Setting Up a Runner's Strength Training
ProgramBy Doug Lentz, C.S.C.S. -
There are at least three good reasons for distance
runners to acquire a sizeable level of general strength in both the legs and
the upper body.
First, workloads of greater intensity can be
managed more easily. Second, greater muscular strength decreases the risk of
joint injury or overuse strain by minimizing connective tissue stress (bone,
ligament, tendon, or cartilage), which plays a part in maintaining joint
integrity. Third, a progressive resistance exercise program helps strengthen
these connective tissues, making the entire support system more durable.
Why Weight Training for
As an example of the benefits strength training
can provide, recent studies have shown that as few as six weeks of proper
weight training can significantly reduce or completely relieve kneecap pain or
"runner's knee." It also reduces the recurrence of many other common injuries,
including nagging hip and low back pain.
By strengthening muscle, as well as bone and
connective tissue (ligaments attach bone to bone; and tendons attach muscle to
bone), weight training not only helps to prevent injury but also helps to
reduce the severity of injury when it does occur.
In addition to injury prevention, weight training
improves performance. Studies show that with as little as 10 weeks of weight
training, 10K times decrease by an average of a little over one minute.
The research has also shown that running economy
defined as the steady-state oxygen consumption for a standardized running speed
(milliliters per kilogram body weight per minute), will be improved due to
By improving running economy, a runner should be
able to run faster over the same distance due to a decrease in oxygen
consumption. Improved running economy would also increase a runner's time to
Developing training cycles and an
Intelligent strength training for runners is based
on the idea of periodization. Periodization is the gradual cycling of blocks of
time in which specificity, intensity, and training volume are varied to achieve
peak levels of fitness.
Dave Martin, Ph.D., in his book Better Training
for Distance Runners, (Human Kinetics, Inc., 1997, Champaign, IL, 435 pp.),
describes three components of a strength training period. A macrocycle
is a developmental period of considerable length directed towards peaking at
maximum performance fitness. For many athletes this requires nearly a year.
A training macrocycle is divided into several
smaller developmental periods called mesocycles. A mesocycle has a
specific developmental objective, such as increased lactate threshold or
increased strength. A mesocycle lasts anywhere from a few weeks to a few
All mesocycles consist of at least one
microcycle that is a period of roughly one to two weeks during which a
meaningful block of training provides balanced development for the runner.
Strength training for the runner can be divided
into three time periods -- pre-season, in-season and post-season. During these
blocks of time, the volume and number of sets performed changes to keep pace
with the different seasonal demands that running presents.
The greatest benefits of strength training for
runners should be gained during the pre-season. This is the time to maximize
your strength for the upcoming race or higher-mileage season. Volume (sets
times repetitions) should be the highest during this time of year, which
compliments the lower running mileage.
When trying to increase strength maximally, a
protocol of three sets per exercise (with about a two-minute rest between
sets), and five to six repetitions per set has been shown to be most effective
for athletic populations.
A common mistake would be utilizing a repetition
load that is too light. Determining the amount of weight to use is somewhat a
trial-and-error process. The last repetition should feel as if you couldn't do
another. If your last repetition seems easy, add 5 to 10 percent more
Total body training two to three times a week
during the pre-season will suffice, giving adequate time for full recovery
The in-season for most runners comprises the
greatest portion of the year. It could last from mid-April to mid-October. Even
for non-racers, this time of year would be those months in which you do most of
your running volume. The goal of the in-season strength program is to maintain
as much strength as possible.
In-season lifting mainly requires one to two
weight-training sessions per week with only one to two sets of eight to 10
repetitions per exercise. Take great caution to avoid overtraining by either
lifting too much volume (sets times repetitions) or too much frequency (number
of workouts per week) during the in-season.
The final third of the training calendar is
referred to as the post-season. For most runners the post-season is from
mid-October to mid-January. For competitive runners, post-season starts when
your racing season is over. For those who do not compete, these are the months
immediately following your peak mild weather months.
In either case, the first four weeks of the
post-season are a time to recover. During this time, weight training can be
performed two times a week consisting of only one set of eight to 12
repetitions of each exercise with adequate rest periods between sets. After
four weeks of recovery, increase your weight training volume to two to three
sets of each exercise with 60 to 90 second rest intervals.
