Strength Training is a foundational component of a comprehensive distance running training program. The inclusion of a properly designed strength training program is important because the benefits of strength training are not achieved through running or cross-training alone. 

The benefits of strength training for distance runners:  An overview 

Injury Prevention: 

Injury rates among runners are extremely high (at the high school level, cross-country runners experience more injuries than athletes in any other sport, including football and gymnastics). 

One of the most effective means for minimizing tissue trauma associated with distance running is to develop stronger muscles, tendons, fascia, ligaments and bones. This is the primary reason that every runner should perform regular strength exercise. 

Contributes to prevention of shin splits, stress fractures, lower back discomfort, knee problems and hip injuries common to distance runners. Performance enhancement: Allows athlete to adhere to marathon training schedule and thereby maximize performance. 

Improved muscle strength/endurance. 

Improved joint flexibility. 

Increased force/power production. 

Improved running economy – research indicates 4 percent less oxygen used at sub-maximum running speeds. 

Increased basal metabolic rate contributing to improved body composition. 

1. Expect muscle soreness after the first workout. 

Following the first strength training workout a runner will generally experience moderate to significant delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).  Runners who are new to strength training often worry that, “If I always feel like this after the strength workout there is no way I can continue to strength train and perform key running workouts). This soreness will diminish and eventually disappear after two to three days.  Soreness following subsequent strength training workouts will be much less severe than following the first (and sometimes the second) strength workout.  Normal running can and should still be performed during this period of soreness.  Do not attempt to stretch to relieve soreness as stretching plays absolutely no role in reducing (or preventing) muscle soreness. 

2. Resume strength training as soon as possible after the race.   

Strength training should be resumed as soon as possible following a race including the marathon – even if the runner is sore and does not feel “up to it.” A Saturday marathon should be followed with a Monday or Tuesday strength training workout.  Strength training theoretically enhances recovery time after the marathon because it increases blood flow to sore muscles.  The level of intensity and amount of resistance (weight) used during this workout should be decreased.  The second workout following the marathon will return to a normal intensity level. 

3. It is impossible to add enough muscle mass to hurt run performance.  

 A prevalent apprehension associated with strength training for distance runners is that intense strength training will cause a runner to add muscle size and the runner will attain a “muscle bound” or “bulky” appearance thus negatively impacting running performance. Unfortunately, this myth is perpetuated by the running community including well meaning coaches, athletes  magazines. The truth is that intense strength training with heavy weights will not make a distance runner “bulky” unless the runner has the genetic predisposition to add muscle; a virtual impossibility for most distance runners. The genetic characteristics that runners generally posses are very different than the genetic characteristics of a body builder or power athlete. It is impossible for a distance runner to significantly increase muscle to the point where a runner appears bulky and experience a decrease in running performance – no matter how much or how hard they strength train. 

4. Body composition will improve with strength training.  

 One of the primary positive outcomes associated with strength training is an improvement in body composition. Excessive body fat serves as “drag” in any running distance. Eliminating drag improves running speed when all other factors are kept equal. Strength training increases metabolism so that ultimately, less fat is stored. The result is a stronger and leaner runner. Without strength training, aging runners lose muscle tissue and metabolism slows – this is essentially an inescapable truth. Unless a runner strength trains, he will lose muscle as he ages, and still accrue a degree of fat.  A 48 year old runner who weighs 152 pounds has a much higher percentage of body fat than when he was 22 years old and still weighed 152 pounds. Over time, muscle is lost and fat increases.  

5. The competitive race season is the most important time to strength train. 

The most important time for the distance runner to strength train is during the competitive racing season. However, this seems to be the time period when most runners discontinue strength training. Strength training, like any other mode of training, stimulates a series of positive physiological adaptations. These adaptations are “use it or lose it.”  If strength training is discontinued, the positive adaptations diminish after a matter of a few weeks. If a runner wants to benefit from strength training, it is imperative that they strength train during the racing season. Do not bother strength training in December through March if you plan on discontinuing strength training throughout the spring and summer racing season. No runner would consider discontinuing running completely all summer long because they will be racing more. Runners understand that they must run (and include important components including speed, tempo, long runs) on a consistent basis in order to maintain or improve fitness. In order to maximize race performance during the spring and summer, continue to strength train with attention paid to the timing and spacing of these workouts. Even one strength workout every ten to fourteen days throughout the spring and summer racing season will allow the runner to maintain muscle strength and injury resilience. There is no “season” for strength training – it must be performed year round on a consistent basis. 

