Even if your first love will always be running, strength training can be close second. There are so many benefits that it’s definitely worth setting aside a little bit of time to make it a priority. This Valentine’s Day, make a date with your weights and resistance bands. If you’re not already invested in a strength program, here are a few reasons for runners to love strength training.
While I have been strength training for almost as long as I can remember, I started taking a different approach to it back in 2017 after battling a long-term injury. Rather than doing cardio-focused weight programs like Body Pump, I started following a runner-specific plan focused that involved lifting heavy weights for less reps. This plan helped me to recover from my injury and get back to running. But that’s not the only reason to love strength training! You have probably already heard that it’s really beneficial for runners. In case you’re still not lifting weights as part of your workout routine, here are some reasons to start!
1. Strength Training Can Help Prevent Injury
Let’s face it- runners get injured all the time. One of the biggest reasons for injuries is due to muscle imbalances that lead to overuse of certain muscles. Strength training can help prevent injury by working the muscles that are important for running, especially the posterior chain. However, it’s important to follow a full body lifting program because we also need a strong upper body for running.
A review on strength training as a way to prevent sports injuries found that it reduced the risk of injury due to improved coordination, enhanced technique, and strengthening of tissues. By increasing strength training volume and intensity, athletes were able to reduce their risk of sports-related injuries.
2. It’s a Way to Change Things Up
Running is a repetitive motion, and our bodies need different movements to stay balanced. It’s also important to do different workouts besides just long, slow, cardio workouts. Strength training sessions add variety for our minds and bodies. When running, we are moving forward over and over again, which is primarily a sagittal plane movement. If you want to become a well-rounded, injury-resistant runner, it’s essential to work in all three planes of motion (the frontal plane, the transverse plane, and the sagittal plane).
3. You Will Get Strong and Lean
If you’re looking to lose weight, strength training may help you more than just running tons of miles every single day. And don’t worry- you won’t get super bulky! Strength training will not only help you to get strong, but can also help you prevent other health problems by positively affecting risk factors such as insulin resistance, resting metabolic rate, blood pressure, and body fat.
4. Strength Training Can Help You Get Faster
Strength training is a great way to build the muscles that we need for strong, powerful running. It’s also less demanding on the body than doing a lot of speed work. Even just 1-2 sessions a week can help to improve your speed, while also preventing you from overtraining.
Studies have found that strength training workouts can improve VO2 max, which is important because it is how much oxygen you breathe in while exercising hard. The faster your body can process oxygen, the faster you can potentially run. To run well we also want to improve our running economy, which is how efficient you are at converting oxygen consumption into forward motion. Another study on the effects of strength work on running performance found that running economy can be improved with strength training.
5. Strength Training Helps to Improve More Than Just Your Running
A good lifting routine will also help with your posture, functional strength, and will prepare you for other types of sports or activities. Basically, strength training can help prepare you for life. As we (women especially) get older, our muscle mass decreases so it’s important to consistently strength train to prevent any injuries or problems later on. It also has lots of other overall health benefits!
So this Valentine’s Day, make a date with some weights or resistance bands. (After you’ve enjoyed some chocolate and wine of course.)
How often do you lift weights?
What benefits do you see from consistent lifting?
What is your favorite way to strength train?
You may also like:
How To Combine Running and Strength Training Workouts
Prehab Over Rehab: 5 Ways to Prevent Injuries Before They Happen
Beyond Foam Rolling: Using Self-Myofascial Release Strategically to Prevent Injury
Now it’s time for the Runners’ Roundup! Link up your running and fitness posts below! Join myself, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, and Runs with Pugs to post your favorite running tips, experiences, race and training recaps, workouts, gear, and coaching ideas.
Why do people under value strength training! It’s so important for all of the reasons you mentioned! Great article! I strength train 3-4 times a week. A combo of body weight, weights and bands!
That sounds like a good combo! Strength training is definitely important for everyone.
You know I love me my strength training!!! Yes to everything you said. I strength train once weekly, but with the weights she has me lift, once is enough.
It looks like you sure do some heavy lifting at your sessions!
My favorite way to strength train is to teach Body Pump. I teach it about two times a week. I am happy for that because if I wouldn’t be teaching, I probably wouldn’t strength train as much. It really has improved my running and allowed me to maintain being injury free.
