, beginner,
and even elite runners.
In short, circuit training is a high intensity workout that combines aerobic exercise with
strength training. The exact combination of strength exercises and the type of aerobic
work can span the depths of a coach’s or athlete’s imagination. However, with the right
planning and knowledge, runners can mold a circuit training routine specifically
designed to improve their running, much like Shalane Flanagan did to help her earn her
bronze medal.
What type of runner will benefit from circuit training?
Circuit training is especially helpful for beginner runners or injury-prone athletes who
aren’t ready to handle an increase in mileage, but do have the time to do more aerobic
exercise. For example, if you find yourself getting injured every time you try to run more
than 4 miles at a time, instead of spending hours on cross training equipment, you can
use circuit training to develop running-specific strength while still getting in an aerobic
workout. Not only will this make you a better runner, but it will also begin to address
some of the structural imbalances causing your injury in the first place.
Circuit training can also be effective if you have a busy schedule or travel frequently and
you don’t have hours to spend at the gym, yet you want to do both strength work and
cardio. A sample circuit routine we’ll include at the end of this article lasts about 30
minutes and can be easily lengthened or shortened by changing the running distance
between each set.
Finally, circuit training is effective for runners who are looking to lose weight or increase
their percentage of lean muscle mass. While running burns more calories than almost
any other pure aerobic activity, strength training, and specifically circuit training, has
been found to burn more fat per minute than any other type of exercise. A running-
specific circuit training routine gives you the best of both worlds – the aerobic
development and calorie burn of a run with the fat burning of a strength workout.
The effectiveness of circuit training
Many studies have shown that circuit training can significantly boost running
performance. For example, a 2003 review article by Alan Jung at the University of
Alabama found that circuit training can maintain heart rates at near 80 percent of
maximum (aerobic development occurs between 78 and 85 percent of maximum heart
rate). Furthermore, studies conducted on untrained individuals found improvements in
time-to-exhaustion on a treadmill test, V02max and the lactate threshold.
The National Athletic Health Institute conducted a study on the effectiveness of circuit
training in the late 1970’s. While the specific circuit routine performed by participants
did not include any running, just strength exercises performed on a 30-second circuit
with no rest, the researchers saw amazing results: after 10 weeks, participants gained
about three pounds of muscle and lost about two pounds of fat. Both men and women
achieved reductions in skin-fold thickness and increased overall muscular strength.
More importantly, participants improved running time to exhaustion on a treadmill by 5
to 6 % and saw an 11% increase in VO2max - without doing any running.
Finally, circuit training helps you become a better overall athlete. Rather than being a
runner who can only move in one plane of motion, circuit training develops balance,
strength, athleticism, and flexibility. While this might not seem like a running-specific
benefit, having poor athleticism increases the risk of running-related injuries. For
example, not being proficient in the frontal plan will result in weak hips and adductors,
which is often the cause of IT band problems.
A sample circuit training routine
So, what does a real implementation of circuit training look like? Below, I’ve reproduced
a circuit workout found in my Strength Training for Runners Guide
(http://runnersconnect.net/strength-training-for-runners/) that uses body weight only
(there is also a medicine ball version with videos and .pdfs). This circuit workout is
adapted from John Cook, former coach of Shalane Flanagan, and Jay Johnson, coach of
three US National Champions.
I prefer this routine because it can be completed with no outside equipment and can be
easily adapted to more advanced runners and made more difficult by adding resistance
with a medicine ball. Finally, it works the entire posterior and anterior chain to ensure
proper muscular balance.
1. Mountain climbers doubles2. Mountain climbers singles3. Mountain climbers singles out4. Mountain Climbers Doubles out
Jog 800 meters
5. Push ups6. Burpees
7. Hip thrusts8. Pike Press
Jog 800 meters
9. Prone with twist10. Running motion v-ups11. Back extensions12. Mason Twists
Jog 800 meters
13. Lunges w/turn14. Push-up walk15. V-ups16. Squat jumps
By keeping each exercise dynamic, specific, and constantly moving, this routine is able
to keep your hear rate high, balance general strength with running-specific exercises,
and addresses the entire core and hip girdle.
