In the world of running, every stride counts. While getting in reps on the pavement or trails is essential for improvement, one aspect that is often overlooked but holds immense value is strength training.
“What will the added mass to do my times? Won’t it slow me down? To get better at running, it seems like I should just run more!”
Well for starters – whether you’re brand new to running or a seasoned vet, attacking any distance that is challenging for you will require milage. But this doesn’t need to come with the sacrifice of cross training.
On the contrary, here’s WHY strength training may favorably impact your running goals:
- Heightened balance and coordination (important for stride efficiency)
- Improved speed and power (consider this in relation to varying terrains and hills)
- Improved VO2 max
- Lessened muscular fatigue over long distances
- Injury prevention and improved recovery through stronger muscles and connective tissue
- Improved bone health and joint protection
Let’s dive a little deeper…
Enhanced Performance:
At first glance, it might seem counterintuitive for runners to prioritize strength training when their primary focus is on logging miles. However, building strength and adding muscle can significantly enhance performance on the track, road, or trails. Strength training helps runners develop greater power and efficiency in their stride, enabling them to generate more force with each step and maintain optimal form throughout their runs. Stronger muscles also provide better support and stability, leading to improved balance and coordination — essential elements for navigating uneven terrain or pushing through challenging race conditions.
Moreover, strength training contributes to enhanced running economy: the amount of oxygen consumed at a given pace. By targeting muscles involved in propulsion, such as the glutes, hamstrings, and calves, runners can increase their efficiency and reduce the energy cost of running, allowing them to sustain faster speeds for longer periods. This improved economy translates to better race times and the ability to reach new personal bests.
Injury Prevention:
The most compelling reasons for runners to incorporate strength training into their routine is its role in injury prevention. Running is a high-impact activity that places repetitive stress on the muscles, tendons, and joints, increasing the risk of overuse injuries such as shin splints, IT band syndrome, and stress fractures. Weakness or imbalances in the musculature can exacerbate these issues, leading to chronic pain and sidelined training.
Hard pass.
Strength training helps address these vulnerabilities by fortifying the body against the demands of running. By targeting both primary and stabilizing muscles, runners can correct imbalances, improve biomechanics, and bolster connective tissues, reducing the likelihood of injury.
How do we apply this with our MAD runners?
Take a look at our proposed “16-week out” schedule below. We designed this sample schedule with full marathon trainees in mind.
Three things to emphasize with this roadmap:
- This plan is generalized, and more so geared towards those of you who have a goal of completion (rather than competition).
- This is great for 2 types of runners – those that have been doing MAD consistently and want to add in running for the first time, OR those that have been running consistently and want to start MAD regularly. If you’re fairly new to fitness or green in either area, you’d want to tone it down a bit and take more rest days. Additionally, you may want to avoid doubling up on Fridays knowing that your long run falls on Saturday (especially if an anaerobic interval falls on this day).
- If you’re going to follow a plan like this, you should also be following our (free) Nutrition Blueprint to ensure that you’re fueling properly (available for download directly on our website).
In short, if you’re serious about upping your running game, we implore you to identify a schedule that enables some level of complementary strength training (preferably through a structure training program) – whether that be at MADabolic or elsewhere.
