Resistance training is excellent for any runner whether in season or
out of season. You are wanting more leg strength. You will need to
lift heavy. What is heavy? To determine that carefully select a wt. that
you can lift for 8 reps before fatique cause you to voluentarily stop
the exercise. Once you establish that wt, increase it conservitivly like,
5 lbs per set. Do 3 sets total, going up in wt. each time until you are
able to do each set for 8 reps. Then increase the wt. This works great
using resistance training machines. ex . . . like CYBEX. Do all moves
in a slow and controlled movement. Be certain you are using proper
form, and if you are not able to (proper breathing, abs tight, slow and
controlled) then the wt. is too heavy to start with.

If you are using free wt. and doing compound moves like squats and
lunges, start with no weight make sure you are using correct form. You
can be injured easier with free wt. Take aerobic conditioning classes
to help you get a good handle on what good form is. They do a lot of
leg work especially squats and lunges. Those classes are great for off
season. Anyway, free wt. squats and lunges, once you have the forms
down, add a wt, but not too much, go light like 12lbs hold them in your
hands at your sides and squat or lunge being very careful of form, as it
is easy once you add wt to do a move incorrectly causing injury. When
you get good at this with wt. raise the wt until you can start with a wt
you can do 8 reps with. Then do the same as above.

NOTE: the areobic classes will give you a wealth of leg exercises.
leg lifts - quads, leg extentions - glutes & hams, fire hydrants - abductor, adducttor, calf raises - for your calves, and of course lots of squats and lunges. These classes are great for your "off season" and will give you
a wealth of ideas to implement with weights. Personally I have tried using
ankle wts recently with some of these moves, but I have not realized the
benefit yet. If you try this, please be gentle with yourself as these moves alone if you are not use to them, will give you a great work -out ! Doing
the moves slowly WithOut wt. is a strength move in itself.

I wish you well, and a lot of success with your training . . . 8)

cjchartree
Albany, NY USA

Thanks for the detailed response. I have read it several times and definitely will try going heavy and aerobic conditioning.

Strength training in the transition and pre season is an excellent way to improve economy of running. you can manipulate either the intensity of volume of training to gain benefits.

Remember that strength training is an supplementary training and should not be the focus in season (can be in early pre-season). I believe there is no need to be working strength endurance in the gym - let the specific training take care of that. Work on max strength (3-6 reps).

Spot on.

My personal opinion is that weight training wouldn't have a significant positive impact on middle distance performances.

Middle distance running is about endurance, speed and running efficiently. How would weight training help improve these factors. I'd be surprised if the top middle distance athletes in the world do much in the way of weight training.

Are you kidding?

Weight training should be part of every endurance athlete's regime.

Want to increase power: Gym work

Want to help avoid injury by being stronger: gym work

Want to increase posterial chain strength: gym work

Of course power is important (and weights is a great way of getting there)!

Ever heard of Physics? Not really scientific but ...
Speed = Power x Coordination / Bodyweight

I can tell you by now that your power goes faster up then your bodyweight and you win some in the result of the equation. Provided of course that you train the right muscles.

Personally I could always predict my speed/shape from leg press reps. 100 x 200kg (angle not too small) was my pb. It helped me to run 3.50/1500m.

Some more serieus athletes also use it:
- Andre Bucher: e.g. 1.44min (time of 800m) moving his arms with 4kg weights.
- S. Coe: doing different reps till he 'died': not 2x20 no 8x20 and not be able to walk afterwards.
- Kelly Holmes? Shared a track with her here in SA last season. She is doing weights and it shows ... also in the results ...

Convinced?
MEG

just a small suggestionwhy not try plyometrics.

Should be using them as well as weights.

alrite m8 ive been reading these posts and felt that i had to explain about what weight training you should be performing as some of these replies are leading are not goin to help you very much and could cause injury.

for a middle distance runner doin 8 reps of high weights is not goin to benefit you for your event;

1. you will be working muscles which won't have an effect at all on your running, if you are goin to be performin exercises do movement specific exercises. this is expert advise as rugby players will do exactly the same, you perform weight exercises for movements that you will be doin. this is why many ppl are wrong in thinkin bench pressin determines how strong you are, if you make them do a specific movement usually they have never developed those muscles so can barely lift anything.

2. you dont want to be lifting weights that you can only lift 8 reps of, this type of training plays a big part in sprint trainin but will just add excess weight onto you as it causes maximum muscular hypertrophy (increase in muscle size), it is better for you to use slightly lighter weights and do more reps. this will help your muscles endurance and increase your muscle strength without causin them to get massively bigger, perfect.