If you’re a beginner or injury-prone athlete, my recommendation is to add this circuit
training routine to your “off” days. The purpose of the day would be similar to a cross
training routine. If you’re a more experienced runner and have time, I would add this
routine after a threshold workout, much like Shalane Flanagan did in her training leading
up to the 2008 Olympic Games.
General strength for runners
Improving general strength can benefit runners in numerous ways. For some, becoming
a better athlete and fitter or stronger overall is one of their main goals from a fitness
and training perspective. For others, general strength can serve as an opportunity to
decrease injury risk, prepare the body for more mileage or training down the road, and
improve running performance. Regardless of why you’re interested in improving your
strength by implementing an intelligent and progressive plan is an investment that will
return dividends on the work you put in.
What is general strength
Before getting into the specifics of how a general strength routine can help you improve
as a runner, we have to define what we mean by “general”. General strength refers to
exercises, movements, and muscle groups that are not specific to the running motion or
that don’t contribute directly to propelling you forward as quickly and efficiently as
possible. These types of exercises are called “running specific” training, which you find
in the more typical core, form drills, and plyometric routines.
However, general strength exercises can still help prevent injury and improve your
performance. Basically, they serve as the backbone to helping you become a stronger
athlete overall, which allows you to handle a greater workload (i.e. more intensity or
greater mileage) and serve as the base or foundation for specific work.
How general strength makes you a better athlete overall
Running itself is one of the most effective exercises for building the aerobic system.
Unfortunately, it’s not very effective for developing balance, overall strength,
athleticism, and flexibility. In fact, the more you focus on running (building your mileage
and making less time for other activities) the worse you become as an overall athlete.
Case in point: weeks before running 28:40 for 10k, I strained a hip flexor playing wiffle
ball in the backyard with my 8 year-old cousin. An “athlete” capable of Olympic Trials
performances shouldn’t be that susceptible to injuries. Why is this?
Running is a repetitive and largely unvarying motion. You foot plant is roughly the same
with each step and the entire running movement occurs in what is called the sagital
plane (front to back of the body), which is what moves you forward. When running
correctly, you’ll spend very little time moving side-to-side (frontal plane) or
twisting/rotating your trunk (transverse plane). Consequently, the muscles used to
activate and support the transverse and frontal plane movements become weak and
prone to injury.
Not only does this increase your risk of injury in activities outside running (like my wiffle
ball story), but it also increases your risk of running-related injuries. For example, not
being proficient in the frontal plan will result in weak hips and adductors, which is often
the cause of IT band problems.
So, by performing general strength exercises to ensure you work in all three planes of
movement, you decrease your risk of both running-related and general injuries.
How can general strength help you run more
Simply stated, aerobic fitness develops faster than the muscular (tendons, muscles,
ligaments, and bones) system. For example, you may be able to hammer out a long run
or a tempo run at 8 minutes per mile (or whatever your pace is), but your hips aren’t yet
strong enough to handle the stress of the pace or volume and your IT band becomes
inflamed.
As explained by Mike Smith, the Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach, Assistant
Track and Field Coach, at Kansas State University: “In training we try to "prepare" the
cardiovascular system, the metabolic system, the neuromuscular system, and the
skeletal muscular system to tolerate various loads and intensities and to then
progressively increase the load and intensity over time through training "prescription".
Initial improvements in aerobic conditioning are often biochemical in nature and thus
can happen somewhat rapidly whereas changes to the physical structure of muscle,
ligaments, tendons and bones is a far more time consuming process.”
Therefore, it’s important that runners include ancillary routines, such as these general
strength routines, into their weekly training plans to speed the development of the
muscular system. In doing so, you’ll improve the strength and resiliency of your muscles,
tendons, ligaments and bones and enable the muscular system to “keep up” with your
aerobic developments.
Not convinced? Let’s use your own training as an example. What is holding you back
from running more mileage and faster workouts each week? I am willing to bet it isn’t
your aerobic system (your heart and lungs). You’re probably more than capable of
running further than you currently do or performing more repeats or long longer tempo
runs. Most likely, what’s holding you back most is how resilient your body holds up to
more mileage and harder, longer workouts.
