What Strength & Endurance training are you doing?
if the answer is little to none then you might want to read on.
Strength Training Myths and our Top 6 Exercises
Myth 1. Strength training will make me heavier and slower.
Research shows adding 1-3 strength sessions a week on top of 3-6 runs a week is going to improved running economy and generally faster performances are recorded. These improvements aren’t the ones you should be primarily focusing on though, around 50% reduction of overuse injuries is recorded within runners that apply resistance training to their weekly training plans.
Myth 2. The glutes are the most important muscles for running.
No one’s going to disagree that you need your glutes to run, but the thigh and calf muscles are more responsible for supporting our bodies during running. make sure to include exercises to target the calf, thigh and hip muscles in your strength training program alongside glute work.
Myth 3. Training should be high rep with low weight.
If you’re just starting to incorporate strength training into your plan, then yes high rep (15-20) and low weight is advised as you get your body used to the exercises and work on your form. 2-4 weeks after this high rep/light weight phase you should start to move towards heavier strength training with lower reps (10-12), this will elicit the beneficial adaptations in your musculoskeletal system.
Just to summarise the above:
- Strength training is to strengthen muscle and help prevent injuries
- Added benefit of improved running economy, generally able to run faster and further
- Don’t just focus on your glutes with squat session after squat session
- The calf, thigh and hip muscles are a must to include in your strength training plan
- Start off light with a target to complete heavier and low rep sets (10-12 reps max)
