Q. I am a long distance runner looking to add weights to my exercise routine. I have never added weights in the 6 years that I have been running and don’t know where to begin. Several of my teammates and past coaches don’t think that I should add weights. What are your thoughts and how should I proceed?
A. The situation that you find yourself in is a common conundrum that doesn’t have a definitive answer. Obviously, how your body responds to weight training will be the deciding factor in whether or not this is an effective option in your training routine. In my experience as a trainer and physical therapist, at least 9 out of 10 endurance athletes that I work with seem to respond well to resistive weights. The key to any successful sport-specific strength training program is a proper physiological evaluation and injury history review of each individual. Additionally, you need to take into consideration the type of activity that the athlete is training to compete. With most long distance runners, the challenge is trying to strengthen the muscles without sacrificing flexibility or running mechanics. There is a shift from the traditional “size building” goals of most power sport athletes to muscular endurance, or the ability to reproduce a muscle movement or sustain a contraction over several repetitions.
There are several studies in the literature that support and refute the effectiveness of resistance training for increased endurance performance. In my review, I found at least two facts that seem agreed upon in several of the articles: 1) High volume resistance training resulted in small but significant increases in VO2 max, and 2) Resistance training does provide long-term decreases in chronic injury rates.
The volume of training is calculated by multiplying the weight lifted by total repetitions and by total sets (i.e. 135lbs x 15 reps x 3 sets). The studies generally had the endurance athletes completing 3 sets of at least 10 reps. For the weight, some suggested a percentage of your maximal lifting capacity, but I would suggest starting out with a weight that you can get at least 3 sets of 12 reps. Once you can lift the weight 15-18 times for the last set I would increase the weight. Hopefully, as you get stronger over time, your running will become more efficient or economical. Less movement wasted, and less energy used over the same distance covered allows you to finish and train harder than you have in the past. This of course results in greater performance. In order to prevent injury, I would also suggest proper warm-up and cool-down with active stretching in the beginning and passive stretching at the end. When you pick exercises to do as part of your routine, try and utilize multi-joint movements that require stabilization of the core and hips for a majority of your exercises. Try and do several movements on one leg simulating balance and stability required when running. One of our favorites to engage several muscle groups is a step-up with a press over head. The key to this exercise is to control body movement slowly when coming back down, lightly touching with the extended back leg and then pushing without wavering back up to the press.
Obviously, there are several other exercises that are needed to round out your routine and I’m sure a trainer, or an Internet search can offer you more suggestions. Don’t forget the principles highlighted above when considering training volume (start light!). And just like when distance running, keep moving between exercises with limited rest for water breaks. Good luck!