If you get hurt every time you build mileage or try to maintain harder training for more
than a week or two, I guarantee your aerobic system isn’t the problem. Rather, you’ve
lost (or in some cases never had) you’re athleticism; meaning, your muscles, tendons,
and ligaments aren’t as supple, flexible and injury resistant as they once were. By
developing your overall strength, you’ll improve your athleticism and be less injury
prone and better able to handle a greater volume of training.
Improved running economy
In addition to injury prevention, strength training has been shown to directly improve
running performance. Of course, running is the most effective training to run faster, but
as we’ve seen (and you’ve probably learned in your own training) we can’t infinitely
increase mileage or workout volumes. Therefore, we can use general strength work to
speed our improvements along.
But how does improving economy make you faster? By improving running economy, a
runner should be able to run faster over the same distance with less effort. This is the
result of more powerful muscle contractions with each stride, more efficient form (less
wasted energy), and a decrease in oxygen consumption while running at the same
speed.
Granted, scientific studies all have their holes, but here are some interesting results
we’ve found during out last few years of research:
In 2009, Sato and Mokha’s (2009) studied 28 recreational runners with 5k PRs just under
30 minutes. During the six week experiment, both groups continued their normal
training routines, but the experimental group was given a set of five exercises to be
performed four times a week in 2-3 sets of 10-15 repeats each. The experimental group
dropped their 5k time by 47 seconds, while the control group only improved 17 seconds.
A 2008 study by Øyvind Støren and coworkers in Norway examined a more rigorous
program focusing on raw leg strength. Seventeen runners (nine men and eight women)
with 5k bests in the 18:40-range partook. Støren’s subjects displayed no increase in
oxygen intake but a 5% increase in running economy and a startling 21% improvement
in a treadmill run to exhaustion at somewhat faster than 3k race pace vs. the control
group, who had no improvement on either mark.
What kind of general strength exercises should you do?
First, you should target a series of exercises that improve your ability to move along the
three planes of motion (Like lunges with a twist, single leg deadlifts, and hamstring
exercises) while avoiding “wasted” exercises that don’t provide a high value to runners
(such as bicep curls), or those that movements that might be too risky.
Likewise, you should choose variety of exercises that not only changes the stimuli to
prevent staleness, but provides a progressive overload stimulus. In other words, you
want place progressively greater than normal demands on the muscles in for strength
gains to be continual.
Lastly, enable proper progression by training antagonist as well as agonist muscle
groups and balance the strength work throughout the entire body (meaning don’t miss
any muscle groups).
The Benefit of Plyometrics for Runners
One of the most important functions of muscles and tendons in running is to store
energy. Much like a pogo stick, your body can store energy from impact and release it
to propel your body forward. A large proportion of your propulsive energy actually
comes from the energy stored in your legs from the previous impact. This is why you
can leap higher and longer if you do a “countermovement” before—swiftly bending
your knees before rising to jump allows you to reach much higher into the air than
slowly bending your knees, then jumping up.
While this “stretch-shortening cycle” has been known about for some time,
standardized methods of training this reflex are fairly new. Improvements in your
muscles’ ability to elastically store energy have obvious implications for runners, as
more stored energy would mean you could maintain a given pace for less overall energy.
That is, your efficiency would improve.
Plyometrics are exercises that aim to develop this strength and speed by conditioning
the neuromuscular and elastic characteristics of the muscle. The main objective of
plyometric training for runners is to produce greater power by training the muscles to
contract more quickly and forcefully from an actively pre-stretched position.
Improved running economy with plyometrics
Numerous studies have confirmed that adding plyometrics can improve VO2max,
running efficiency, and help you run faster at shorter distances like the 5k and 10k. One
study conducted on beginner runners showed that after a six-week plyometric routine,
runners demonstrated a 2.3% improvement in their running economy at speeds
between 10:00 and 7:30 mile pace—meaning they used less oxygen at these speeds
than before the plyometric training. The control group, meanwhile, demonstrated no
significant changes in running economy.
Another study on more experienced runners found that after plyometric training,
subjects showed improvements on the order of 2.7% in their jumping ability, 3k time,
and running economy at 8, 7, and 6 minutes per mile.
