Hybrid Training
You’ve heard the myths: “strength training makes you bulky”, and “strength training slows you down”. Fortunately for you, both of these statements are incorrect. Strength training offers some incredible benefits for endurance athletes. In fact, you’re leaving performance on the table if you aren’t already strength training as a runner, cyclist, or triathlete. But if you haven’t started yet, this blog post is a great place to begin. Let’s get into how strength training improves your endurance performance, top 10 strength exercises for endurance athletes, and how to apply these exercises within your training program.
Looking to take the guesswork out of your training? Join our hybrid training program, Sustainably Fit.
The benefits of strength training are endless, regardless if you are an endurance athlete or not. But as an endurance athlete, strength training can significantly enhance your experience on the trails and pavement, and in the water.
Running economy is determined by how efficient your body is at using energy for running. If your running economy is high, it will take more effort and energy to run and you will be fatigued more easily. If your running economy is low, it will take less energy to run. Your running economy is affected by biomechanics, strength, endurance, and overall running form. By incorporating strength training as part of your program, you can improve your strength, endurance, and address any muscular imbalances that may contribute to your running efficiency.
When you think of power output for running, you likely think of speed work or hill sprints. While those methods of training are an important piece of the training puzzle, strength training can also have a significant impact on your running power. Strength training in the proper rep ranges and with appropriate loads can increase your power output. Stronger muscles that can perform effectively at various tempos encourage better muscle recruitment and efficiency.
Do you have the same nagging injury every running season? You’re not alone, but you also don’t have to go through the same injury year after year if you don’t want to. Whether it’s your knee, ankle, or hip that gives you trouble, address it first with a physical therapist and support your progress with weekly strength training. Regular strength training has been shown to mitigate both new and recurring injuries.
If you have found yourself unstable on rocky terrain, or maybe you roll your ankle every so often on flat pavement, strength training can help improve your stability both on and off the trails. Performing both bilateral (two limbed) and unilateral (one limbed) exercises regularly can improve your hip, ankle, and core stability. Check out the unilateral exercises listed below for a few ideas on how you can start improving your balance.
Bonus benefits of strength training:
- Increases muscle mass
- Increases overall strength
- Improves heart health
- Improves brain health
- Boosts mood
- Boosts confidence
- Improves energy
- Manages chronic health conditions
- Stabilizes blood sugar
- Muscles used: quads, glutes, core
- Benefits to performance: enhanced force production
- Notes: any type of squat is beneficial for endurance athletes. You can use any type of weight as long as you are continually aiming for progressive overload by adjusting weight, reps, sets, rest time, and/or tempo week after week.
- Muscles used: glutes, hamstrings, back
- Benefits to performance: powerful hip drive
- Notes: conventional deadlifts or hex bar deadlifts are often the most functional for runners, although sumo deadlifts are still effective if that is your preferred form of hinging.
- Muscles used: glutes, quads
- Benefits to performance: uphill running and climbing
- Notes: performing step ups in various planes of motion can be beneficial throughout your training cycle to develop hip and ankle stabilizers. Consider regular step ups, cross over step ups, side step ups, or step overs.
- Muscles used: chest, triceps, shoulders
- Benefits to performance: posture support and maintenance
- Notes: chest press may not seem like an important exercise if you’re a runner, but your upper body has a significant impact on your posture and running efficiency. Include pressing exercises to support your performance.
- Muscles used: lats, upper back, biceps
- Benefits to performance: posture maintenance and arm swing control
- Notes: your back plays a large role in your posture, maintaining an upright position, and how your arms swing. Your back is not a muscle group you want to skimp on.
- Muscles used: obliques, core stabilizers
- Benefits to performance: cohesive arm swing and hip rotation during running
- Notes: rotation exercises are just one of the many ways to develop your core stability. You will want to support the natural flow of rotation necessary to be efficient in your running form.
- Muscles used: deep core stabilizers
- Benefits to performance: posture control
- Notes: anti-rotation exercises are equally as important as rotation exercises in that they work your deep core stabilizers necessary to maintain efficient running form.