3. perform plyometrics, these will increase power in your legs which is always a very important component to increase as an increase in power in the legs/calves will naturally help you to gain an bigger stride length which you will find will help your middle distance a lot.

this is most of what i have to say so i hope you get this, and if you want to know more send me a message and ill c if i can help you out.

Hi Mate

What i use with middle and long distance runners are a combination of what the other speakers have noted into one set of training: in the form of a circuit i.e. include stations with free wieghts, med balls, therabands, rope etc and include one strength exercise, one plyo exercise and one sport specific drill targeted at each muscle group with a set number of repetitions and recovery. Then i ll give the a number of sets of the same circuit according to the load level of the session required. I hope you find this useful

I have to disagree with Simon259 on several of the points made.

I will dispute that strength training will not help and cause injury. A preparation plan and appropriate programming by a sufficiently qualified individual can have help distance running. Granted injuries happen in gyms etc, but what arethe main cause of them - poor technique, poor progression and overload, poor supervision and instruction, poor planning. These are easily avoided.

Resaerch by Pavolainen et al (1999, Journal of Applied Physiology) showed that explosive strength training improved 5km running time without an increase in VO2max. Compared to the control group who increased VO2max but not run time (control only completed endurance based/threshold training), the group who remove 32% of their endurance training to allow for strength training made significant improvements in 5km time. The authors conclude (and I agree) that this was down to improved neuromuscular characteristics (improved musclular power and running economy) which transfered to improved maximal velocity. The resistance training used was to keep mass down to a minimal. So lets say you improve your neuromuscular system to a point that you saved 100th of a second per stride, with a stide rate of 2m, then over 5km, you could save 25 seconds! Strength endurance has not been found to have the same effect on performance on well trained elite athletes. Look at work by Yuri Verkhoshanski and Mel Siff (Supertraining) on block training and other Russian and Eastern European models of training.

Weyand et al (2000, Journal of Applied Physiology) found that applying greater support forces to the ground increased top speeds not more rapid leg movements. Hoe do you do this - max strength training avoiding mass development. It is possible to do if you know how to and the muscle mechanics. You are right that mass will slow you down and is also relevant in sprinting too. More mass equals more gravatational pull on the body. A study in 1987 (Journal of Biomechanics) showed horizontal forces are only one 1/10th of that if vertical while running (vertical force large to counteract gravity). You dont want mass (traditionally sprinters would want mass as more muscle equalling more force). If you can produce the same force, weighing less, you will run faster than if you were heavier (all other elements being equal).

If you look weigh 100 kg and produce 1000newtons of force per stride and another athlete weighs 80kg and produces the same force, then athlete a will produce 100 newtons of force per kg of body weight. While athlete b will produce 125 newtons of force per kg of body weight. Athlete a will run quicker as producing more force (if all other things are equal).

Barry Ross (Alison Felix coach) talks about mass specific force (MSF). This relates to all distances as demonstrated with neuromusclar improvements found in the 5km runners (Pavolainen et al). The ability to produce force and the delivery system for this force are important in running mechanics especially the delivery. If an athlete cannot deliver the force, then it is wasted. As is the economy of running (which can be improved with strength training). Tim Noakes in 'Lore of Running' continually makes references (to peered reviewed articles) on VO2 max not being the determinant factor in distance running support Pavolainen et al. Yes VO2 max is important but not the only factor in running. If a runner is more efficient mechanically, they are likely to run faster at any velocity. Max strength training will allow you be more efficient because you can produce greater force per stride. This will increase stride rate by decreasing time on the floor. Traditionally coaches work on decrease swing time of the swing leg to increase stride rate not contact time. Both stride length and frequency can be seen as the result of greater force production.

Simply put, use Newtons third law of motion - 'action-reaction.' If you produce a greater force with a stride, the reaction will be an increase in propulsion. An increase in propulsion will effect running economy and mechanics (stride length and frequency). To do this you need to get stronger with mininal increase in mass.

You are correct that you dont want to be lifting weights 8 times. In fact you want to be lifting weights less than 5 times at maximal efforts with a large recovery time (5 minutes plus) per set. This will reduce the chances of sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (increase in lean muscle mass) and develop myofibril hypertrophy (limited muscle mass increase). The idea is to reduce lactate accumulation which will have a positive effect on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

Plyometrics are a good idea too develop the delivery system of ground forces. They will help you be quicker in the production and not spend so much time on the floor on the stance leg. It is the tricep surae complex which are important in running so plyometrics and explosive strength training will effect this complex more than the gastroc/soleus complex(Hakkinen et al, Robinson et al).

