After seeing many articles on the “best strength exercises for runners” and “how to build a strong core”, I wanted to offer a way to integrate this within an existing running plan. We know that the best way to train for a race involves phases, each with a different emphasis. It’s reasonable then that our strength training should follow a similar progression to complement our running.
My only caveat before we get started is this: some strength training is better than NO strength training. Many runners struggle to maintain a consistent strength program simply because they get bored or they don’t like doing it (believe me, I sympathize!). Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress! If you find something that works for you consistently and you are not getting injured, then by all means, stick with it! BUT if you want to MAXIMIZE the strength work you are doing and cater it to your goal race, read on!
The specifics of these phases may vary due to the goal race and how long your training plan is. For example, a 5k plan might only be 12 weeks, where the first four weeks are base-building. Contrast that with a marathon plan of 24 weeks where the first 8 weeks are all base-building. To get over this difference, I will speak to the phases rather than the length of time.
The Base Phase – General Strength
We can’t build what we don’t have. The base phase is all about recruiting more muscle fibers that we can train for the remainder of the training plan. Just like we build an aerobic foundation during the base phase, we want to build a general strength base here.
We DON’T care about exercises that mimic running at this stage. Instead, we want to focus on low reps, high weight exercises. “But running is an endurance sport. Wouldn’t doing high reps support this?” No. As Steve Magness explains in his book, “The Science of Running”, “the heavy weight challenges the nervous system without having a high total volume to elicit enough of a protein response to trigger changes in muscle size.” In other words, when we go beyond a certain amount of reps, we start to get adaptations we don’t want as runners.. Let your actual running build up your endurance. Strength training is there to help prevent injuries and create a stronger overall engine – your body.
Don’t feel the need to go to complete exhaustion with every exercise. You will get many of the same benefits and you will avoid risking injury. Remember: the end goal is the running!
How much to do? 2-3 days per week is all that is needed, 30 minutes each.
Exercises?
- Legs: squats, deadlifts, bridges, calves.
- Core: hip adduction/abduction, clamshells, hip flexion, supermans (back), any ab exercise you like.
Reps? 4-6 reps on 2-3 sets. Will vary for others.
The Power Phase
Now that we’ve build up a base of general strength, we’re ready to move to the next phase which focuses on power. You want to teach your body to generate more force. This has the added benefit of also increasing muscle fiber recruitment as in the base phase.
Think about a box jump, for example. We want to generate as much force with one particular movement. For this reason, we do NOT want to jump repeatedly with no rest (we’ll get to that in a second!). We want to rest, even briefly, between each rep to allow for maximum output.
In this phase, the movements become slightly more running-specific and look less like traditional strength training. As such, it can be difficult to add weight to these exercises. When in doubt, it is best to start heavier and decrease from there, assuming you are keeping good form.
How much to do? 1-2 days per week, 30 minutes each.
Exercises?
- Legs (power): squat jumps (double leg at first, then single), box jumps, standing long jumps.
- Legs (strength): single leg squats, lunges, single leg curls, single leg bridges.
- Core: same as in base.
Reps? Between 5 and 10 depending on the weight. Remember to pause between reps for the power-specific exercises, even up to 60 seconds to focus on maximizing each one.
Running variations: Some may wish to take their strength training to the road, which is definitely possible for this power phase. Doing short and steep hill sprints will elicit many of the same adaptations as these exercises mentioned above. Stick to 10 second hill sprints with plenty of rest in between.
The Plyometric Phase
Similar to our training plan for our goal race, this last phase should be the most specific. Some might not even consider it strength training at all, but it goes a long way to complement our running. In this last phase, the focus is on minimizing contact with the ground. We do that by applying the right amount of force (see Power phase!) in a small amount of time.
The exercises in this phase then are focused on quick movements that minimize ground contact time – one of the most obvious being sprinting as Magness points out. It is the last step in putting the strength and power built from the first two phases into the act of running. The overall volume of these is still low due to the fact that your volume (and intensity) of running during this time while be at its peak.
Contrary to the power exercises, plyometric exercises focus on a series of movements, so don’t rest in between reps – just go straight into the next one with (once again) minimal ground contact.
How much to do? 1-2 days per week, 30 minutes each.
Exercises?
- Legs (plyometric): double leg hops, single leg hops, bounding, sprinting
- Legs (power): squat jumps, standing long jump
- Core: similar to base, but focus on more single leg activities or rotational ab exercises (think russian twists)
Reps? Between 5 and 10 for power exercises. Plyometric exercises may be 10-12 for only a set or two. The focus is on quality over quantity here.
Running variations: As mentioned above, sprinting is a great way to cement strength gains. Many runners use something called strides which works great for this. Accelerate to close to 5k speed and hold for 10-20 seconds, focusing on leg speed. Then coast down to a stop, fully recover, and start again. 4-6 sets of these at the end of an easy day are all that is needed a couple times a week.
Putting It All Together
In an ideal world, each of these phases would be at least 4 weeks long. If you have more time, I’d recommend either lengthening either the base phase or the plyometric phase. Leading up to a race, I recommend cutting off and non-running strength training about one week prior to race day to allow your body to get fresh but not too long where you’d lose strength.