Finally, a study conducted on elite runners found that after 9 weeks of plyometric
training, runners showed a 4.1% improvement in running economy at 5:20 mile pace
and a nonsignificant trend toward improvement at 6:00 and 7:00 mile pace. The
authors interpreted this as an indication that plyometric training is more beneficial at
higher speeds, since the impact forces are much higher. Additionally, since there was
no change in the maximal oxygen uptake ability (VO2 max), Saunders et al. pointed to
the muscles, not the heart or blood vessels, as the cause of the improvement in
economy. While the blood delivered the same amount of oxygen to the muscles before
and after the 9-week training program, the plyometrics-trained runners could go faster
with it.
What kind of plyometrics should you do
This series of studies has made a fairly convincing case for the merits of plyometric
exercises in a training program. To help you get started, here is yet again another
sample from our Strength Training for Runners Guide. This is our Hades Plyometric
Routine:
1. Water pump2. Water pump hops3. Height skips4. Ankle jumps5. Jumps for distance6. 1 leg connect four7. Toe taps8. Rocket jumps9. Split squats
Because of the explosive requirement, plyometrics are the last building-block of a
successful strength training regimen and will only be implemented in your training once
a solid foundation has been built. Furthermore, it is essential that you practice good
form when performing these exercises. The plyometric routine provided combines
multiple plyometric movements to develop power, improve running mechanics, and
enhance rhythm, coordination, and specific strength to prevent injuries.
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Hard Days Hard, Easy Days Easy
Whether the desired outcome is general fitness, increased explosiveness and stride
efficiency, or injury prevention, most runners understand the importance of adding
strength training to their running schedule. However, despite clearly understanding the
potential benefits of strength training, few runners actually incorporate it into their
training schedules on a consistent basis.
When asked why not, the most runners concede that they don’t know how to properly
integrate it into their schedule for maximum results. Specifically, the big question
runners have is if they should do their strength work after their hard workouts or on
their easy days. This paralysis by choice prevents runners from feeling confident that the
extra time they spending on strength training is worth it, and thus they skip it all
together.
Luckily, there is simple rule you can follow that answers this burning question. Keep
your hard days hard and your easy days easy. We’ll delve into what exactly this
statement means and how it impacts your approach to strength training.
The philosophy behind performing your strength workouts on hardworkout days
The philosophy behind keeping your hard days hard and your easy days easy is simple.
You want to incorporate your hardest strength training workouts on your hardest
workout days so that your easy days remain as easy as possible. This ensures that you
recover completely on your easy days and you are able to execute the specific purpose
of an easy day - recovery.
On the other hand, performing harder strength workouts, especially anything that
involves the lower body, on your easy running day means you take away from your
body’s ability to recover by adding stress and by shortening the total time you have to
recover before your next hard workout. This is the single most important reason to
include strength training on your hard workout days.
In addition to allowing you to properly recover between workouts, performing your
hard strength training days on your workout days also provides a few additional
benefits:
Prevents you from going too hard during strength training
Since running is the most important part the training plan, it should be the primary
focus and consume the most of your available energy and focus. While this does leave
you more tired for your strength workout, and consequently unable to be as strong or
explosive as you would like, it’s actually a positive. Being tired will prevent you from
going too hard or lifting too heavy, which happens too often when runners are fresh
when they hit the weights.
Burns more calories and aids in recovery
Scientists from Brigham Young University found that post-exercise metabolism
increased most when people did intense cardio first and lifted weights afterward. This
means that you’ll burn more calories, and burn them for longer, if you do your strength
training after your more intense running sessions.
Likewise, researchers from the College of New Jersey found that following weight
training, heart rate and blood lactic acid returned to resting levels faster, which means
you could potentially recover from hard running faster if you perform strength training
that day.
The downsides to strength training on workout days
While the hard days hard, easy days easy philosophy is the best approach to
incorporating strength training, it does have a few drawbacks and negatives to be aware
of.
You have to be extra careful to perform exercises correctly
As noted above, you will be tired when performing your strength sessions after hard
workouts. As a consequence, you need to be extra cautious and ensure that you
perform the exercises with proper form. The more tired you get, the easier it is to cheat
or put your body in positions that could lead to injury.
