With Coach Kelvin, offering Online Running Coaching for We Run and the We Run Virtual Running Club, and 1:1 Running Coach for Leeds and surrounding areas.
Hi folks, it’s Kelvin here. We Run Coach for Leeds and surrounding areas, as well as online coaching.
In this little video, I’m going to talk about strength training. If you are adding strength training into your training, you want to make sure that it is actually making you stronger.
What Strength Training Should Achieve
That might sound obvious – if you are doing strength training, you would like to think it is making you stronger. But I see time and time again that when people add strength training into their training, it is not always the case.
When I talk to runners, they think strength work is about things like:
- Preserving muscle mass as we age
- Activating and building fast-twitch muscle fibres
- Increasing bone density
- All the other amazing things strength training does
But when I look at what they are actually doing, it is not strength training.
Common Training Mistakes
Often, what people are doing is not making them significantly stronger. Sometimes it looks more like mobility work – movement through range of motion. Yes, there is some strength needed to do that, but it is not really making a runner much stronger.
For example:
- Going to a circuit class each week and repeating similar exercises
- Going to the gym two or three times a week, doing high-rep low-load work
By high-rep low-load, I mean more than 12 reps – three sets of 12, 15, 18 or even 20. That is more endurance training rather than strength training.
How to Train for Real Strength
With strength, it is always wise to get guidance from a personal trainer or a strength and conditioning coach who works with runners.
However you approach it, the key is to make sure it is making you stronger. I often ask people, “Is it making you stronger?” and they stop to think – usually the answer is, “A little bit, but not a lot.”
To get the real benefits, like building fast-twitch muscle fibres, increasing bone density and improving resilience to injury, you need:
- Lifting heavier weights
- A progressive overload plan
- A periodised programme that fits with your running
That way, your strength training complements your running rather than conflicting with it.
Final Thoughts
I hope that makes sense. If you have any questions on strength training, please pop them down in the comments below.
And for now, happy running!
