Building strength and improving stability will allow you to generate more power in your stride and reduce the risk of injury.
Strength training done correctly will improve your core stability, muscular power and get rid of strength imbalances. Furthermore you can expect a better running posture, a reduction of muscular fatigue during runs and much less chance of developing injuries.
Here are some of the top benefits of incorporating strength exercises into your training routine:
Core Stabilisation
Your core's main function is as a stabiliser, while other body parts are in motion. Targeted stability exercises such as planks and wood chops will build a solid foundation so that when your legs are moving, your lower back and hips are not at risk of injury. Enhanced core strength also allows you to maintain a better upright position on those longer more challenging runs. This again will take tension away from your lower back and open out your chest more.
Improved Endurance
Performing repetitions of compound exercises, improves the endurance of your muscles under a load. Lunges, Squats and deadlifts are all examples of compound exercises, due to the use of more than one muscle group needed to perform each lift/rep. As the aim is to improve endurance of our muscles, rep ranges for each set should be 12 or above.
Better Performance
Muscular power is needed when we are running, to keep our legs turning over fast and for the knee to drive high on explosive bursts. Working on speed and explosiveness with resistance training will produce more power output from the hips, glutes and hamstrings for quicker times. Deadlifts, jump squats and lunges can all be used effectively in building muscular power in these areas.
Reduce Injury Risk
Weaknesses in the knees, hips and core can be really detrimental to your joint health, especially for runners. The impact of the body landing, along with the strength needed to support our bodyweight with one leg, places great pressure on these areas. To alleviate the stress on our joints, we need stronger, more resilient muscles and core strength. Improving the glute medius and maximus with a glute band and the stability of the entire core, is essential in reducing injury to the knees, lower back and hips.
Try incorporating the 2 strength training routines below into your weekly routine. We recommend doing these on days you do not run to get the maximum strength benefits.
Workout 1 - Strength & Stability Circuit
- Single leg glute bridge / 12-15 reps each leg - Lying on your back, bend your legs and set feet at shoulder width. Lift up left leg. Push your hips as high as you can with your right heel driving into the floor.
- Split squats / 12-15 reps each leg - Set yourself up into a lunge position with your back foot rof the left leg resting on a bench/chair. Lower your body down and push your right heel into the floor to lift your body up. Try to keep your right knee in line with your right toes to keep this exercise safe.
- Commando plank / 30 seconds - Start in a low plank position with your forearms and toes on the floor. From here, lift your body upward by pushing your hands into the floor. and coming onto your hands. Once in a push-up position, lower your elbows back down again.
- Banded squats / 12-15 reps - Place a glute band just above your knees. Squat down and drive through your heels to stand back up. Try to push the band out throughout each rep to effectively target the glute medius.
- Beginners, complete circuit 4x. Rest for 40 seconds between exercises.
- Intermediate, complete circuit 5x. Rest for 30 seconds between exercises.
- Advanced, complete circuit breaker 6x. Rest for 20 seconds between exercises.
We recommend a glute band L1 for beginners and a glute band L2 for other levels in these routines. A medium resistance band 2 pack is ideal for beginners and a heavy resistance band pack is best suited for other levels for these routines.
Workout 2 - Power Workout
- Jump squats / 12-15 reps - Stand with feet just wider than shoulder width. Squat down as low as you can and explosively drive your heels into the floor so that you jump into the air. Land in a squat position with bent legs and repeat. If you find this to be too much impact on your knees, try lowering into the squat slowly and then raising back up as quickly as you can without actually jumping.
- Banded push-ups / 8-12 reps - Place resistance band around your waist and loop it around a secure attachment. Place hands at slightly wider than shoulder width and lower body down. Try to lower as low as possible to get the most out of each rep and push through the palms of your hands to raise back up. The height you secure the band determines how much assistance the band will provide. The higher you place the band, the more help you will have in completing these reps.
- Jump lunges / 16-20 reps - Stand in a lunge position and lower your knee down. just before it touches the floor, explosively jump into the air and switch your stance so that you land in a lunge on the opposite side. Continue lunge jumping and switching the stance.
- Banded sprint / 25 seconds - Place resistance band around your waist and loop it around a secure attachment about waist height. (A small tree is also perfect for this) Sprint as fast as you can away from the attachment so that you are fighting against the resistance of the band.
- Beginners, complete 3 sets per exercise. Rest for 40 seconds between sets.
- Intermediate, complete 4 sets per exercise. Rest for 30 seconds between sets.
- Advanced, complete 5 sets per exercise. Rest for 30 seconds between sets.
These workouts will help you increase muscular power, strength and stability if performed weekly. Try to complete both routines each week for a period of 4 weeks. Aim to have at least 2 days recovery between these strength training routines.
We recommend a glute band L1 for beginners and a glute band L2 for other levels in these routines. A medium resistance band 2 pack is ideal for beginners and a heavy resistance band pack is best suited for other levels for these routines.