To overcome this potential issue, you should focus intently on your form by performing
each exercise slowly and using lighter weights to start. It’s much more effective, and
safe, to perform exercises with a light weight and slow movements as opposed to
rushing through a workout and trying to lift as much as you can.
Hard workout days are already your longest days
For most runners, hard workout days already consume quite a bit of time. Add together
the warm-up, stretching, rest intervals and cool down and 5 x 1 mile takes much longer
than running 5 miles straight. Therefore, it may be impossible to fit in a 15-30 minute
strength training session after what has already been a long workout.
One possible solution is to split up the running workout and strength routine into a
morning and afternoon/evening session. Generally, strength training sessions don’t take
too long, so it can be squeezed into your routine when you get home from work or
before bed.
Putting it together
The final piece of the puzzle is how to incorporate the hard days hard, easy days easy
principle when you have multiple strength training sessions or only one workout per
week. In this case, you should schedule your hardest, most running-specific strength
routines after your hardest workouts, your medium effort routines (like basic core or hip
routines) on your regular running days, and any preventative routines on your off or
recovery days.
Here is sample week that incorporates 7 days per week of strength training that you can
modify to fit your needs (you don’t have to strength train 7 days a week, but this outline
should help you see where each type of routine would fit):
Monday Easy Run + core routine (moderate)Tuesday Speed Workout + Leg training (difficult)Wednesday Off or Recovery run + preventive exercises (easy)Thursday Easy Run + core routine (moderate)Friday Tempo Workout + plyometrics (difficult)Saturday Run + general strength - gym or bodyweight (moderate)Sunday Long run + speed and form drills (easy to moderate)
If you’ve been struggling with how to incorporate strength routines into your training
plan, try using the hard days hard, easy days easy approach. You’ll ensure that you
recover before your next hard workout while still getting maximum benefit from your
time spent strength training.
Progression and Phases in Strength Training
Like your actual running workouts, strength training needs to follow a progressive and
periodized plan to be truly effect. To continually improve, the body needs a change of
stimulus - a new type of demand for the muscles and body.
Many runners, whether it be from lack of knowledge or just not putting the proper
emphasis on planning their strength training, simply repeat the same routines and
exercises, week after week, month after month, with no change in stimulus. While this
will help you reach a certain level of fitness, it won’t allow you to break through
plateaus and continually progress and get stronger year after year.
Strength training to specific race demands
Moreover, each race distance requires a specific set of physiological demands from a
strength perspective. Certainly, there is overlap between distances, especially the closer
they are in length, but the exact demands are still different.
For example, in the marathon, the primary focus of strength training is preventing injury
to allow for more mileage, healthy long runs, and longer workouts. The secondary focus
is on building up fatigue resistance in the muscles and improving your muscular
endurance, meaning the amount of time you can recruit maximum muscle fibers.
Finally, just like in running portion of training, the focus will be on increasing your body’s
ability to efficiently burn fat as a fuel source.
Conversely, in the 5k, is primarily focused on improving stride efficiency, generating
maximum muscle recruitment with each step, and facilitating overall strength to
improve muscular endurance.
By performing the same mix, intensity, volumes, and types of routines, you never allow
yourself to specifically train to the demands of your goal event.
Phases of strength training
Likewise, developing specific strength for a race should occur in progressive phases,
much like your running training. First, you build-up a general level of fitness (think base
phase of a running cycle) and then slowly get more and more specific and specialized as
the race gets closer. If you start the harder, more race specific exercises too soon, you
may wind up injured while if you only stick with the general exercises, you’ll never make
any progress.
Here is a brief breakdown of each cycle of strength training. The specifics of each phase
for a particular race distance are detailed in that race distances prescription.
Phase One: Introduction
The goal during the introductory phase is to get your body accustomed to your new
routines and adapting muscles to the workload. Whether you’re new to strength
training in general or somewhat experienced, adapting to new stimuli is critical. This will
help build resistance to injury as well as make sure you’re ready for the harder routines
ahead. Most runners want to skip this phase, but it’s the most important building block
when including strength training into a running schedule.
