In the world of middle and long distance running, strength training has often been a debate. Some coaches have the mindset that strength training might make their athletes too bulky or heavy for the races they are running. Other coaches, are indifferent about if their runners should strength train, but often support utilization of light weights (like 15# or lighter dumbbells) if the athlete chooses to strength train. As physical therapists, we are very pro strength training. When approaching any athletic endeavor, athletes need to prepare their body for the demands they are going to place their body under.
If you read our blog last month, you may remember that your body is forced to accept load that is 3-4x your body weight each time you land on your foot while running. Sounds heavy, right? So my question is, why would you not choose to strength train? Additionally, stress injuries are common among distance runners. One of the best proven ways to build resilient bones is by placing them under load!
When it comes to strength training for running, we want to keep it simple. Your basic principles of strength training apply. Your program should include and upper and lower body push, upper and lower body pull, along with core/balance work. Below we will show you some of our go to exercises for building a strong, resilient runner!
Lower Body Push: Lateral Step Down
This exercise provides so much for runners. Single leg loading. Dynamic stability/balance and eccentric control. All things that are part of landing on a single leg when running.
Upper Body Push: Alternating Dumbbell Chest Press
Unlike your traditional chest press, we like to make this one more dynamic. Alternating provides a core stability input that traditional chest press may not fully challenge. Thing about your arms when you are running, they move in a reciprocal pattern, This exercise utilizes a similar pattern for dynamic control!
Lower Body Pull: Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
Upper Body Pull: Single Arm Bent Over Row
Another upper body exercise that helps build core stability and rotational control. When running, our arms move reciprocally and do both a push and pull based motion. Coupling our upper body push with a pull that looks similar to running form can help create balance.
Core/Balance:
When it comes to adding core and balance into our strength training routine, it does not mean it has to be completely separate from the exercises we are already performing. Depending on how you add load, what surface you are standing on or if you are simply performing a more unilateral exercise, more often than not, core and balance are already being challenged! Some of our favorite ways to challenge balance and core include: doing our strength work barefoot, standing on an airex pad or bosu ball, varying where we place the external load during our strength exercises.
When it comes to frequency, it can depend on the athlete, how often they should be strength training. As a general rule, 2-3 times per week tends to be the sweet spot for most runners. These strength training sessions can take place on the same day as a run, or you may choose to perform strength sessions on alternative days. There is not hard and fast rule for the best time, experimenting with your schedule and finding consistency is what is key!
If you are an avid runner and need help with building an appropriate strength routine, reach out to us today! We would love to take you through an athlete movement assessment and find your areas of weakness. This way we can build you a program specific to your needs and your goals! Head to our contact page and shoot us a message to set up your movement assessment today!
