Related Podcast
Study
- Analysed 24 studies including 469 runners
- Heavy strength training 2-6 sets of 3-10 reps with plyometric training 1-6 sets of 4-10 reps
- 2-4 times per week
Theory
- Performance = fitness x efficiency
- Race pace = VO2 max x Running Economy
- Runners need to generate force rapidly during ground contact
- Strength Training may improve this ability to generate rapid force into the ground and thereby improve running economy
Findings
- Strength Training does…
- Improve running economy ~ 2-8%
- Improve running performance (time trials from 20m to 10km improved)
- Improve strength (1 rep max tests improved)
- Strength Training does not…
- Increase body mass
- Improve VO2 max, VO2 max pace or blood lactate
- Increase body mass
Weaknesses
- Only 27% of the runners analysed were female
- The method used to measure VO2 max may not have been sensitive enough to detect changes
Clinicians
- Strength only improved when training sessions were supervised – Runners will need help to learn to push crazy hard in the strength sessions
- Training programs longer than 8 weeks improved running performance far better than shorter programs
Runners
- Do 2-3 strength sessions per week in the off season. 1 session per week during the in-season
- Don’t do a heavy strength session on the same day as an intense running session (lighter running session days are fine)
- Strength – 3 sets of 8 reps
- Squats
- Deadlifts
- Lunges
- Calf Raises
- Plyometrics – 3 sets of 10 reps
- Box Jumps
- Hopping
- Bounding
- Cleans