Phase Two: Foundation
The foundation phase is akin to the base building phase of a running program. At this
point, you’re performing a good amount and variety of strength work each day and
developing a general foundation of fitness. The routines are still more general rather
than specific, which will allow you to build a more impressive peak.
Phase Three: Maintenance
The maintenance phase is the introduction to more race specific workouts. In essence,
this phase is the preparation for the race specific workouts. By this point, you should be
noticing a difference in your overall strength, ability to handle the routines, and your
running form.
Phase Four: Peak
The peak phase is when you will perform the most race specific strength training
routines. Just like the final 3-4 weeks of your running training, the routines in this phase
are all geared towards improving you specific fitness to race one goal event.
Phase Five: Taper and Race Prep
The goal of the taper phase is to reduce the strength training so that you’re not fatigued
from too much ancillary work, yet still maintain the gains that you’ve made throughout
the training segment.
The exact length and structure of each phase differs with each race distance, but they all
follow the same general structure, outline, and goals.
Should You Ever Lift Heavy Weights
One of the keys to improving endurance is to improve our ability to produce force
quickly (power) without hitting an intensity that is so high that we cannot maintain it. To
help illustrate this point and how it impacts you as a runner, let’s use an example.
Let’s assume that someone can only squat 100lbs for one rep. Now, at 50% of max
effort (50 lbs), they can do 20 reps. If we increase that person's 1 rep max squat to
150lbs, they can probably squat 50 lbs about 40-50 times.
This huge improvement means that our former submaximal effort has become even
easier. More importantly, the person who used to only be able to squat 100 lbs one
time, can now squat it 10-15 times. So, what used to be a maximum and unsustainable
effort for the person has now become a much easier effort.
Specifically, what does this mean for a distance runner or any endurance athlete? Let's
say that the highest amount of power you could produce and maintain during a run was
1000 watts (not a real number, just hypothetical) and the max amount you could
produce at a full sprint was 5000 watts. When we make you stronger we might move
your sprint power from 5000 to 8000. In doing so, we move your max sustainable power
during a distance event from 1000 to something higher.
The research on traditional weight lifting comes from a 1997 study by Johnston et al. Six
female distance runners underwent a 10-week strength program with weight sessions
three times a week. Each exercise was performed either on a machine or with free
weights. Participants alternated between workouts A and B, below, on alternate
workout days. Recovery between exercises was approximately two minutes.
At the conclusion of the study, cardiovascular markers like VO2 max had not changed,
but the experimental group’s running economy jumped by 4% while the control group
showed no improvement.
So, while lifting heavy for a distance runner may not APPEAR to be sport-specific since it
is a completely different energy system, it is actually extremely specific, as it will help
you to work at a higher capacity during a distance race without accumulating enough
fatigue to stop your efforts. While this info is not accepted among the general
population, it is common knowledge among most sports scientists and elite sport
coaches.
What about bulking up
Not surprisingly, many runners are worried that lifting heavy weights will bulk them up.
The benefits of adding power to your stride would be negated if it also added weight to
your frame. Luckily for runners, it is a myth that heavy weights will cause to bulk up.
Muscle "bulk" is dependent on several variables, which include adequate nutrition, an
optimal stimulus in the form of specific training 4-5 times per week, and enough rest
from catabolic activities (such as running) so that adaptation may occur. If any of these
variables are not in place "bulk" will not occur.
Specifically, you won’t be lifting heavy more than once or twice per week and the vast
majority of your training will be in the form of running. Therefore, you don’t have two of
the three variables required to bulk up.
Most optimal rep range
It's often claimed (since distance running is endurance oriented) that the use of heavy
weight and low repetitions should never be incorporated into a runner's weight training
program. This couldn't be further from the truth.
The main idea behind doing high repetitions is that you’ll build more endurance in the
muscle this way. Unfortunately, there are two critical flaws in this logic. First, recent
research has shown that performing repetitions in the 12-20 range does not increase
muscular endurance any more than the 6-8 repetition range. Second, you’re already
working on your muscular endurance when out on the road and when doing track
workouts. Therefore, it would be a waste of time in the gym to continue to work on the
same energy system using less specific movements.
