Strength training for runners | The tips you need to know today
You’ve probably heard by now that strength training for runners should be a part of your running routine.
But how do you combine strength training with running without leaving you too tired for your next run?
And when?
That’s where Finish Strong: Resistance Training for Endurance Athletes come in with the answers.
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What strength training should runners do?
Running is a full-body activity, so your weight and strength training should also work your entire body.
Richard and Angelo have recommended 45-minute full-body strength workouts three times a week, moving quickly from exercise to exercise (called supersets) to pack plenty of moves into one session.
So how do these supersets work to build your whole body strength?
Typically, a strength routine would have you do a set of pushups to work your chest, take a minute or two to rest, and then do more pushups.
With supersets, you’re using opposing muscle groups—taxing one while the other recovers.
Supersets remove that minute or two rest period and replace it with a different exercise that works the opposite muscle.
Your superset strength routine would then look like this: a set of pushups to work your chest muscles, followed by pull-ups to work your back muscle while your chest muscles recover.
Though you can pencil in your 45-minute strength session, you may have other areas of your life that are far more important than strength training.
My advice? Do what you can in the time you have, take what’s useful, and leave the rest.
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Mobility training for runners
A natural full range of motion is vital to runners—it can open up your stride and allow you to move freely and faster.
As runners, we’re using our legs to move forward and repeating this same motion over and over again.
And by doing this, we’re shortening the muscles and restricting our range of motion.
But mobility training can counteract our body’s tendency to restrict and contract.
Mobility training helps your joints move through their natural full range of motion to improve your running and avoid running injuries.
If you’ve got tight hip flexors, start with some hip rotations and band distraction hip lateral mobility work to reset your hips after running.
How do you combine running and strength training?
If you aren’t training for a race, do your strength training three to four days a week.
At this point, you can really focus your strength training on volume and intensity.
That’s because you’re not putting in long efforts and miles, so you don’t have to worry about too much fatigue and stress on your body.
If you’re building your running base or training for a race, schedule your strength training around your runs.
And finally, if you’re tapering for a race, your strength training should also taper off.
Can you do strength training after running?
Finish Strong suggests doing your strength training before a run, except on long run days, where you would skip a strength training session.
But try some strength sessions before a run and a few after one and see which routine works for you.