OPTIMUM EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY

  • Home
  • Services
    • Exercise Physiology >
      • NDIS
      • Home/Aged Care Package
      • Chronic Disease Rehabilitation
      • Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation
      • Allied Health Solutions
      • Diabetes >
        • Diabetes Exercise Class
      • Athletic Development
      • DVA
      • Workplace Injury
      • Medicare Referrals
      • Telehealth
      • Personal Training
    • Group Classes >
      • EP Group
      • Diabetes Exercise Class
      • Strength Bones & Balance
      • Timetable
    • Diabetes Education >
      • Optimum Diabetes
    • Conditions We Treat >
      • Diabetes
      • Cardiovascular Disease
      • Exercise & Cancer
      • Osteoporosis & Bone Health
      • Chronic Pain
      • Osteoarthritis
      • Stroke
      • Weight Loss
      • Pre & Post Natal Exercise
      • Neurological Conditions
      • Mental Health
      • Joint & Muscle Pain
      • Pulmonary Conditions
  • Referrals
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Client Resources
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Exercise Physiology
    • FAQ
    • Contact Us
    • Work with us!
  • Book Now
  • Home
  • Services
    • Exercise Physiology >
      • NDIS
      • Home/Aged Care Package
      • Chronic Disease Rehabilitation
      • Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation
      • Allied Health Solutions
      • Diabetes >
        • Diabetes Exercise Class
      • Athletic Development
      • DVA
      • Workplace Injury
      • Medicare Referrals
      • Telehealth
      • Personal Training
    • Group Classes >
      • EP Group
      • Diabetes Exercise Class
      • Strength Bones & Balance
      • Timetable
    • Diabetes Education >
      • Optimum Diabetes
    • Conditions We Treat >
      • Diabetes
      • Cardiovascular Disease
      • Exercise & Cancer
      • Osteoporosis & Bone Health
      • Chronic Pain
      • Osteoarthritis
      • Stroke
      • Weight Loss
      • Pre & Post Natal Exercise
      • Neurological Conditions
      • Mental Health
      • Joint & Muscle Pain
      • Pulmonary Conditions
  • Referrals
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Client Resources
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Exercise Physiology
    • FAQ
    • Contact Us
    • Work with us!
  • Book Now

Blog

Strength training for runners

21/7/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Most runners believe that in order to be better-performing and faster-running machines, they simply need to run more and hone their craft by following a well-designed running program.  But, that's only half true.

The other piece of the puzzle comes from a structured resistance-training program. Even if a runner wants to improve their running time at the middle or long distances, strength training is a must to improve.

How does strength training help?
The main reason is to improve our running economy

Running economy basically means that you are more efficient and able to undertake the same distance in less time and with less energy.

There are heaps of studies showing improvements in running economy and that even in trained distance runners that running economy can improve by up to 8% following a period of resistance training.   So for a serious runner who undertakes marathons,  8% off of a 4 hour marathon is 20 minutes, so a pretty good improvement - even shaving 10 minutes off a marathon would make most runners pretty happy!

There is a second train of thought that strength training also decreases our injury risk.  However there are inconsistent findings in the literature on associations between lower body strength and running injury occurrence.  

So the main reason to strength train is to improve our running economy.

What does a typical program that a runner should undertake look like?

  • It is important to implement a mix of upper and lower body exercises, as well as core work. 
  • The focus of this type of training should not only be on strengthening the big running muscles, but also the smaller stabilizer muscles as well. Those lesser-known muscles are the ones that often pick up the slack when you begin to fatigue.
  • Ideally, a runner should increase their strength work in the off-season and then reduce the load as they go into their run season. 
  • For most runners 2-3 days a week of strength training is sufficient, but it’s quite important to be strategic about the way you schedule them in.
  • Have at least one day in between your strength days to allow your muscles to recover. 
  • Additionally, you should avoid any type of strength work prior to your running workouts.  Either plan on doing it right after a run or later in the day after you’ve completed your endurance training.

What are some examples of exercises people can do at home?


An example gym program for runners might include exercises like:
  • squats, 
  • lunges, 
  • calf raises, 
  • deadlifts and bridging, 
  • planks along with rotational core work like russian or cable twists, 
  • crab walks for hips along with 
  • upper body strengthening.  

Power work is also beneficial to improving running economy:
  • box jumps, 
  • lunge jumps, 
  • squat jumps.

Check out a few strength training exercises
here: 

 
Lisa Parkinson
Accredited Exercise Physiologist


0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    AuthorS

    Lisa Parkinson
    ​Accredited Exercise Physiologist, Diabetes Educator

    Thomas Harrison
    Accredited Exercise Physiologist
    ​
    Rebecca Dostan
    Accredited Exercise Physiologist

    Archives

    April 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    November 2023
    October 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    July 2019
    July 2018
    December 2016
    September 2016

    Categories

    All
    Active Ageing
    Asthma
    Back Pain
    Cancer
    Cardiovascular
    Chronic Pain
    COVID-19
    Diabetes
    Disability
    Education
    Ergonomics
    Falls Prevention
    Foam Rolling
    General Health
    Goal Setting
    Heart Health
    High Cholesterol
    Hypertension
    Injury Prevention
    Insulin Resistance
    Liver Disease
    Low Back Pain
    Menopause
    Men's Health
    Mental Health
    Motivation
    Muscle Soreness
    Neurological Conditions
    Obesity
    Osteoarthritis
    Osteoporosis
    Pain
    Parkinson's Disease
    Pilates
    Pregnancy
    Rehabilitation
    Rheumatoid Arthritis
    Running
    Shoulder
    Sleep
    Strength Training
    Stress
    Stretching
    Type 2 Diabetes
    Walking
    Weight Loss

    RSS Feed

Copyright © Optimum Exercise Physiology, 2020. All Rights Reserved.