Research has shown that the optimal repetition range for strength and power gains are
in the 4-6 range. The 4-6 rep range allows for maximum muscle overload and will recruit
the most muscle fibers leading to increased strength and size. Because rep ranges are
shorter all your mental energy is set on doing just 4-6 repetitions and therefore
psychological intensity is maximized allowing you to achieve better muscle overload.
In conclusion, adding heavy weight lifting in the gym, if done appropriately and as a
complimentary component of your overall running and strength training can
significantly increase you strength, power and running economy.
Strength Training to Help Transition toMinimalist Running
To preface, it is not the goal of this strength training guide to persuade you one way or
the other to transition to minimalist shoes or to remain in more traditional running
shoes. After 10 years of coaching and more than 15 years of running I have encountered
runners who’ve have been helped tremendously by traditional shoes and I’ve met
numerous runners whose injury problems were cured forever by moving to minimalist
shoes.
The decision on which shoes to wear is a personal one based on your injury history and
goals. However, if you have decided that running in a minimalist shoe is right for you,
these are the foundation building strength and mobility exercises you need to do to help
ensure your transition is injury-free.
Strength and mobility exercises – building the foundation
The first step in transitioning to a minimalist shoe is building a foundation of strength
and balance in your feet, lower legs and hips. Think of this phase as pouring the
foundation for your home. The stronger and larger you can build your foundation, the
more resilient and sturdy your house will ultimately be. If your foundation is weak or
you have cracks, you’re in for a difficult and expensive remodel down the road. So, take
the time now to ensure you have the proper foundation before you transition.
If you’ve been accustomed to wearing traditional shoes, with lots of support,
cushioning, and a higher heel you’re entire life, the reeducation and strengthening
process can take 8-10 weeks. Be patient with this process and it will pay off in the long-
term.
Developing flexibility
The first step is assessing and improving your balance and flexibility. When moving to
minimalist shoes, it is critical that you have proper mobility and range of motion in both
the ankle and the big toe, which can be weakened due to the “rocker effect” elicited by
traditional running shoes. Without this flexibility in the ankle and big toe, your foot will
roll excessively to the inside or the outside, causing a myriad of injury issues.
Strengthening your support muscles
The next step in the process is strengthening your support muscles and developing a
better sense of balance. This will help your foot, lower leg and hips prepare for and
absorb the slight changes in form and foot strike that occur during the transition.
Toe yoga exercise will strengthen your big toe, which provides close to 85 percent of the
support when you land while running. Towel exercises help strengthen the plantar fascia
(the band of connective tissue that supports your arch) while toe walks and eccentric
calf exercises help strengthen your calves. Finally, hip and glute balance and stability
exercises help keep your posture strong and provide power through the running stride.
Learning how to land
The last component is learning how to properly land without shoes. Learning how to
properly land helps develop your spring mechanism and movement patterns.
Developing the ability to land and control your foot strike will help you land softly rather
than pounding the pavement as well as striking on your mid-foot or forefoot as opposed
to heel striking.
Progressing your mileage
It should go without saying that you need to cautiously progress the amount of running
you do when switching to minimalist shoes. Start with just 3-5 minutes of minimalist
running every other day and slowly add 3-5 minutes each week.
Begin your run in minimalist footwear and after your allotted run time for the day,
switch to your normal training shoes. This will help transfer some of the feel and landing
patterns to your stride when you return to traditional shoes.
Most importantly, listen to your body and be patient. If you feel a part of your lower leg
or foot become excessively sore, take an extra rest day or two. If you progress slow and
remain patient, you’ll be running full-time in minimalist shoes before you know it.
Putting it all togetherNow that you know adding strength training to your schedule will keep you healthy and
drastically increase your performance, how exactly do you implement it in your training?
Do you strength train after hard workouts or on easy days? How do you make continual
progress rather than getting stuck doing the same routine over and over? How can you
maximize strength training if you only have 10 minutes a day? What are the best
routines to accomplish everything we discussed so far?
To answer these questions, we developed a Strength Training for Runners Guide
specifically for runners like you; who know that adding strength training to your running
routine is essential to stay injury-free and run your best, but just don’t know how to add
it all in.
