Fast Running Blog

I do upper body strength training 3 times a week in addition to some core training.  I also work my legs two times a week.  I'm working towards the 6 day a week "program" that many have talked about here on the blog.  I'd like to continue my leg workouts and I'd rather not use my one off day for one of the workouts. 

I have two questions.

1. Should I continue leg strength training?
2. If so, when/how is the better way to incorporate these workouts on running days?

Thank you.

I do zero strength/weight training.  I occasionally do some curls with a dumbell only because I'd like to think I'm adding some tone to my arms to match my legs.

Two years ago I decided to follow the "run six days a week" program that so many on this board recommend.  I improved my 5K time by about 30 seconds per year.  I also reduced my marathon time by 14 minutes during the same two year period.  I have no Idea if weight/strength training would have given me the same results.  Running higher mileage, six days a week leaves little time for anything else.  If it's an either/or situation for you, you might want to worry less about the other workouts and use the time for more running.  Like I said, my viewpoint is one sided because I've never tried to become a better runner by doing anything else but running more.  However, it did in fact work and produced the exact result I was looking for.

Unless the leg work is for injury prevention/you have been advised to do it I would not continue with it, although I do some leg exercises with weights it is to strengthen/correct an imbalance in the hip/glute muscles and I was recommended the exercises by a physio.

I think it also depends on what the leg exercises are though, most runners glutes are weak for example?

One of the best things I ever did was go see a physio to get my body assessed and as a result I know what the weaknesses are and can address them. At least then I know what exercises to do and also that they are dealing with/addressing a problem.

It also depends on what races you are focusing on.  If you're pushing for a really fast 5k or maybe even 10k (and certainly anything shorter) I'd say that some weight/strength training would really help.  I know when I ran XC and track in high school I really couldn't break through beyond a certain point until I got serious about spending time in the weight room.  You don't have to bulk up and max out and all that stuff, but it won't hurt to do some circuits or something.  It probably doesn't make much of a difference for a marathon, other than perhaps reducing muscle injuries.  I'd only really worry about it if you are training for a race that is going to require you to have any kind of sustained kick longer than the customary attempt at sprinting for the last 200 meters of a race.  But hey, if you've got the time I don't think a little weight training can hurt any runner.

For me, it is also an "either-or" thing. I have a very limited amount of time to train each day, so I choose to devote 99% of that time to running. The basic idea being that running makes you a better runner. I do some calf raises on my stairs every day to keep my achilles in check, and I do some crunches and pushups a few days/week on my exercise ball while I watch tv. That's pretty much it. If all I did was train, and didn't keep a real job or any family duties, I imagine I would spend some time in the gym. Maybe I'd take up yoga or something. But for now, I just try to run as much as I can, and then do maintenance on muscles or groups that need to little extra help to stave off injury.

I think weight training is OK as long as it does not make you cut your mileage or increase muscle mass excessively. Note that excessive muscle mass even in the legs can be detrimental for distances 400 meters and longer. Optimal levels of muscle mass can usually be developed just by running.

Strength training may give marginal benefits. In some rare cases (if you know exactly what you are doing, which is difficult ) more than marginal. This would be in a case where a certain muscle is negatively affecting your running form because your brain does not know how to use when you are running. The problem, though, is that when you are not running, the brain will have no trouble using it. So you would have first to know where that muscle is, at what portion of the stride phase it is not engaging, and then find an exercise that will connect two wires just right. In my experience your regular PT is not able to figure out those tricks. Not sure if anybody really can. Lots of people claim that they can do it, though. But I have not seen anybody that could take guys from let's say 15:00 5 K to 14:00 by doing magic strength work once the aerobic potential is fully developed.

Bottom line, though, is that if all you want to do is BQ, do not worry about those tricks. Good aerobic base will be sufficient.

I've done weight training now for 26 years.  Three years ago I could still bench 275lbs x 5 reps and squat 5 x 315.  However, when I started running, I found the bulk work very detrimental to my improvement.  I shifted from lifting 4x/per week for an hour each workout to 15-20 minutes 2x/per week and crunches in the evening while watching TV.  I lost 30lbs within a few months and the running improved drastically.  In Dec/Jan, I was not able to do much running and got back into the weight room.  Within a month I had gained 8lbs (good weight I think).  It was a nice change of pace for my broken down body, but once I was able to run again, it was back to 15-20 minutes once or twice a week.  In my case, the basic weight training seems to help more than hurt.  I'd concentrate more on "core work"- calves and legs are fine and keep everything to higher reps.  Avoid the bulky stuff- do push-ups rather than see how much you can bench.  I still do free weight squats, but with 135lbs rather than 300. 

When to do it?  If it's 15-20 minutes w/light weight, I wouldn't worry about when (unless you're just starting a weight training program).  I've done speed work on the same day after lifting weights.  It's usually no big deal.  However, I'd take at least 2 days off before running a competitive road race. 

