Strength training, essential for runners

Is the important strength training? The answer is a resounding 'yes'. What's more, I would say that strength training It is important for the entire population. (logically adapted to the circumstances of age, mobility and needs of each person) but it is essential for runners and runners of any level.

Anyone who runs regularly has to place a lot of importance on strength training.

Strength training to prevent injuries and gain speed and endurance

Only with stronger muscles can gain stamina and speed. If we want to improve as runners, we must include strength training in our routine or weekly training calendar.

In addition to helping us improve our sports performance, strength training will help us to Prevent injuries.

The benefits of strength training are many, but in the case of running They are fundamentally these:

1. Prevent injuries. A strong musculature, in addition to protecting against falls, impacts, etc., also helps us to have better postural health in our daily activities (for example, sitting correctly) and when running. Many runners and runners suffer, for example, back problems due to the lack of adequate leg muscles that prevent them from maintaining a correct posture while running. A strong musculature contributes to the stabilization of the bones, which helps to reduce injury problems, joint pain, etc.
2. Gain speed, coordination and power. Some people mistakenly think that to run faster you have to run more kilometers; It's sometimes surprising to see workouts from popular runners that have more miles per week than professional athletes, but don't spend a single day specifically working on strength, or at most include a hill session.
3. be more efficient running. When strength training is given due importance and is worked correctly, greater efficiency is achieved when running; that is, with less effort you get better performance because you earn speed y resistance.

Strength training is beneficial for the entire population

In general, strength training has many benefits for the health of the entire population: kids, adolescents, adults and, of course, also for the elderly or the elderly population.

As pointed out by the National Committee of Child and Adolescent Sports Medicine (2018), there is scientific evidence on the positive effects of strength training in kids and adolescents; and they are these:

• Increased strength and power.
• Increased bone mineral density.
• Injury risk reduction.
• Improvement in motor skills such as running, jumping, throwing...

Regarding the elderly or the elderly population, there are many studies that in recent years have underlined the importance of strength training to have adequate muscle tone when reaching advanced ages.

Because it is the lack of muscular strength that prevents a large population of the elderly (and that are not even in the elderly) from having adequate mobility or from simple day-to-day functional tasks (getting up from a chair, climbing stairs , pushing the opening of a door...) become difficulties that generate dependency.

La osteoporosis and sarcopenia, two problems generally related to the aging process, can be prevented or at least minimized through physical exercise and especially regular strength training.

La sarcopenia It is the progressive and generalized loss of muscle mass that implies weakness and incapacity for mobility, which has as an immediate consequence the loss of quality of life.

La osteoporosis It is a disease that weakens the bones making them very brittle. Over the years, bone mass is lost, but it is after the age of 70 when the problem can worsen.

How to do strength training? If possible, with a sports training professional

We already know why you have to do strength training and now we are going to talk about how.

It has become clear how important it is to perform strength training if we really want to improve our performance as runners, but how to do it?

My first advice would be put yourself in the hands of a qualified professional to know which exercises can benefit us the most and to learn the correct execution technique for each exercise (what loads to use, how many repetitions to perform, how many series, how to combine the exercises...).

The guidance or advice of a sports training professional seems especially advisable if you have never done strength training before. A poor execution or incorrect combination of exercises can cause unexpected problems in the form of discomfort or injury.

And surely there will be someone who thinks “but a trainer or physical trainer is going to cost me money”; Yes, of course, but it is the guarantee of doing things well and that strength training really brings us the expected benefits.

In addition, strength training must be designed and structured for the needs or objectives of each person, hence the importance of having the advice of a qualified professional. Because strength training is not the same for someone who wants to prepare for their first 10K as it is for someone who has been running for a while and wants to prepare for the marathon or a trail race.running.

Strength training must follow phases or stages

Also, and this is very important, you have to follow an adaptation process; We cannot start strength training right off the bat without going through an adaptation phase (getting the muscles used to light weight exercises).

After the adaptation phase, it will be necessary to go through a general preparation phase (increasing the range of exercises and also progressively increasing the loads/weights) to finally reach a specific preparation phase, in which those muscles that may have the greatest importance when running (or that can help us most in pursuing a goal, whether in a 10K, a marathon or a trail testrunning ).

A piece of advice that I usually give after having overcome the adaptation phase is the performance of some tests that will help us to know where we start from. One could be the classic estimation 1 RM (Maximum Repetition); another could be the vertical jump test “Squat Jump” to determine the 'explosive force'.

Logically, to carry out and assess these tests we need a physical activity professional; Based on the results of these tests, the physical activity professional will be able to guide and guide us with strength exercises. The correct planning of strength training is essential to obtain the many and satisfying benefits that it can bring to anyone who wants to improve as a runner.

Strength Training Tips for Runners

Arrived here some reader or reader may think "And you're not going to give advice on which exercises are best suited for runners?"

I sincerely believe that the best advice I can give is to put yourself in the hands of a qualified physical-sports activity professional to obtain the greatest benefits (and in the shortest possible time) from strength training, but I know that someone will feel disappointed if they do not I get "wet" at least a little, so here are a few tips that I consider necessary.

• Do not copy routines or plans other people's strength training. Someone who has been training for a long time can do exercises and move loads that should not be those of someone starting from scratch.
• If you join a gym and start from scratch with strength training, you can request the help of its staff to guide you on the initial routine; If you have already worked on strength before, you can inform them of your sports goals and ask them to recommend suitable exercises for it.
• Perform “classic” compound exercises, that is, those that involve different joints and muscle groups: squats (classic squat and Bulgarian squat), strides (backwards, forwards and sides), glute bridge, dead weight, rowing with bar or with TRX, bench press o Push-ups y dominated (assisted).

• Include plates Yes or yes. There are very different ones and they do not require material, so it is easy to make them even at home. The plates help strengthen the famous 'core' (you can read an article on our blog titled «Core training for runners»), a very important part for any runner. Planks allow you to work many muscles: abdominal, buttocks, shoulders, chest, upper back...
• Be careful with the loads / weights. with strength training our goal should be to gain strength, but not increase muscle volume inadequately.
• How many days of strength training? well at least 2 days a week trying not to be consecutive days.
• How many repetitions and how many series? It's hard to answer this, but a basic rule of thumb for beginners might be 3-4 sets and 10-15 reps. It would be desirable that strength training take us between 30 and 50 minutes and that it be a circuit that allows us to work all the large muscle groups.
• Do not work exclusively the legs. One mistake some people make is thinking that strength training for runners should only focus on leg exercises. You have to do exercises that involve all the large muscles of the body. You have to work the whole body to avoid muscular imbalances.

Bibliography used:

National Committee of Child and Adolescent Sports Medicine. Strength training in kids and adolescents: benefits, risks and recommendations. Arch Argent Pediatric. 2018 Dec 1;116(6):S82-S91. Spanish. doi: 10.5546/aap.2018.s82. PMID: 30525318.

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Jaume Albaranez

Physical trainer

Athlete from the CD Metaesport team. She is studying Physical Activity and Sports Sciences at the University of Valencia.
Jaume Albarañez, physical trainer

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