Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with runners who wanted to incorporate strength training into their routine to help preserve their muscle as they age. I’ve also worked with runners who want to use weights to mitigate the risk of overuse injuries by adding variety to their workouts.
As a former avid runner, I used a similar plan to get strong and avoid injuries. The older I got, the more I focused on building strong hamstrings and core muscles, and I made sure I wasn’t grinding away my lean mass with too many miles on the road and not enough reps in the weight room.
I still love to run, but it would be fair to say I spend more time lifting than I do running these days. My distance running is limited to about 10 km now, and I choose to keep short, fast intervals and moderate-intensity intervals front and centre. My body prefers this now, and I am all about training to feel my best.
I balance that activity with regular weight training. I know it makes me better on the road: Lifting has made me faster and more powerful than I once was.
Here are some of my favorite lifts for runners!
Squats
Some type of squat is accessible for most runners, and it’s a great lift to build lower-body and core strength.
You don’t need to max out a heavy back squat to get the benefits of this movement. There are many ways to work this lift and earn its benefits.
For example, you can load the weight on a bar held in the back rack or front rack. You can use dumbbells or kettlebells for goblet or suitcase squats. You can modify the depth and even squat to a box.
One of my favorite bars for the squat is called the “safety squat bar.” It’s a bar with handles that come over your shoulders, and it’s a great tool for runners who want to lift some heavy weight but struggle to rack a traditional bar on their backs due to poor mobility.
Any variation of the squat is going to build strength in your quads, glutes and hamstrings. As you get stronger, your erectors and deep core muscles will also be challenged in heavier lifts. These improvements are very beneficial for runners who are looking to develop more speed and power!
Hinges
The deadlift, or the Romanian deadlift, is another great exercise to incorporate into your routine.
Great runners use their hamstrings, and hinging at the hips with weight develops a stronger posterior chain.
The deadlift is infinitely scalable. You can do single-leg options, where you work on stability and balance, and you can place the non-working leg on a bench or against a wall to really isolate the standing leg. You can also use staggered stances and cross-body holds, and different implements are available, such as trap bars, kettlebells and dumbbells.
The hinge pattern is also great for training your core. Having a strong back doesn’t just help you perform better in the gym or while you run—it helps you perform better in life! Too many athletes I know have injured themselves moving a couch or taking out the garbage, not doing sports they love.
If you’re regularly squatting in your training, make sure you add some type of hinge movement to create balance.
Lunges
Single-leg work is great for runners because each leg works independently, as it does on the road or trail.
Lunges with dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells are excellent options, and you can alternate legs or do all the reps on one side before switching to the other.
Split squats, step-ups and lateral lunges are similar movements I love to throw into workouts to add variety.
Lunging movements are great for strengthening the quads and the glutes.
Upper-Body Training
Runners should not ignore upper-body training. By working the upper body, you will improve posture, power generation and efficiency, and you’ll avoid injuries caused by muscular imbalance.
Pressing, pulling and rowing are great for creating total-body strength and symmetry. I like to use these and other movements:
- Shoulder presses
- Shrugs
- Front and side delt raises
- Band pull-aparts
- Incline and flat presses
- Push-ups
- Pull-ups
- Bent-over rows
- Cable face pulls
- Lat pulldowns
I firmly believe in training all parts of the body at least a little bit. As a runner, you might not need a huge bench press, but a reasonably trained upper body will serve you well in your sport. And, for many, toned arms and shoulders are very desirable!
Put It all Together
A full-body routine performed two or three times a week can be incredibly beneficial for a runner. You don’t have to spend hours in the weight room to earn the rewards, either.
Start with one exercise for each body part and do 2-3 sets of 8-20 reps. Start with loads that are relatively easy and gradually increase them so the last rep of the last set is challenging.
That’s a very general starting point—a coach can give you an exact plan that will help you accomplish your specific goals.
Even if you’re a hardcore runner, I’d encourage you to get after the weights as part of your training plan. If you do, I know you’ll get improved results on the track or trail!
If you’d like to get a training plan tailored to your goals, send me a message!