I've heard that most current elite runners do strength training regularly. I don't really know what kinds of workouts they do. But I would imagine it helps them or it wouldn't be so common among them. On the other hand, Alan Webb supposedly got too bulky recently, so his coach forced him to stop lifting. As others have mentioned, time is a big factor...elite runners can do it more easily when they run for their job. If I had the time and ambition, I would do strength training of some sort.

Yeah, I've seen videos of Ritz, Hall, and a few other guys like that hitting the gym and doing strength work. The elites definitely do it to a degree. But they don't work day-jobs either. What schedule!

7AM: get out of bed
8AM: run
11AM: eat lunch
noon: take nap
2PM: gym workout
3PM: nap
4PM: surf the internet
5PM: run
7PM: dinner
8PM: surf the internet
9PM: snack
10PM: go to bed

You forgot about getting massages. :D

I think the strength training a runner should do for running should focus on your weaknesses (prescribed by PT) and your core.  I have been doing the core exercises that Greg McMillan has designed, which you do have to buy a dvd to get them, but I bought the stage 2 & 3, since I had already been doing long core exercises that were self-designed.  There are three levels in each stage, so nine levels altogether, so you can progress naturally through them.  These are running specific core workouts.  http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/

I agree with Michelle.  Also, 20-minutes of core work is not that difficult to squeeze into a schedule.  It's less than one sitcom or an inning of baseball or a quarter of a basketball game.  Then again, Paul's the best runner on the blog and he doesn't seem to need it. 

I think core work is good. It can usually be done while watching tv, at home. I do a little bit of it, used to do more. Along with having less time than before, I also care less than before, which is why I don't do as much. It takes lot of physical & mental energy to work 50 hours/week, run 90+ miles/week, be a husband, be a dad, and still find time for strength & conditioning. A lot of times we (most of us on this blog) have to make a choice: either get in a extra workout of some sort, or spend some time with the kids. Family does (and should) win out in a battle for time.

Well said!

One thing that is slightly off topic but I will add anyway. I sit at a computer all day and have done so for years. At some point, my posture caused me to have problems with my upper back. It has given me trouble for years now. And when I run I feel like it causes my form to be a little stiff. Anyway, at one point I went to a physical therapist, and he had me do some exercises and they really helped. But then I stopped doing them and the pain came back. So now I'm going to start doing them again. The point is that I think upper-body strength training and maybe even stretching can help keep your form smooth and keep you from having such problems as I have had with my back. Since I have little kids, I may try using them as weights. :)

My lower back used to hurt after longer runs.  Even just a little bit of hit and miss core work takes care of the problem though!  I think core work is definitely helpful to a runner.

I have the same thing (sit at a computer all day). Sitting loads the back, and is pretty bad for it. Standing, kneeling, or squatting is much better for the lower back. I've found that getting up at work and walking around every half hour helps a lot. Also, I tend to find some excuse to run an errand, so I often get in a half mile to a mile walk during the day (I work downtown, so have places to walk to). And one of the things I look forward to every night is rolling out my back on a foam roller. I usually get some good cracks out of it, and then I just lay with the roller under my lower back for a few moments, which really stretches it out well. I do similar things on an exercise ball, and after all that stretching, plus some crunches and a yoga pose or two (namely, upward-facing dog), my back is usually feeling pretty good. This is all a time committment of about 5 minutes, which I can handle.

I had back trouble on and off for almost a decade.  My initial introduction to running only aggravated this.  However, since losing 30lbs and improving my commitment to "core work"- mostly at night while watching baseball or 10minutes before going to bed- I've been pain free now for 2 years (from the back issues, now working on "achilles" :)). 

In regard to the statement about 'leg workouts', I don't do them because of the time factor (as has been mentioned by others).  However, I have found that running hills really strengthens my legs and helps my overall running.  I don't do them enough, but always feel better in the days and weeks after I do.

As a runner, you shouldn't worry about "bulking up" as a result of strength training unless you reduce your mileage or start to consume a lot more food.  The muscle bulk has to come from the food that you consume (protein) and if you burn it all off as a result of high mileage it is physically impossible to bulk up from strength training.  A lot of people believe that muscle mass will magically appear as a result of weight training.  This just isn't so unless you have the diet to match it.  If you do a lot of strength training, but also run 120 miles per week, your body would burn off all the food you eat from running and not build muscle mass. Also, all "training" is good for the body over all, but only running makes a runner a better runner.

Interesting insight. However, I respectfully disagree with your last statement, which is very bold and broad. For example, I believe cardiovascular efficiency is crucial to running performance, and running is clearly not the only way to increase cardio efficency. I also think leg strength is important to running performance, and there are many other ways to increase it than running. These are just two examples. However, I tend to agree with Paul and others who suggest that running gives the greatest bang for the buck given a constrained amount of training time.

Steve,

Yes, I wasn't very precise in my statement and I'm sure that other activities help you be a better runner, but the highest and best use of your training time is definitely spent running.  Thanks for the clarification.