Runners love to run- and sometimes that’s all we want to do for exercise! But most lifelong runners have found themselves “strength training” at some point in their lives, whether it be at the gym, bodyweight exercises at home, or in a physical therapy setting.
Have you ever gone to a gym or had a session with a physical therapist and performed “3 sets of 10-15+ reps” of every exercise? Did you then do that same exercise for weeks without any significant increase in load- maybe using 5-15 lb dumbbells at most?
Like medicine, exercise must be prescribed in the correct dose to get the desired result. Too low a dose isn’t effective, and too high could cause harm. Many distance runners perform exercises with lighter weights and higher repetitions because they believe as runners, they must focus on muscular endurance. While endurance is important, true strength training is just as important for runners- here’s why:
Research shows that weakness of hip muscles can lead to poor running form and increased forces placed on the legs while running, which is associated with an increased risk for injury. Stronger leg muscles provide better shock absorption to protect your joints, and strength training improves muscle, tendon, and ligament tissue integrity, decreasing your risk of injury.
Strength training can also make you a better runner. One study found participants had faster 5k times following a 6 week hip/core strength training program compared to a group who did not perform strength training, with all other parameters kept the same. Strength also provides more power for getting you up hills. Strength training alone has been shown to improve aerobic capacity (VO2 max- an indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness). Finally, strength training 2-3x/week in runners has been shown to improve running economy in highly trained middle and long distance runners.
But what is strength training, really? All over the internet you’ll see posts titled something along the lines of “5 Strength Training Exercises for Runners”- but when you click on the article, you find bodyweight squats, planks, calf raises, crunches, etc., all performed for 10-20 reps with little to no weight or rest. Is this better than nothing? Sure. But don’t be fooled- This. Is. Not. Strength. Training.
To truly strength train, you should perform 2-6 sets of 1-6 reps at greater than 85% of your one rep max (1RM, or the heaviest weight you are able to lift for one repetition only), with a rest period of 1.5-2 minutes between each set. In addition, as you get stronger, your load needs to increase over time for continuous improvements in strength- a concept called progressive overload.
1RM testing can be intimidating for new lifters. In addition, it can be hard for those new to strength training to gage their effort level when lifting. So, how can we make sure that we are strength training if we don’t want to continuously test and retest our 1RM to calculate our optimal load?
I have found the best way to do this is to use the concepts of reps in reserve (RIR) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE). RIR is how many reps you have left in the tank at the end of a set, and RPE is a scale of 0-10 with 10 being max effort. For example, if I do 6 squats with x-amount of weight, and I feel like I could have done 2 more reps in the set before I would have failed, then I had 2 RIR. This correlates with 8/10 RPE.
| RPE | RIR |
| 10 | Maximum effort, 0 reps remaining |
| 9 | 1 rep remaining |
| 8 | 2 reps remaining |
| 7 | 3 reps remaining |
| 6 | 4 reps remaining |
| 5 | 5 reps remaining |
| etc | etc |
Using RIR/RPE along with the concept of progressive overload will help to ensure that you are adequately dosing your strength training. RIR/RPE can be challenging to use at first, but becomes easier to use with practice.
While load should generally trend upward over time, some days feel better than others. Thus, an 8 RPE may be a different load (more or less) for the same effort one day than it is another!
So, when it comes to strength training, we want to be somewhere in the 0-3 RIR range (7-10 RPE) for 2-6 sets of 1-6 reps (I don’t tend to use 10 RPE for typical training). For runners, strength training 2-3x/week is sufficient. Incorporating exercises such as squats, lunges, single leg calf raises, single and double leg Romanian deadlifts, and hip thrusts can decrease your risk for injury and improve your running performance.
Finally, be patient with yourself! If you are new to strength training, start within the 3-4 RIR (6-7 RPE) range as you learn a new way to train.
Questions on how to perform some of these exercises? Visit my Instagram page @the_running_dpt for videos! (NOT medical advice)
References:
Ferber R, Hreljac A, Kendall KD. Suspected mechanisms in the cause of overuse running injuries: a clinical review. Sports Health. 2009;1(3):242‐246. doi:10.1177/1941738109334272
Sato, K. and Mokha, M., 2009. Does Core Strength Training Influence Running Kinetics, Lower-Extremity Stability, and 5000-m Performance in Runners?. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 23(1), pp.133-140.
Chtara, M., 2005. Effects of intra-session concurrent endurance and strength training sequence on aerobic performance and capacity. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 39(8), pp.555-560.
Ozaki, H., Loenneke, J., Thiebaud, R. and Abe, T., 2013. Resistance training induced increase in VO2max in young and older subjects. European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, 10(2), pp.107-116.
Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Santos-Concejero, J. and Grivas, G., 2016. Effects of Strength Training on Running Economy in Highly Trained Runners. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(8), pp.2361-2368.