6. Continue to strength train when injured.  

Most running injuries do not interfere with the ability to strength train effectively. Often times an injury will exist that prevents a runner from running; often the runner mistakenly assumes that he or she cannot strength train safely either. The truth is that the strength training routine can be modified to “work around” the injured areas. If an ankle injury exists, the entire upper body, midsection, hip abductors and adductors, hip flexors, hamstrings, and quadriceps can and should be trained productively. In this specific case, it is likely that only calf and tibia dorsi flexion exercises must be avoided. 

7. Continue to strength train during periods of high mileage running. 

Runners and coaches may often assume that as a runner continually increases his mileage, he must consider discontinuing strength training to allow for the increased running volume. The period of high mileage running is possibly the most important time for the inclusion of strength training, as it is during this time that the runner is most susceptible to injury. Some coaches theorize that an athlete only has a finite amount of energy from which all training activities draw upon. This assumption mistakenly assumes that the body responds to all physiological stresses in the same manner; specifically, that strength training and running impact the body’s recovery systems in the same manner.　 

8. Recreational runners should strength train. 

Many middle of the pack runners may wonder why strength training is important for them as they do not aspire to qualify for the Olympics, the Boston marathon, or run a sub 4:00 hour marathon. Strength training is not reserved solely for runners seeking to maximize performance. Instead, strength training should be viewed as a foundational activity that allows the recreational runner to run with a decreased risk of injury while also contributing to improved fitness and health (improved body composition, increased metabolism, increased bone mineral density, etc.). 

9. More is not better when it comes to strength training. 

Unlike aerobic exercise (to an extent), money, and free time – more is not better when it come to strength training. The stimulus for improving strength (and the other positive adaptations including injury resilience, body composition improvement, etc.) is intensity, not volume, frequency, or duration. If an activity is intense, it can not be performed for a long time. Duration and intensity are mutually exclusive. More frequent strength training is not more beneficial because the body does not actually get stronger while strength training; instead, we get stronger while we recover from strength training. Distance runners (as well as power athletes and non-athletes) only need to strength train once to twice a week for optimal results. Although one to two workouts per week fits in well to a runner’s training program and busy life, it is important to understand that this low frequency and volume of strength training is not a compromise or an effort to “at least do some strength training.” Instead, the twice a week strength training prescription is what produces the absolute best results possible. 

by Luke Carlson – Discover Strength

The acquisition and improvement of athletic skills is a process in which the performer develops a set of responses into an integrated and organized movement pattern. A study by Bobbert and van Soest (1994) implies two requirements that are necessary in order to increase efficiency at performing athletic skills: practicing the skill and strengthening the muscles. These two requirements have also been noted by Bryant (1988).  

The first requirement for improving athletic skills is to literally practice the intended skill for thousands and thousands of task-specific repetitions. Each repetition must be done with perfect technique so that its specific movement pattern becomes firmly ingrained in your “motor memory.” The skill must be practiced perfectly and exactly as it would be used in competition. Further, the skill should be practiced with regulation equipment, not weighted implements. 

The second requirement for improving athletic skills is to strengthen the major muscle groups that are used during the performance of a particular skill. Strength training should not be done in a manner that mimics or apes a particular sports skill so as not to confuse or impair the intended movement pattern. A stronger muscle can produce more force; if you can produce more force, you’ll require less effort and be able to perform the skill more quickly, more accurately and more efficiently. But again, this is provided that you’ve practiced enough in a correct manner so that you’ll be more skillful in applying that force. Remember, practice makes perfect…but only if you practice perfect.  

Are there sport-specific or even position-specific exercises? Should a basketball player perform different exercises than a football player or swimmer? Or, should a pitcher perform a strength workout that differs from that of a catcher or an outfielder?  

