Get Your Weekly Dose of Iron
You don’t have to look far from the basics to build strength for running
Achain is only as strong as its weakest link, and as I like to say, a runner is only as strong as her weakest muscle. So in the chain of muscles used when running, a relatively weak muscle can increase your risk for injury, reduce your ability to absorb and produce force, and possibly negatively impact your running efficiency. Unfortunately, running alone will not correct this imbalance, and in actual fact, it might make this relative weakness worse.
Enter Strength Training
Often overlooked by most runners, strength training is an important piece of the complex puzzle that results in a fast, resilient, responsive and powerful runner. It’s true that to become a good runner, you have to run, but if you want to be great, you’ll have to include strength training. The main goals of strength training for a runner are to a) improve muscle coordination during running and b) develop relative strength amongst muscles. A recent systematic review (2018) published in the Journal of Sports Sciences concluded that trained endurance athletes who performed resistance training saw improvements in muscular strength, running economy, muscle power factors and direct performance in distances between 1,500 and 10,000 metres. These improvements did not result in a change in body mass or signs of overtraining.
The Future of Strength Training
Since the inception of strength training for runners (1950s), companies have come out with new and innovative pieces of equipment to take training and performance to the next level. From bands that wrap around your ankles to bags filled with sand, I believe the tried and true method of developing strength in a runner will always fall back to lifting iron. There will still be a time and a place for band and machine-focused exercises, as well as unstable surface training, but the backbone of any successful strength training routine will be squats, deadlifts and their single leg variations.
Hex Bar Deadlift Muscles Targeted: Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings and Paraspinals
HOW TO Stand inside a hex bar with your feet hip-width apart. Squat down slightly and lean forward to reach the top handles. Push your butt out and back and keep your chest up. Make sure your knees don’t cave inward, then stand with the bar. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the lift, then reverse the movement to lower the bar safely. Pause on the ground for two seconds to reset for the next repetition.
Barbell Back Squat Muscles Targeted: Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings
HOW TO Hold the barbell wider than shoulder width apart , then place the bar on top of your shoulder blades. Stand up and walk backward from the rack, then stand with your feet shoulder width apart with your toes rotated 10-ish degrees out. Sit back and down while keeping your knees inline with your toes. Squat as low as you can while keeping your feet f lat on the f loor, then return to standing.
THE MAIN GOALS OF STRENGTH TRAINING FOR A RUNNER ARE TO A) IMPROVE MULTIPLE MUSCLE COORDINATION DURING RUNNING
AND B) DEVELOP RELATIVE STRENGTH AMONGST MUSCLES.
Rear Foot Elevated on Low Box Muscles Targeted: Quadriceps, Glutes, and Hamstrings
HOW TO Stand a lunge length away from a low box, approximately six inches high. Place your right foot on the box and stabilize by planting the ball of your foot on the box. Hold weights at your side, and with good posture, squat down. Pretend that you’re going to kneel so as to bring your rear knee toward the ground. Form a 90-degree angle with your front knee, and then stand up.
Staggered Romanian Deadlift Muscles Targeted: Hamstrings, Glutes
HOW TO Stand with your feet hip width apart, but with one foot slightly in front of the other. Hold dumbbells in front of your front thigh and soften your front knee. Push out your hips back and keep your chest out, then slowly bow forward. Keep your back straight and lower the weights just past your knees. You should feel tension build i n your front leg hamstring. Return to standing.