I used to love taking Body Pump classes! They made me feel so strong.
Yes, strength training for the win! My favorite way to strength train is just at home…simple hand weights (in various ranges) can accomplish a lot.
So true! Simple workouts can be so effective.
As you know, I am a huge fan of strength training! It has definitely made me stronger and leaner. Not sure about the running faster part 🙂
Strength training has so many benefits!
I’m definitely a convert to strength training. I’m even learning to appreciate fitness band exercises, which I used to like least of all (to put it mildly). Strength training is essential to staying healthy as a runner.
Thats great! And those fitness band exercises are alot harder than they look!
Yes to all these things! I have noticed all the same benefits by adding it in. That picture of you on the balance disc looks challenge but a great idea!
Glad you have also recognized all the benefits! It’s such an important component of running.
I learned how important this was the hard way. Now I try to have a good balance of strength training. I use my Runner’s World DVD for the big muscle groups, and Pure Barre can get smaller groups in those muscles, especially ones I didn’t know I had. I also do Pilates to change things up and keep lengthening my muscles.
That sounds like a great combo of workouts!
I love my strength training! Because I’m focusing more on running, I’m doing strength 2 times a week but will likely increase to 3 at some point. Before, when I was CrossFitting regularly, I was doing 4-5 times a week (and running less). I LOVE it! Besides the benefits you mentioned, it’s so good for helping to combat my anxiety and depression. Plus, muscles rock. 🙂
Thats awesome! I think it makes sense to do it in phases like you described- less during times when you are running alot, and more during times that you’re taking a break from running.
I really need to get better at strength training. I get so bored with the routines that I just stop. ARG!
I think you just really need to find a routine that works well for you and that you enjoy!
I enjoy strength training, but I don’t always know what to do. I look up things to do, but I need to save more workouts for sure.
I have goals, I want strong arms like Megan!
Thats a great goal:) Having workouts to follow definitely helps.
I definitely see the benefits from consistent strength training. This week I got in two strength sessions and I want to keep that up in the following weeks – especially since all my runs felt really good!
That’s great! I think 2 workouts is a nice amount to balance out the running.
I’m currently shooting for 4 short (about 20 minute) strength training sessions a week. I’d previously always done 2 longer strength workouts, but I think I’m liking the short ones better so far.
Thats a great way to do it! Sometimes shorter workouts can be even more effective because you can really stay focused.
Most weeks, I lift 2x. In the winter I do it more because when it gets cold out, I want to stay inside! I alternate back/chest but every day I do core and my hip/glute injury prevention exercises. (Squatting and lunging bothers my ITB, unfortunately, so I have to stick with floor exercises for legs/glutes.)
I like to lift heavy weights with low reps because my goal is to get stronger and also I know this may sound superficial but I do like the look of my muscles!
I don’t think that sounds superficial! And I think there are a lot of benefits to lifting heavy. I definitely do more indoor workouts in the winter too.
I neglected strength training for quite a while, but since I started incorporating it into my routine, I’ve definitely felt the difference!
That’s great! I’ve heard alot of runners say that they notice a difference when they add it in.
I love strength training with all my heart! I swear it is the magic bullet that got me to Boston one year after I started distance running. I do a heavy strength workout twice a week with some lesser stuff here and there.
It really does work wonders! I think a lot of runners see the benefits once they start doing it consistently.
I go to Crossfit twice a week, but now I’m trying to go three times. Lifting heavy weights makes an enormous difference, especially now that I’m over 50!
I hope that I will be a stronger runner once I get back to running!
Well you know I am a fan! I truly believe strength training is the key to aging well (and slower)!
Yes. These are all true things. I have let this slide because of thing going on in my personal life, but it’s time to get back to it.
Yes, strength training is crucial! I became a fan, back in the fall of 2010, when P90X was introduced to me. I love the hurts-so-good feelings after a strength session 🙂
I did strength training before I started running (ah, so many years ago) so it was easy to integrate the two. Oddly, it’s more difficult now that I work at a gym. My schedule is so packed and I definitely don’t feel like hanging around after that last client. 🙂