The Benefits of Strength Training for Endurance Runners

We are endurance runners. We love getting out into the fresh air and running away from
everyday life. Letting the mind wander and the body does what it does best, just running.

Most of us love our sport and have no plans to stop this great habit. However, many of us
focus on running, this great movement that makes us human. We never go to the gym and
suffer with heavyweights like others do, right?

Well, that might change at some point. It should change at some point! For me, it did when my
mid-30s approached, and I started to experience the feelings and sensations of someone who
had their vital 20s a few years back. Mobility reduces, recovery takes longer, and the risks of
injury increase.

But there is something we can do to counteract this. We can finally get the resistance bands
and dumbbells out and start doing some proper strength training.

In this article, I want to share some benefits of strength training for endurance runners and how
you can approach this other habit, even if you don’t like it initially.

Strength Training Benefits for Runners

Often overlooked by passionate runners, strength training can positively affect
your running, aesthetics, and everyday life. Here are the key benefits of strength training to be a healthy, resilient, and life-long runner.

Injury Prevention

Strength training can help build stronger muscles, tendons, and bones, which can help reduce your risk of injury. This is particularly important for runners prone to knee or ankle injuries, as strengthening the muscles in these areas can help protect the joints from impact.

Improved Running Economy

One of the most significant benefits of strength training for endurance runners is improved
running economy.

This refers to the energy you need to maintain a given pace. The stronger your muscles, the more efficiently they can generate force, which means you’ll be able to run faster and farther with less effort.

Stronger muscles can better absorb and dissipate the impact forces generated when your foot strikes the ground, reducing wasted energy.

Increased Power and Speed

Additionally, by working on exercises that specifically target the muscles used in the running, such as the glutes and quadriceps, you can help to improve your running form and become a
more efficient runner.

Better Endurance

Strength training can also help to improve endurance by increasing the capacity of your muscles
to store and use energy. When you run, your muscles use energy in the form of glycogen; the more glycogen your muscles can hold, the longer you’ll be able to run.

Additionally, strength training can help to improve the efficiency of your muscles, which means that they’ll be able to use energy more efficiently, allowing you to run for extended periods.

Improved Mental and Emotional Health

Finally, strength training can also positively impact your mental and emotional health. Exercise, in general, is known to release endorphins, which can help to improve your mood, reduce stress and anxiety and make you feel more energized.

Strength training can also help boost self-confidence and body image, which can be especially beneficial for runners struggling with body image issues.

Longevity

How to Approach Strength Training as an Endurance
Athlete

Now that we know the most important benefits of strength training, how should we approach this habit as endurance runners?

Well, for starters, we don’t need a gym or a lot of heavy equipment at all. The goal should be to
make functional improvements and train for strength endurance, not for maximum strength or
muscle growth.

Remember that we must carry on our runs with each pound of muscle mass we gain. Think of your strength training routine as improving the efficiency of your muscles rather than gaining more mass.

Since many runners, myself included, don’t enjoy strength exercises very much, we must trick
ourselves into doing them. There are several options. My favorite is to do it as often as possible, but just for 15-20 minutes each time.

By shortening the session, there is not much of a barrier to getting started. And by doing it 4-6 times per week, we can get used to it, and after a couple of weeks or months, we establish a habit that we won’t get rid of that soon.

As with endurance training and many other things, the key is consistency. It’s better to do
short sessions daily than one epic workout weekly. It’s much easier to establish a lasting habit this way.

How to Actually Do Strength Training

And which muscles should we train, and how should we train them?

Fortunately, you don’t need much equipment for core strength; actually, no equipment. Many great core exercises only use your body weight. You have more than enough if you have a yoga mat, dumbbells, and resistance bands.

So, my basic strength routine, which I try to do 4-6 times per week, is roughly the following:

• Plank variation for 45 seconds
• Some form of sit-ups for 15-20 reps
• Side plank, each side for 30-40 seconds
• Push-ups 15-20 reps
• An additional exercise based on my current needs for 30-45 seconds

Then I repeat the above exercises 3-5 times, depending on whether it’s fall or winter (less
running, more strength) or spring and summer (more running, less strength).

Doing this regularly will ensure you get most of the benefits discussed earlier and help you
feel more robust and efficient during your running workouts. As you can see, this doesn’t require much time. One hour per week is enough.

Conclusions

So I hope with these few lines and insights, I was able to help you as an endurance runner. See
in strength training not just “something different” and no longer see it as “bodybuilding for
beginners” but respect it as a beneficial habit for everyone, especially endurance athletes, to
Get many benefits that help you enjoy your passion injury-free for years.

If you haven’t already, I hope you are now more motivated to reserve some time each week
to add a moderate strength training routine to your habit list. You won’t regret it!

Happy running,
Mikula
-the running mate