Too often, runners try to improve by focusing solely on their running. You are attempting a faster workout, higher mileage, faster overall pace, or more frequent workouts. This approach can lead to injury as more exercise is inherently risky. (We don’t call them “overuse injuries” for nothing!) Instead, if runners focus on their ability to exercise more, they can eventually run more.
Capacity building training improves your ability to exercise even more, whether that means more volume, more intensity, or both. And the best way to improve your ability to run more is weight training.
A consistent strength program has many benefits for endurance runners:
- Faster end times, because you recruit more muscle fibers and therefore run more powerfully.
- Less injuries from overuse, because strength work improves the durability of your muscles, connective tissues and joints.
- Better running economy, because you are better coordinated.
In fact, strength training is so important to runners that it shouldn’t be considered cross-training – it’s part of the training that all runners must complete if their goal is to achieve their true potential.
But how do you start if you’re a runner who’s intimidated by the gym or has never done strength training?
It is important to keep the principle of progress in mind.
If you are new to weight training, where do I start?
Most runners understand that in order to improve, their training needs to get more challenging and complex over time. This is known as progression, and it helps runners gradually achieve more as they adjust to higher mileage and overall intensity.
Strength training is so important to runners that it shouldn’t be considered cross-training. It’s just part of the training runners need to do.
You can do this with your weight training as well. If you are new to strength work, start with relatively simple bodyweight exercises with an emphasis on consistency.
It is at this stage of your running career that it is most helpful to develop the habit of constant strength training. So start with a series of body weight workouts that follow each of your runs. When you finish each run with a small amount of basic resistance training, you build a long-term habit that will last.
Stick to basic exercises like:
- Squats (and their one-legged varieties)
- Deadlift (and one leg deadlift)
- boards
- bridges
- Lunges
- Step-ups
- pushups
- Press (and press)
The Mace single leg routine Below, many of these exercises are combined into a single workout that deals with the strength of a single leg:
And the Standard core routine is a “bread and butter” core workout specially developed for runners:
These routines will help you build strength in a way that will be challenging but accessible to most athletes. As you do a routine after each run, you build the basic strength required for a more advanced lift, if you so choose.
How to add weights and challenging movements
If you’re new to weight training, jumping into a series of heavy deadlifts on day one isn’t a good idea. Instead, start with the routines in the previous section, which are far more general.
General strength is the foundation on which gym runners can get to more advanced lifts. After 4 to 6 weeks of consistent body weight training, you can move on to more advanced exercises.
A valuable way to make the transition from bodyweight exercises to difficult workouts in the gym is to start with simpler equipment like bands, medicine balls, and kettlebells. These tools add weight to your body or only add a relatively small amount of weight.
Ultimately, runners don’t have to be afraid to lift weights. It doesn’t make you bulky or too stiff to run.
You practice many of the same movements that you did in the gym, but with less weight. Routines like that Tomahawk workout are great intermediate exercises when bodyweight exercises are too easy but you’re not ready to hit the gym.
After another 3 to 5 weeks of strength training with home equipment, you can move on to more advanced lifts in the gym. These more challenging gym workouts involve many of the same exercises (Squats, Deadlift, Press) but is done with a weighted barbell.
The planning is different too, as you can’t lift heavier weights every day, so you won’t keep track of every run with one of these workouts. Instead, you can lift fairly heavy weights at the gym twice a week and keep doing bodyweight training after your other runs during the week.
Strength building tips to remember
The goals of runners in weight training are simple: get strong, improve efficiency, improve injury resistance, and increase power to improve racing performance.
Rather than isolating specific muscles, runners should train movements.
Because of this, you don’t have to train like bodybuilders by focusing on single muscles and long workouts. It’s not that helpful for runners.
Rather than isolating specific muscles, runners should train movements. Compound multi-joint exercises like squats and deadlifts not only help runners get stronger, but also build coordination and general athleticism. So, skip the bicep curls and focus on the basic exercises.
And since our goals are efficiency and performance, you need to lift relatively heavy weights. Light weights don’t challenge your muscles and nervous system enough. You will need to lift challenging amounts of weight for these desired adjustments.
But with that said, prioritize your running. Lifting is secondary to running. When in doubt, lift a little less weight than you think. Runners do resistance coordination training when lifting weights, so the exact amount of weight is less important than good movement.
If you are too tired or sore to run from lifting weights, or if you are unable to get the pace or jumps you want while exercising, you are probably lifting too heavy. As you lose weight, you will likely find that your energy returns to running quickly.
Ultimately, runners don’t have to be afraid to lift weights. It doesn’t make you bulky or too stiff to run. But it makes you stronger, improves your body composition, increases your speed and running economy, makes you more efficient and reduces the risk of running injuries. And these are all things every runner wants.