- Muscles used: quads, glutes
- Benefits to performance: stability and balance
- Notes: performing lunges in various planes of motion can be beneficial for running on uneven ground and to encourage stability through the hips, knees and ankles. Consider variations such as stationary lunges, reverse lunges, lateral lunges, forward lunges, and curtsy lunges throughout your training programming cycle.
- Muscles used: hamstrings, glutes
- Benefits to performance: hip stability
- Notes: hip and core stability plays an important role in your running efficiency and economy. Single leg exercises, such as the single leg RDL, can improve your stability and balance for running.
- Muscles used: gastrocnemius, soleus
- Benefits to performance: improved ankle stability and power for strides
- Notes: calf raises are often overlooked since running works the calves with every step. Although the calves are used frequently in running, it’s important to continue to strengthen them through proper strength training to address any muscular imbalances and continue to develop power for your strides.
Now that you have the framework of why it is beneficial to add strength training to your running program and what exercises to perform regularly, how should you apply them? Let’s get into training frequency, how to set up your day of strength training, and how to pair your strength and endurance training.
Training Frequency
Your training frequency will depend on your goals and training availability. During the in-season, aim to strength train 1-3x/week. During the off-season, aim to strength train 2-4x/week. If you’re just starting to incorporate strength training into your routine, consider starting with 1-2 days per week before committing to more.
A Day of Strength Training
First things first, you will want to warm up. Watch my YouTube video on how to properly warm up for your workout. After your warm up, you will want to start with compound exercises. When organizing your strength training program, it’s important to complete the exercises that involve multiple muscle groups and multiple joints (compound exercises) first. For example, squats or deadlifts should be done at the beginning of a workout since they will require the most muscle recruitment and involve multiple joints, and therefore will have more fatigue on the central nervous system (CNS). Aim to perform 1-6 reps with a relatively heavier load for compound exercises. Rest for 90 seconds - 5 minutes depending on the goal.
Next, you will want to perform accessory exercises. Accessory exercises support both the compound movement(s) and your overarching goal. For example, cable lat pull downs support deadlifts by increasing back strength and endurance. You could loop lunges and step ups into this category, as well, since both of these exercises support the main goal of improving running economy. Aim to perform 6-12 reps with a relatively heavy-moderate load for accessory exercises. Rest for 60 seconds - 2 minutes depending on the goal.
Then, you will complete your isolation exercises. Isolation exercises are those that focus on one muscle group. For example, calf raises or bicep curls. Aim to perform 8-15 reps with relatively moderate load for isolation exercises. Rest for 30 seconds - 90 seconds depending on the goal.
Notes: depending on your goals and fitness level, you will want to complete your anti-rotation, rotation, and other core exercises either in between your warm up and compound exercise(s), or at the end of your workout after your isolation exercises. If you are newer to strength training, start your workout with 1-3 core exercises to get the core primed and ready to go for the remainder of the workout. If you have been training consistently for several years and have built up your core strength over time, consider ending your workout with 1-3 core exercises.
In total, an effective strength training workout will consist of 5-8 exercises.
Not sure where to start? Join Sustainably Fit to begin.
How to pair your strength training with your endurance training
Depending on your goals and upcoming events, you will have seasons where you may strength train more than run and vice versa. When you pair these two types of training throughout your week, you need to make sure you are able to recover in between sessions and manage training volume. Consider your training availability and fitness level before committing to a specific training frequency. A good place to start is committing to two strength sessions and two running sessions per week. Allow yourself time to adapt to the physiological changes before adding additional training volume. Check out my blog on how to schedule your hybrid training.
Strength training can significantly improve your experience on and off the trails and pavement. If you want to get better at running, you’re going to have to run, but you can also take advantage of the many tools strength training provides to enhance your running economy and efficiency. When you’re getting started, understand that a lot can go a long way. You don’t need to do 16 exercises in one session or have 90 minute sessions. Start with 5-8 exercises a couple times per week and build from there.
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