Each person has the same muscles that function in the same manner as any other person. For example, your bicep muscle flexes your lower arm around your elbow joint. The same is true for a diver, a shot putter, a quarterback, a lacrosse player and defensive lineman. It follows then that there is no such thing as a sport-specific or a position-specific exercise (Mannie 1990; Riley 1992; Thomas 1994; Wetzel 1994). For that matter, there aren’t any gender-specific exercises, either. Some athletes might perform certain movements as a precaution to prevent an injury to a joint that receives a lot of stress in their particular sport, such a wrestler using neck exercises. Athletes might also perform a movement to focus on a particular muscle group that is absolutely critical to their sport. For instance, a golfer who relies on grip strength might exercise his or her forearms, while a soccer player would not. Other than that, people should select movements that exercise their muscles in the safest and most efficient way possible – regardless of their sport or activity. Remember, skill training is specific to a sport but strength training is general (Allman 1976;Jones 1977b; Hewgley 1984; Leistner 1986b; Wood 1991). In other words, the development of strength is general but the application of strength is specific.  

You’ve probably heard the following type of advice: “Do you want to have the long, lean muscles of a swimmer? Then swim! Don’t lift weights – you’ll look like a body builder!” Such claims are made all the time, and, despite their proliferation, they’re wrong. Once again, you can chalk it up to the way the human mind operates. People will see a group of champion swimmers and observe a certain appearance, or they’ll see a group of professional bodybuilders and observe another appearance, and it seems logical to assume that there is something about what these athletes are doing in their training that has created the way they appear. However, this assumption is a misapplication of observational statistics.

If you should ever attend a national AAU swim meet and sit through the whole day’s competition, from the initial qualifiers to the finals, you would see these “swimmer’s bodies” change dramatically over the course of the day. This speaks to the fact that it isn’t the activity of swimming, per se, that produces this “type” of body; rather, a particular body type has emerged that is best suited for swimming. In other words, the genetic cream rises to the top through the selective pressure of competition. Competition, it can be said, is simply accelerated evolution.

The swim meets starts with the qualifying round. Perusing the people who are up on the blocks prior to the firing of the starter’s pistol, you will note a broad array of body types. When the quarterfinals roll around, those body types will begin to resemble each other. When you get to the semi-finals, they will look very similar, until finally, the compeititors standing on the starting blocks during the championship look like clones. The reason? A self-selection process: accelerated evolution.

However, most of us simply watch the finals and see a group of people who look almost identical in terms of their body type competing in the same activity, and we conclude that this particular activity produced this body type. Thus, we draw an inference that is invalid because we are lacking a broader context, which in this instance should have included all of the different body types that also trained and engaged in the event. This is why you will hear people saying that you “ought to enroll in Pilates class, so that you will develop a dancer’s body,” or you “ought to take dance aerobics classes, so that you will develop a dancer’s body,” or you “ought to take up swimming, because you want long, lean muscles, not big, bulky muscles.” Such statements are the result of misapplied observations and of assumed cause-and-effect relationships that are actually inverted: it wasn’t the activity that produced the body type; it was the body type that did well in that activity. It is the genetic endowment that produces the body type. Therefore, if one desiers to have the body type of, say, a champion swimmer, the best course of action is to start by having the same parents as that champion swimmer-rather than his or her training methods.

Strength training offers kids many benefits, but there are important caveats to keep in mind. Here’s what you need to know about youth strength training. 

By Mayo Clinic staff 

Strength training for kids? You bet! Done properly, strength training offers many bonuses to young athletes. Strength training is even a good idea for kids who simply want to look and feel better. In fact, strength training can put your child on a lifetime path to better health and fitness. 

Strength training, not weightlifting

For kids, light resistance and controlled movements are best — with a special emphasis on proper technique and safety. Your child can do many strength training exercises with his or her own body weight or inexpensive resistance tubing. Free weights and machine weights are other options. 

Don’t confuse strength training with weightlifting, bodybuilding or powerlifting. These activities are largely driven by competition, with participants vying to lift heavier weights or build bigger muscles than those of other athletes. This can put too much strain on young muscles, tendons and areas of cartilage that haven’t yet turned to bone (growth plates) — especially when proper technique is sacrificed in favor of lifting larger amounts of weight. 

