3 essential strength training for runners

Running is a comprehensive sport. With each step forward, we engage over 200 muscles in our body. It's not just about using our legs and feet. If you want to run faster, healthier, and become stronger, you need to strengthen your entire muscle groups through comprehensive foundational training, not just running practice.

During my athlete training, I didn't just run every day. Our coach would arrange reasonable limb strength and core strength training in our weekly routine to enhance our muscle strength and core stability.

Many running enthusiasts find that despite dedicating a certain amount of time to running every day, their speed doesn't improve, and their performance doesn't significantly increase. Can running performance really be improved just by running more?Today, let's talk about how to improve your overall running ability!

Upper Body Strength Training

Some say upper body strength is not important for running, but actually, good upper body strength can help us run faster and longer. Jokingly, if Bolt ran with his hands in his pockets, he wouldn't break world records. Although it's a joke, it immediately makes us understand the crucial role of the upper body in running. Overall, the upper body plays three major roles in running: balance, assistance, and coordination.

When Bunny Ears was training with the sports team, the coach always yelled at us during runs, "Pay attention to arm swings, increase arm swings." Everyone knows that arm swings and leg strides are synchronized. In the later stages of a long run, controlling your tired legs is hard, but controlling your arms is much easier. Therefore, good upper body strength can help you sprint better.

Many running enthusiasts lack upper body strength and rely on their waist to balance the body's rotational inertia, leading to back pain over time. So how should runners train their arm strength in daily life?

1. Stationary Fast and Slow Arm Swings

By swinging your arms in place, you can experience the correct arm swing posture. You can combine fast and slow swings, such as 1 minute of normal arm swings followed by 1 minute of fast sprint arm swings. Control your body to avoid swaying side to side, simulate the final sprint stage of real running, control your breathing reasonably, and avoid holding your breath.

2. Stationary Weighted Fast and Slow Arm Swings

Hold dumbbells and perform weighted arm swings. You can combine fast and slow swings or combine weighted exercises, such as 1 minute of dumbbell weighted arm swings followed by 1 minute of non-weighted fast arm swings.

3. Push-Up Exercises

Choose from kneeling push-ups, narrow/wide push-ups, diamond push-ups, single-leg push-ups, and other types of push-up exercises. Runners can choose suitable movements based on their abilities to train upper body strength.

4. Arm Dips

Choose from bench knee dips, straight knee dips, single-leg bent/straight knee dips, and select the movements that suit you for training.

Lower Body Strength Training

The importance of legs in running is undeniable. However, most people think it's just about running, which is not the case. Leg strength training is a fundamental part of track and field training. To run more easily, avoid injuries, and improve performance, leg strength training is essential.

Many people are curious if those who do heavy squats in the gym and have well-developed leg muscles run faster. Bunny Ears' answer: NO! Because squats are a symmetrical leg movement, while running is a dynamic alternating leg movement.

The muscles at the back of the legs are most closely related to running. Therefore, in regular leg training, in addition to training the front thigh muscles, you also need to train the back muscles, including the glutes, hamstrings, and calves.

1. Squat Training

You can choose dynamic squats and static squats. For example, wall static squats strengthen the thigh muscles and help with knee pain recovery. You can also do weighted dumbbell/barbell squats. Pay attention to the rhythm of slow squats and fast rises. Speed up slightly when rising to feel the explosive power of the legs. Be careful when doing heavy weight training.

2. Bridge Training

Common exercises include supine hip thrusts (glute bridges) to train the hamstrings and glutes. Bridges can evolve into various forms of training, such as single-leg supine hip thrusts, yoga ball hip thrusts, etc. Runners can also add calf raises to hip thrusts, combining single-leg hip thrusts with knee raises.

3. Lunge Training

Common exercises include bodyweight forward and backward lunges or dumbbell/barbell lunges. Runners can do 8-10 lunges followed by quick sprints or high knees to train lactic acid control.

Core Strength Training

The so-called core muscle group refers to the muscles around the torso, responsible for protecting spinal stability, including the transverse abdominis, pelvic muscles, and lower back muscles.

The core muscle group is the foundation of running movements, providing power, endurance, and stability while reducing injuries. Some runners have unstable centers of gravity and sway side to side, while others tend to stick out their chest and buttocks in the later stages of a run. These are signs of unstable core strength, ultimately leading to back pain and other symptoms.

Additionally, training waist and abdominal strength is very important. Strengthening core stability and waist and abdominal strength can make running smoother.

1. Plank

The plank is a basic core training exercise that can evolve into various forms, such as plank shifts, shoulder taps, high plank mountain climbers, and leg lifts. Runners can choose suitable exercises based on their abilities.

2. Crunches

Exercises like supine crunches, alternating crunches, side crunches, and side-lying crunches can train the upper and side abdominal muscles, helping to stabilize the body during running and prevent back pain in the later stages.

3. Leg Raises

Exercises like supine leg raises, scissor kicks, and 45-degree leg raises mainly train the lower abdominal muscles, preventing runners from sticking out their buttocks while running.

4. Other Training

For example, TRX core training and yoga ball core training can enhance core training intensity and effectiveness with the help of various exercise equipment. Additionally, back training is also important. You can train your back muscles and erector spinae by practicing back extensions and prone swimming.

Summary

Jelly Bunny Ears reminds everyone that running is a comprehensive discipline. Improving performance requires long-term accumulation. Remember not to rush and to gradually improve to better protect your body. Incorporate the strength and core training mentioned above into your regular running practice.

With the improvement of overall ability, your running ability will naturally improve. Just like a good engine needs good parts to run fast and last longer, running also requires strong overall physical abilities. Additionally, I want to remind everyone that nutrition intake and mindset are also very important!

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