What’s included in this comprehensive guide
Injury prevention
Whether you’re working your way back from a running
injury or find yourself prone to certain ailments, this section
is designed to help educate you about the causes,
symptoms, rehab, and mostly importantly, preventive
exercises you can take to get healthy and prevent you from
getting injured again. With this information and these
exercises, you can prevent:
Plantar fascia Achilles tendonitis Shin splints Runner’s Knee IT band issues Hamstring strains
Prescriptions
While you’ll find hundreds of different strength exercise
strewn around the internet, no one has developed a
comprehensive, step-by-step system that shows you exactly
how to implement these strength routines into your training.
Beyond that, we show you exactly how you need to progress
each workout so that you make maximum gains and prime
yourself for your best performance as your goal race
approaches.
We break down the prescriptions to focus on specific race distances (5k, 10k,half marathon and marathon)
Routines and progression for weight loss Strength training for beginners
Strength training for those who are very short on time.
Strength routines
We have a total of 14 different routines. Each routine
contains a PDF for quick reference on the go and
includes information on the main muscles targeted as
well as the specific benefit they have for runners.
You will also receive a video demonstration for each
routine so you have a more detailed, visual instruction
should you be unfamiliar with any exercise.
You don’t need a gym, and only three of the routines require anything other than your
own bodyweight (A medicine ball and swiss ball will help, but are not needed)
Bonus Material
The bonus material is our collection of research,
articles and interviews about strength training for
runners.
Our mission at RunnersConnect is to not just help our
athletes run faster, but to educate them to become
well-rounded and more informed runners. We feel it is
important that you understand the dynamics and
science behind all of these routines rather than blindly implementing them into your
schedule. This bonus material is part of that commitment to you. You’ll learn about:
Easy ways to fix your form to prevent injuries The purpose and benefit behind all of your new routines Interviews with strength training experts Much, much more being added every week…
This isn’t just for elite runners
These routines and the prescriptions for how to add them to your training aren’t just for
super fast runners or those who have all day long to train. Following these step-by-step
prescriptions will help you get stronger, run with better form, and stay injury-free – no
matter what your experience level or your goals.
If you’re an injured runner, these routines will help you develop a stronger core,
hip girdle, glutes, lower legs, hamstrings and back to help you eliminate
structural weaknesses.
If you’re trying to take your running to that next level to qualify for Boston or
push the boundaries of your PRs, these routines will help you become a more
efficient, explosive runner and taper your strength training for optimal peaking.
If you want to build your mileage but can’t seem to run more without getting
hurt, adding these routines to your training will help strengthen your muscles,
tendons and ligaments to handle the stresses and workloads of running more
mileage and faster workouts.
If you’re a beginner runner, we have specific prescriptions for how to get started
– even if you’ve never done any type of strength training before. Moreover, we’ll
show you exactly how to incorporate circuit style training so you can exercise at
an aerobic level for longer while you slowly increase your mileage.
How much does it cost
To be clear, here’s a list of everything you get:
18 different strength training routines in PDF form to explain target muscles andbenefits and professional videos to demonstrate the exact movement andexecution of each routine No more guessing why or how to do any exercise.
Specific instructions and prescriptions on how to add to your weekly runningroutine for beginners, weight loss, those short on time, general fitness, 5k, 10k,HM, and the marathon
Injury guides and preventative routines for the most common running injuries.
The latest research and scientific literature on running form, strength training,and injuries – updated constantly.
Interviews with coaches and strength training experts, totaling over 2 hours ofcontent, you can listen to or read to further your knowledge of strength trainingcan work for you.
Absolutely everything you need to plan, develop, and understand how strengthtraining fits into YOUR training.
And you get this entire system for just $39
I’m sure you realize that the information here –
what I’ve gained in 15 years as a coach, elite
runner, and from the interviews and knowledge
I’ve gathered from the best running coaches in the
US – is worth much more than this.
But still, I know there’s a tendency procrastinate
when it comes to making purchases. It’s especially
true if you’re that runner who has been telling
yourself for years that “I am going to add strength
training to my schedule next training segment”.
So, don’t wait around this time. Be one of the few who take action, rather than the
many who wait around saying “someday.”
http://runnersconnect.net/strength-training-purchase-ebook