Strength Training For Runners | 5 Essential Exercises

Running is so in vogue right now in the fitness industry. Hyrox has exploded, and the programming in functional fitness and CrossFit style events has changed in an attempt to catch part of that wave. (remember as little as 5 years ago when most CrossFitters would have joked about skipping every running WOD). To the growth of the ParkRun as a global mass participation weekly running event, and the numerous local run-clubs that I'm sure are popping up wherever you are. And also the rise of the "Hybrid Athlete", who can balance their strength training and endurance training equally, to take on a powerlifting competition one minute and a marathon the next minute. It's everywhere. And as a one time "Hybrid Athlete" myself (I PB'd my bench and ran my first ultra-marathon in the same week, that counts right?), but more importantly as a long time strength and conditioning coach, there are some key exercises that are going to help you run faster and/or further while remaining injury free. Because lets not forget, "Hybrid Training" isn't this whole new phenomenon. S&C coaches who have worked with field sport athletes and even track and field athletes have been working on these qualities for decades.

Think of a modern day rugby prop who has to compete successfully in 15-20 scrums, 10-15 sprints and cover 4km in around 60 minutes of game time at the elite level. Or the modern day fullback in football who covers around 11km, making 20-25 sprints per game while winning as many physical duels as possible. Running capacity, ability and skill has always held a high importance in strength and conditioning, so let me share my 5 essential exercises to include in strength training for runners. Exercise 1: Squat

The squat is a staple in many strength and conditioning programmes, and with good reason. It is an excellent lower body strength exercise, which is going to add huge amounts of strength to your legs, in particular your quads, glutes and adductors. The squat you choose can vary greatly on your preference and your skill level. It could be a barbell front or back squat, a dumbbell goblet squat, or even a machine based movement like a leg press with lower and narrower feet, or a hack squat machine. But the key part here is that you aim to go heavier and for lower reps. The common misconception around strength training for runners, especially longer distance runners, is that everything needs to be lower weight and higher rep to work on your muscular endurance. Muscular endurance is very important in running, but your also getting a load of it from the running training you're already doing. When you add strength and conditioning into your training routine, you can use it to train the qualities that you specific running training is neglecting. Those things being strength, force production and rate of force development. Add those qualities to the very specific muscular endurance training you get from your intervals, tempo runs and long slow zone 2 runs, and you'll see your 5k, 10k, half or marathon times drop significantly as your force production capacity and subsequently your speed and efficiency increases.

Get your squats in, and make them heavy. 3 sets of 5-8 reps would be a great place to start. Exercise 2: Hinge A hinge is a lower body movement that isolates your hip, loading your posterior chain (the glutes, hamstrings and lower back). They provide a great balance to anyone who is squatting in their training programme as the squat is a very knee/quad dominant movement. Including both a squat and hinge based movement will usually lead to an excellent all-round lower body strength workout. Some excellent examples would be a Romanian deadlift, a single leg deadlift, or a good morning. In the same manner as the squat, your hinges should be trained with heavier weights for lower reps. The posterior chain is the strongest and most powerful group of muscle in the body. They will be the biggest contributor to your sprint and top end speed, and they respond really well to heavier, more powerful training. 3 sets of 5-8 reps on a variation that suits your ability and skill level is a great place to start again. Exercise 3: Lunge/Step-Up

Single leg or unilateral training is where most coaches will start when it comes to strength training for runners, and the logic is valid. Running is a cyclical, single leg movement at it's core, so single leg strength training will have a clear and obvious carryover. I put them at number 3 however as you can't load them quite as heavily as the squat and hinge movements, and when strength is the goal, load is going to be king. But once your squats and hinges are done, absolutely get working on some lunges or step ups. I would prioritise lunge variations (walking lunges, reverse lunges or split squats), if you're more likely to be road running on flatter surfaces due to the horizontal nature. Prioritise step-ups if you are doing more trail running with greater inclines/elevation gain due to the more vertical nature of the movement. Either way, these two variations will give you great benefits to your stride length and cadence due to increased single leg strength, and help you maintain posture and alignment under fatigue when running on the flat or on inclines. Slightly higher reps here work well. 3 sets of 8-12 reps each side will work. Exercise 4: Calf Raises The foot and ankle complex takes a battering when you do a high volume of running training, and the muscles in your calf will act as somewhat of a shock absorber for the body as you take off and land for every single stride. So you calves need to be strong, both the gastrocnemius (superficial) and soleus (deep) muscles. The gastrocnemius works harder when the knee is straight, and the soleus (sometimes known as the "runners muscle" works harder when the knee is bent. If you have time, I would train both within your training week, if you're really strapped for time focus on the soleus. Seated calf raise variations for 3 sets of 8-12 reps will really work your soleus. Standing calf raise variations for 3 sets of 8-12 reps will work wonders for your gastrocnemius. Exercise 5: Anti-Extension Core The core (abdominals/obliques/lower back) are responsible for multiple movements. Flexion (ab crunches), extension (back extensions) lateral flexion (side bends) and rotation (Russian twists) are the main movements. But the core is also responsible for resisting a lot of movement. If we have a strong core we can resist those same movements. Resisting flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation can help us build the solid and strong link that we need between our lower and upper body. For most people new to strength training looking to get stronger for running, I will prioritise an anti-extension movement like an ab walkout, ab rollout or dumbbell deadbug as a first port of call. These exercises will help you resist extension, maintain strong positioning of your pelvis, and ultimately help you maintain your running mechanics.

3 sets of 8-12 reps on one of these movements would be a great place to start. Application Remember, strength is the goal, so aim to increase the weight you use over time to get the in-gym adaptation that is going to improve your running the most... improved strength! An easy way to progress is to start at the bottom of each suggested rep range, and pick a weight you can do leaving 2-3 reps in the tank. So for the squat for example, start at 5 reps with a weight you could probably do for 8. Add a rep each week while maintaining the same weight until you reach the top of the rep range. Then add some weight and repeat the process. This will work for all of the exercises I've given. These exercises may seem simple and basic, but that is largely the point. When working 1-1 with clients I may pick more specific exercises to work on an athletes specific weaknesses, but for someone who wants to build basic strength to complement their running mileage, simpler is better. The basics are easier to learn, easier to load, and easier to progress over time. Don't get caught up in the functional movement gurus. You go to the gym to get stronger, so keep that the priority.