Strength training: How it helps runners, and which exercises are the best

As a runner, don’t focus so much on increasing your mileage and speed that you neglect to include strength training in your routine.

Strength training is important for running for several reasons. One of the main benefits: it helps build up your force capacity.

“If your muscles are stronger, they can create forces more effectively, taking pressure off your joints and making you more efficient,” says Grace “Annie” Neurohr, DPT, OCS, CMTPT, a physical therapist and running and bio-motion specialist for the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics running program at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.

Strength training also helps build tendon resiliency, which is important because tendinopathies (characterized by pain, swelling and impaired performance) are some of the most common running injuries, especially those affecting the patellar and Achilles tendons. “Loading these tendons through strength training can help you to avoid these types of injuries, especially as you age and your tendon fibers change,” Neurohr says.

In addition, strength training promotes variability, as it stresses your cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems in different ways. “This promotes a more versatile level of fitness while also providing a variability of movement patterns,” Neurohr says. “Strength training also allows your joints to move through bigger ranges of motion, challenging your coordination and building a more comprehensive base for your running regimen.”

You should do strength training exercises two or three days a week. Picking the right type of strength training will depend on the type of running you’re trying to improve, Neurohr says.

For pure strength, of course, weight training is ideal. “Exercises like lunges, squats and deadlifts are all good examples. Start with body weight to ensure you have proper form, then add weights to make the exercises more challenging,” Neurohr says. “You want a weight that makes four sets of eight reps sufficiently difficult.”

For power and recruitment, plyometrics are best. “Exercises like box jumps, broad jumps, and burpees can all help you develop quicker reaction time, improved muscle recruitment speed and better power production,” Neurohr says.

For muscular endurance, focus on higher repetitions with less weight. “An example would be a single leg calf raise to fatigue. Here, you’re trying to get your muscles to provide consistent force production over a repetitive movement,” Neurohr says.

In general, core and lower body exercises are typically the most important.

“I think runners really benefit from a few staple exercises. For the core, forward planks, side planks, fire hydrants and bird dogs are a few of my favorites. For the lower body, a routine of squats, single leg and double leg deadlifts, lunges, and calf raises will target a lot of the major muscle groups,” Neurohr says. “There’s a lot of variations for all of these exercises as well for progressions or specific targeted musculature.”

If you want to schedule a running assessment or learn more about the RIAO running clinic, call Annie at 410-601-4353 or email her at [email protected]. You can also follow her on Instagram at pace_doctor for more running rehab tips.