Setting up the program
So, how do you go about designing the most
effective progressive-resistance exercise program to improve running
performance? What type of equipment should be used -- body weight, free weights
or machines? The answer to this question is probably a combination of all
three. There is no single method that can be shown to be unequivocally
superior. The runner's competition or peak running schedule dictates how those
time periods are used.
There are, however, at least six key factors that
should be included in an appropriate training program:
- Train regularly. failure to do this is
close to a waste of time. Give each body part attention about three times a
- Train the muscle groups most in need of
conditioning that will be of greatest benefit to running. For example, if you
followed a bodybuilder's weight training routine you will probably find
minimal, if any improvement, in running performance. Quite possibly, running
performance would diminish.
- Ensure muscle balance by training
antagonists as well as agonist muscle groups. Agonist muscles are defined as
the muscle or muscles most directly involved with bringing about a movement
(also known as prime movers). Antagonist muscles are the muscle or muscles that
can slow down or stop a movement. Antagonist muscles assist in joint
- Provide a progressive overload stimulus.
In other words, you must progressively place greater-than-normal demands on the
exercising musculature for desired increases in strength to occur.
- Work the muscles throughout their full
range of movement so that strength gains occur in the full range of motion.
Failure to do so could result in injury.
- Allow adequate time between training
sessions for recovery and physiological adaptation to occur.
A simple set of dumbbells can be used at
home for an effective strength-training program. See the suggestions below for
a typical program for a runner to work a variety of muscle groups.
It is important that exercises be performed
properly with attention to posture, breathing, and adequate time given to each
repetition. A runner should use all the components of an effective
weight-training program during all phases of the three-season year.
It has been my experience that carefully
manipulating the volume, duration, frequency, and intensity of the
weight-training exercises to compliment your running calendar is of utmost
importance. Although we prefer to utilize multi-joint exercises (more than one
joint moves to help perform the action) whenever possible, this "periodized"
approach to weight training will probably yield positive results with any form
of resistance training -- and will pay off with improved running
program for a runner
Muscle group (Exercise)
Quadriceps, hamstrings, hips (squats, dead lifts, and lunges)
Shoulders (shoulder shrugs)
Upper back (dumbbell rows)
Chest (elevated feet push-ups)
Lower back (Superman exercise: lie stomach down, lift feet and
arms like Superman flies)
Gluteals and hamstrings (good morning lift:
basically a dead lift with bent legs)
A stellar example: Steve
In 1990, I had the pleasure of working with
Steve Spence, who was on his way to becoming a legitimate world-class marathon
contender. Steve is an excellent athlete who was familiar with resistance
training and believed that strength could play some role in his running
He was using Nautilus-type equipment,
performing single sets of high repetitions. He did not lift to muscular
fatigue, stopping at about 20 repetitions because that "seemed right."
His work focused on upper-body strength.
Steve reasoned that as an endurance athlete, he must need loads of muscular
endurance to be successful. He also believed that his leg strength would come
from running and that legwork wasn't necessary.
Recent research supports what we thought
would happen with Steve Spence when in 1990 his weight-training program was
changed, applying the strength-training concepts in this article.
Treadmill tests at Dr. Dave Martin's
laboratory at Georgia State University in Atlanta, done a year after changing
Steve's program, showed that Steve's stride at a five-minute-mile pace had
lengthened from 70 to 73 inches. This computes to a saving of close to a mile's
worth of strides in a 2:11 marathon.
During Steve's career as a world-class
marathoner he was known as a strong finisher, reflecting gains in running
economy due to strength training. In the 1991 World Champions Marathon in
Tokyo, Steve was in 15th place, 50 seconds behind the leaders at the halfway
point. Spence ran the last half of the race faster than anyone else and ended
up with a bronze medal.
American Running Association Clinic
Advisor and Editorial Board Member Doug Lentz, CSCS, is the Director of Fitness
and Wellness for the Chambersburg Health Services in Chambersburg, PA. His last
article in "Running & FitNews" on strength training without equipment was
disseminated when our troops were in Bosnia to keep them in shape. Doug is a
former triathlete, turned duathlete, turned cyclist, as well as competitive
Olympic-style weightlifter. Since graduating from Penn State University in
1981, Doug has trained elite, amateur, and professional athletes in 14
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