Runners in the midwest have been running outside for a few months now. There are races every weekend for runners of all abilities and distances. People run for various reasons including the cardiovascular benefits, mental health benefits or they just like to compete. Unfortunately many runners neglect strength training and wind up losing muscle which puts them more at risk for injury. These injuries cause many runners to cut their season short and leave them feeling frustrated. A carefully constructed resistance training program will reduce the risk of injury, improve strength for runners and improve running performance. Many runners don’t see the value in strength training because they don’t have a solid understanding on how muscle tissue works and what happens to that tissue when they run.
While running, the body uses fat tissue as well as muscle and organ tissue as an energy source to fuel the run. While we want to burn fat tissue, we do not want to lose muscle tissue while running! If an athlete isn’t strength training to build muscle tissue outside of running, eventually they will lose muscle and increase risk of injury. Strength training one or two times a week will increase runner’s strength which will decrease muscle loss and can also improve performance. These strength training sessions don’t have to be crazy. Each session should target the major muscle groups as well as a few smaller muscles specifically used during running. The sessions shouldn’t last longer than 45 minutes which make them easily fit into any training program!
If you would like to add strength training into your training program or have questions, contact us today!
Written by Morgan Maule