Include Strength Training in Your Race Training Plan

There is one area of run-training that is underappreciated and often overlooked: strength training.

Twenty years ago it was crazy to think of endurance athletes doing strength training. Shoot, even 10 years ago, much of the running and endurance community thought that the only way to run faster was to run more. There was a common misconception that strength training caused weight gain via added muscle, and that more weight would slow athletes down.

But now, times are different. Researchers have found over and over again that strength training helps improve endurance performance. Take any runner, add some strength into their routine, and they become an even better runner. Why do you need strength for endurance? Endurance training teaches your muscles to be good at endurance. Strength training teaches your muscles to maintain your power over the course of your race.

Even though the knowledge is out there, the shadow of the old paradigm remains.

Let’s fix this.

Where Should Strength Training Go in Your Training Plan?

Let’s use as an example an intermediate runner who’s training for a half marathon. A week’s snapshot from a traditional training plan might look like this:

Rest days don’t mean you have to rest from any and all exercise. Adding strength training to one of your rest days will challenge your muscles at a higher intensity than your runs. Though you’re taking a break from running on your rest day, you can still improve your overall running performance.

In the above plan, I would suggest adding a strength training workout on Tuesdays. It does not need to be a long and arduous workout. Just one to start, and something that will quickly challenge your muscles at a higher intensity than running. If you have access to weights, that’s great. If you don’t, fear not.

Bodyweight Workouts

Using just your bodyweight, try four rounds of the following:

• Body weight squats x 15
• Push-ups x 10
• Pull-ups or rows x 10
• Planks x 45 seconds

This routine is very short and simple. If you need to spice it up, try adding weight to your squats, add more push-ups and pull-ups, or try your planks on one leg instead of two.

If you have a Microsoft Band, I’d recommend trying Tabata Guided Workouts. Just go to your phone app and select Find a Workout from the Menu. Under Browse by Type > Bodyweight, you’ll see a number of Tabata workouts. If you are up for a good challenge from a simple workout, try Tabata Alternating Squats, Sit-Ups, Push-Ups, & Squat Thrusts.

Training with Weights

If you are familiar with weight training, a quick strength workout could include four rounds of the following:

• Dumbbell lunges x 10 each
• Dumbbell squat and press x 10
• Bent-over dumbbell row x 10
• Dumbbell Russian Twist x 30

Again, if you are looking for a Guided Workout, Gold’s Gym and Shape have a great variety of workouts. Gold’s Gym has a 12-week muscle-building plan, and their Week 1: Day 1 and Week 1: Day 2 workouts are a great start for runners. If you have access to kettlebells, Shape has a great kettlebell workout that will work your entire body.

As you get more comfortable with weight training, and more confident that it will not hinder your running, feel free to add more exercises, or do different strength workouts. Running magazines often recommend workouts that are simple and effective.

Race-day Results

After you’ve added strength training into your training plan, you should start to feel a difference in just a few weeks. You may feel like your legs have more energy in the latter part of your runs, or you can run farther before you start to feel fatigued. Most runners say that they feel stronger, especially later in their runs.

Moral of the story: strength training is good for running. Start by adding in a strength day once per week. As you get more comfortable, increase the complexity of your strength training.

Happy lifting and happier running!