Reduce your risk of injury 

As you run, the force of almost 3 times your body weight is put on each leg and in turn on your joints. Having the muscular strength and stability to absorb that force will minimize the load through your joints and reduce your risk of pain and injury. By correcting muscle imbalances and improving muscle activation, through strength training, you will likely see increased efficiency in your running mechanics which will result in improved performance. Hence, faster times with less fatigue!  Something we all would love to see!

 

Improve Muscle Activation

Just because you have the muscles doesn’t mean you’re always using them. Sometimes our muscles get lazy! Strength training is a great way to improve muscle activation and recruitment. Strengthening muscles in isolation, progressing to multi-joint and running-specific movements can retrain muscle recruitment patterns and make sure you’re using all the right muscles when you run.

 

Improve Biomechanics and Efficiency

Biomechanics is a fancy term for how you produce movement.  Strengthening the muscles that support your body and it’s ideal alignment while running can improve your biomechanics and result in more efficient use of energy. In other words, less wasted energy and faster running! Some very experienced distance runners have shown improvements of up to 8% in running economy following a period of resistance training.

 

Maintain Muscle & Bone Mass for “Mature” Runners

Have you ever been passed by a runner old enough to be your grandparent? There’s no doubt that older adult runners are extremely active and fit, however they are still susceptible to Sarcopenia (age related decline in muscle mass). Older adult runners often have reduced muscle mass and are potentially more at risk of joint and soft tissue injuries. Strength training is extremely beneficial for our “mature” population to maintain muscle mass and good over all general functional capacity.

 

Strength training for runners is often neglected in favor of getting more miles in. However today we are wanting to drive home the importance of adding in progressive strength training to any running program.  Not only does it have the potential to reduce your risk of injury but it will make you a more resilient, bulletproof human being!  Now who wouldn’t want that! 

 

If you have questions about what things should be added into a progressive program, reach out. We are passionate about keeping our endurance athletes healthy and durable! 

 

What things do you incorporate to your strength training regime?