For kids, what are the benefits of strength training?

Done properly, strength training can: 

Increase your child’s muscle strength and endurance 

Help protect your child’s muscles and joints from injury 

Improve your child’s performance in nearly any sport, from dancing and figure skating to football and soccer 

And strength training isn’t only for athletes. Even if your child isn’t interested in sports, strength training can: 

Strengthen your child’s bones 

Help promote healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels 

Boost your child’s metabolism 

Help your child maintain a healthy weight 

Improve your child’s self-esteem 

When can a child begin strength training?

During childhood, kids improve their body awareness, control and balance through active play. As early as age 8, however, strength training can become a valuable part of an overall fitness plan — as long as the child is mature enough to follow directions and practice proper technique and form. 

If your child expresses an interest in strength training, remind him or her that strength training is meant to increase muscle strength and endurance. Bulking up is something else entirely — and most safely done after puberty. 

What’s the best way to start a strength training program for kids?

A child’s strength training program isn’t necessarily a scaled-down version of what an adult would do. Keep these general principles in mind:  Seek instruction.

Warm up.

Keep it light.

Stress proper technique.

Supervise.

Rest between workouts.

Keep it fun.

Help your child vary the routine to prevent boredom. Make sure your child rests at least one full day between exercising each specific muscle group. Two or three strength training sessions a week are plenty. Adult supervision is an important part of youth strength training. If your child lifts weights, act as a spotter — someone who stands ready to grab the weights — in case the weight becomes too heavy. Rather than focusing on the amount of weight your child lifts, stress proper form and technique during each exercise. Your child can gradually increase the resistance or number of repetitions as he or she gets older. Kids can safely lift adult-size weights, as long as the weight is light enough. In most cases, one set of 12 to 15 repetitions is all it takes. The resistance doesn’t have to come from weights, either. Resistance tubing and body-weight exercises, such as push-ups, can be just as effective. Encourage your child to begin each strength training session with five to 10 minutes of light aerobic activity, such as walking, jogging in place or jumping rope. This warms the muscles and helps reduce the risk of injury. Gentle stretching after each session is a good idea, too. Start with a coach or personal trainer who has experience with youth strength training. The coach or trainer can create a safe, effective strength training program based on your child’s age, size, skills and sports interests. Or enroll your child in a strength training class designed for kids.Results won’t come overnight. But eventually, your child will notice a difference in muscle strength and endurance — which may fuel a fitness habit that lasts a lifetime. 

Ron was diagnosed with Prostate cancer in the beginning of 2001, he was 66.  He started treatment in April of 2001 which involved an experimental chemotherapy drug called Taxol and 39 rounds of radiation.  By December of 2001, Ron had started a strength training program.   

It was Ron’s Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Tom Dugan, who recommended he begin a strength training regimen.   Ron takes regular hormone injections to suppress the testosterone because testosterone feeds the cancer. The down side to the hormone treatments is that it causes bone thinning and muscle loss. “You are never cured of prostate cancer it’s just a matter of controlling it” Ron stated.  In order to increase his bone density and muscle strength, he needed to lift weights. 

Strength training stresses your bones therefore increases bone density.  Ron started a strength training program 2 times a week, each session lasting no more than 30 minutes.  Each workout consists of working all the major muscle groups in a slow and deliberate fashion, focusing on safety and efficiency. 

Did Ron see results?  So much so that it inspired his grandson Isaiah to start strength training 4 years ago when he was only 15 years old.   Recently, Ron’s son Kent and granddaughter, Ariaunah decided to join the family affair.  They work out together as a “team” with Ron’s trainer, Tom.  Ron has seen positive changes in both his grandson and granddaughter. 

Why has Ron’s commitment to strength training been so loyal?  He knows it works.  “I’m a glutton for punishment – getting old isn’t for sissy’s!” Ron is a true believer in the benefits that only strength training can provide.  “I’m stronger now than I ever have been in my life and I can tolerate anything for half an hour.”  

Check out Ron’s strength training workout video on YouTube.