Strength work for runners who would rather just run
Lifting doesn't slow runners down. The right strength work helps you hold form when the miles add up. Here's how to fit it in without wrecking your week.
Ray has completed multiple full marathons and is currently working toward his first 50-miler. He also coaches strength at RTS. Those two facts are not in conflict. Runners who lift well tend to tolerate training better than runners who only run.
This is not a pitch to replace your miles with barbells. It is a way to make the miles hold together.
Why runners need strength
Running is a repeated single-leg pattern in one direction. It is excellent at making you better at running and not very interested in the rest of your body. Strength work fills the gaps: hips that stay stable, a trunk that does not fold, calves and feet that can take repeated load.
It also gives you a way to train when a run is not the right idea. A hard running week plus a hard lifting week is a lot. A hard running week plus a sensible strength session can be the thing that keeps the week from falling apart.
Train the positions running doesn't
You do not need a bodybuilding split. You need a squat, a hinge, a lunge or step-up, a push, a pull and some calf and foot work. Most of that can live in two sessions a week.
Keep the reps honest and the range manageable. A runner does not get extra credit for a deadlift that looks like a bad yoga pose.
- Squat or split squat for leg strength.
- Hinge for glutes and hamstrings.
- Row and push-up for the upper body you use to hold posture.
- Calf raises and single-leg balance for the lower leg.
Keep it heavy enough to matter
A set of 30 tiny band reps is better than nothing, but it will not do much for strength. Once your form is solid, use a load that makes the last few reps genuinely hard while staying clean.
The trick is timing. Put the heaviest lower-body work on a day that is not followed by your most important run, or keep it after an easy run. The goal is to support the running, not to arrive at every session sore.
Put it on the calendar
Most runners do not skip strength because they disagree with it. They skip it because it is not in the plan. Two short sessions, written into the week like a run, survive a busy month far better than a vague intention to lift more.
Ray's coaching focus is daily habits. That means the plan has to fit the week you actually have, including work, family and the runs you are not willing to give up.
When to back off
If a lift is making a niggle louder, stop and get it looked at. Strength work should make you more durable, not turn a small problem into a big one. A coach can adjust the load, the range or the exercise, but a medical issue belongs with a medical provider.
If you want help fitting strength around a race block, start with a free call. Bring your current week and your goal, and the coaches will tell you what they would change first.
The goal is to support the running, not to arrive at every session sore.
Written by the coaches at RTS Fitness, 469 Broadway in El Cajon. Questions about your own training? Book a free call.