Author: Florian Wüest / Source: Lifehack
Most people turn to running when they are looking for an exercise that gets them outdoors, provides a mental escape, and packs a major load of health benefits to boot.
Because running is already a full-body exercise with a heavy cardiovascular component, many athletes fail to look outside of it for additional training that compliments their efforts.
Strength training for runners is also vitally important for performance and injury prevention.
This guide will provide you with a solid reasons as to why you should be incorporating strength training moves into your program.
Read on to discover the many benefits of strength training for runners.
Getting Started with Strength Training
Athletes that are dedicated to the running–whether first staring out, or as an experienced, competitive runner–will often feel that they do not have the time to incorporate strength training into their planned sessions.
Training for endurance events can be scheduled as often as four or five times a week.
With that dedication of time, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed at the idea of adding strength training to the mix.
You can slip in a few bodyweight moves at the end of a short run, or include resistance training as part of an active recovery day.
Either way, it is imperative that you make time to focus on performance-enhancing strength training moves to build muscle endurance and prevent injury.
Strength Training: Not Just for Bodybuilders
It is a common misconception that you can either be a strength athlete or an endurance athlete, but not both.
It may be true that at the elite, competitive level it is very difficult to excel in both endurance and strength events; however, each form of training has its place in the other’s program.
Professional sports players, for example, spend a comparable amount of time in the gym strength training as they do on the field performing drills.
Strength training, also referred to as “resistance training,” is the process of improving the efficiency of these systems working together to increase the power and speed at which your body preforms the tasks you ask of it.
At the same time, strength training reduces the strain and pressure your body is under during the same movements.
The Mighty Muscular System
The muscular system is one of the seven major systems of the human body; every movement your body makes is a result of the muscular system placing pressure on the skeletal system. 1
Muscles are connected to bones using connective tissues such as tendons and ligaments. As the muscles contract and relax, the bones are moved, pivoted, and rotated to perform the desired movements.
Your muscular system is able to perform work in three different ways:
- Muscles can perform eccentric movements when they lengthen, or push forces away.
- Muscles can perform concentric movements when they shorten, or pull forces towards the body.
- Muscles can perform isometric work: they can hold weight as it is without any change to their length.
An example of this might be a person who performs manual labor as part of his or her daily professional work.
They lift, move, and hold heavy weights each day to perform their professional, everyday tasks.
Strength training for this worker would not only make these tasks feel easier to the worker, but they would also strengthen the body’s muscular, skeletal, and cardiovascular systems to a point where these tasks actually become safer as well.
As a result, this person is less susceptible to injury and their job performance can be greatly improved.
Additionally, they are able to move more quickly, carry heavier loads, and will become less fatigued throughout the work day.
How do you know what exercises are best for you and your running goals?
The many characteristics of the muscular system can be overwhelming.
There are specific exercises that will train your body to perform the three types of muscle movements; so, how do you know what you should be doing?
The truth is there are many exercises that you can do to help you strengthen your body. There are so many, in fact, that it is hard to know where to begin.
The goal is simply to make your body stronger so that it can perform to tasks you give it with more efficiency.
In short, placing any additional load on your body will help achieve that goal. Following a specific program, however, is like having a roadmap for the quickest and most efficient way to get there.
On an anatomical level, strength training carries multisystem benefits. Your muscles will increase strength with which to move additional loads.
The bones of your skeletal system will become stronger and less brittle, a common problem in older women. You cardiovascular…
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