For Runner’s: Why Runner’s Must Lift Weight
5 min read
Are you a runner who is neglecting weight training? Running at the same pace, speed, and on the same gradient, in the absence of strength training will likely diminish your performance over time. And no we are not talking about clamshells, band walks, and fire hydrants.
Running without proper strength training is like playing tug of war with your body. Most runners admit to neglecting weight training prior to working with us. This is often due to them being unclear on how that style of training has anything to do with their running performance. Contrary to what you hear, you don't run to be fit, you must be fit to run, and this encompasses strength training.
Keep reading to see practical examples of what we do with our runners.
Why this is important?
Runners accept an average of 2-3x their bodyweight with each step. If a 150 pound person runs for 40 minutes with an average cadence of 175 steps/minute, that equates to 7,000 steps. If each step is taken with a loading rate of 2-3x your own body weight (150 pounds in this example), that results in a cumulative loading of 2.1 million pounds. If you lack the strength necessary to tolerate heavy loads you inevitably place more pressure on your joints, tendons, and ligaments. Are you truly preparing for this volume of loading?
Research has proven that only 2 strength training sessions per week for 8-10 weeks demonstrated improved 5K times, running economy, and reduced injury risk in both experienced and novice runners!
Where You Should Start
Strength training is sometimes an afterthought in our patients who are runners. It is not until they begin working with us that they truly understand the importance of supplementing their running with a strength and plyometric training protocol that prepares them for the stresses of running. We understand that strength and plyometric training may be a whole new world to you. A good place to start is to begin running on varying gradients. Uphill running and stair running in particular can mimic lower extremity strength training, however only to a certain degree.
Here are some basic strength movements we suggest all runner’s plug into their cross training:
Understand Strength and Rate of Force Development
Runners need to be able to produce force fast since ground contact times decrease as running velocity increases. This concept is referred to as elasticity. With each step, runners must demonstrate elasticity as they must quickly absorb and produce force all within a ground contact that is less than 1 second. With that said, you cannot produce force fast if you have no force to produce in the first place.
Furthermore, runners need strength to normalize the inevitable muscle imbalances that presently exist. Strength training of each muscle group is especially important as weaker links increase the demand on adjacent muscles, predisposing injury to the structures that are forced to compensate. What good are strong glutes if your weak quads and hamstrings cannot control knee motion? For optimal performance, muscles should be able to focus on their primary function rather than having to contribute to compensation and this will only occur if proper strength and rate of force development is trained.
Here is a great jump progression you can use to begin improving rate of force development:
Does the ground own you or do you own the ground?
When running, your legs must accept an average of 2-3x your body weight in force with each step. If your body doesn’t have the strength to first accept this load and then quickly rebound and produce force to propel off the ground again, running economy is negatively impacted. In order to maximize running efficiency, runners must develop elasticity with each step. This is developed through targeted strength and plyometric training.
In the absence of adequate strength & elasticity, you're essentially on the verge of collapsing with each step as your muscles take too long to dampen/absorb the shock of initial contact and take too long to recoil and reproduce the force needed to propel off the ground again. This facilitates an inefficient, overactive, pattern of muscle activation thereby increasing injury risk. If you make a ton of noise with each step and spend way more time on the ground than in the air, the ground is likely owning you. You must own it.
Here is a great progression we use with our patients to better allow them to own the ground and demonstrate elasticity with each step:
Conclusion
If you are a runner dealing with nagging injuries and are interested in hearing about how we can bridge the gap between where you currently are and where you are trying to go, schedule a free discovery call.
References
Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Santos-Concejero, J., & Grivas, G. V. (2016). Effects of Strength Training on Running Economy in Highly Trained Runners: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trials. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 30(8), 2361–2368. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001316
Cavanagh, P. R., & Lafortune, M. A. (1980). Ground reaction forces in distance running. Journal of biomechanics, 13(5), 397–406. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9290(80)90033-0
Nilsson, J., & Thorstensson, A. (1989). Ground reaction forces at different speeds of human walking and running. Acta physiologica Scandinavica, 136(2), 217–227. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-1716.1989.tb08655.x