Looking at Verkhoshanski's work, circuit training is not appropriate. The emphasis is not maximum strength or explosive strength. The metabolic demand is not specific enough for most if any distance runner. For general conditioning, it is acceptable, but training has to be specific and circuits are not.

I haven' t been on notice board for a while hence my later reply to the article but I find this topic particularly interesting because there is much conflicting opion on this subject.

In regards to Alex's has strong views on this subject based on the references he has provided. I just wondered if he has any first hand experience in working with elite md athletes as although these reference are good these studies always tend to be with sub-elite performers hence a new stimulas on the systems and more liekly to have a positve effect. Changes in elite athletes program or additional training systems may not always have the same positive response in an already busy training regime, additional changes or reductions to a training format to accomodation such sessions may likely has a negative impact on endurance performance, particularly if an athletes strengths are the endurance (i.e. aerobic capacity and threshold capabilities).

Of course there is a lot of opinion on this topic - what I have clearly demonstrated is fact. The study I cited by Paavolainen (http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/86/5/1527 ) used elite cross country runners in the investigation. So explosive strength training has clearly shown to improve 5km running time on elite well trained athletes in only a 9 week period. Not bad for no improves in VO2 max.

I do not coach any middle distance runners but have regularly supervised sub 2minute female 800m runner while training. Although not measurable, her strength (whether we are talking cellular or neuromusclar improvements) has increased substantially with large improvements with her pb's. I know the coach who set the programme very well and his rationale (very similar to mine). Greater force production per step will improve running economy. Having less ground contact time and improved stride length are products of this improvement in strength improvement.

Talking about having a new stimulus to the body and having a positive improvement is interesting. The reason why most elite/world class middle and long distance runners get large improvements from the addition of strength training is that they dont complete it - and circuit training is not strength training, it is garbage strength work if looking to improve anything except metabolic condition. To me it seems ludicrous that if it is clearly demonstrated a training stimulus has the potential to have significant improvements not to include within the training at the appropriate time. It is poor coaching to dismiss and neglect these potential benefits for athletes. Good coaching recognises potential benefits of training and the physical preparation plan evolves accordingly. Good coaching also knows how to prepare a physical preparation plan (not just track training but actual conditioning and strength work) and when each element of training can be effectively utilised. So Strength training does not have to impact endurance based training. Following Bompa's periodisation of training model will though.

I remember reading an article by Max Jones in Athletics Weekly regarding strength training and endurance athletes. He strength trains Paula Radcliffe. I would not hesitate to say that marathon runners probably have the largest volume of training compared to other track athletes. If she can fit strength training into a preparation plan, then I am sure most athletes can.

Nick the Postie: Fascinating stuff. Interested, though, in the apparent difference between Alex's views and the practice of Seb Coe. (I was reading his father's book on 800m and 1,500m this morning and noticed the comment that Seb still does 6 x 20 leg presses each day, tending to confirm Meg's suggestion.) Not necessarily the case that just because Seb used it this is effective training, of course, and clearly aimed at a different effect (Seb's work to exhaustion compared with Alex's target of maximum strength). If Alex is still reading this thread, I'd be grateful for his comments. Are you saying that max strength is the only type of weight training a middle distance runner should be including in his training (principally in the off-season), please? Thanks.

Fantastic posts as ever Alex, agree with pretty much everything you have said.

Nick - i think you have almost answered your own question......

M

Hi there,

Well I'd like to share my experience briefly, it may help many of you.

I was a mediocre miler (4:34) at college studying biochem/ performance science. I also enjoyed basketball and soccer. I left running to play basketball, which involved lots of explosive jumping drills and weights (back,triceps,abs).

I did put on lean weight.

I started running in the off-season for conditioning, and Wow... what a difference to my running. I am back into running now, running the 800 way faster than I ever thought I could.

weights and plyometrics definitely worked for me in a big way.

I am collegiate mile and 3 km runner and cross girl and have recently moved into the steeple chase. I ran a race this weekend that I was not satisfied with. (was hoping for a much faster time) I was pretty fatigued from the start. I think I have been giving too much focus to the smaller components of my training program and not enough intensity in the hard workouts- we do 3 hard workouts a week, and I run between 40 and 50 miles a week. The problem comes in that on the two "recovery" days. I ran 8 miles ( 2 runs) do 30 minutes of steeple drills, do a short speed workout and have to complete our lifting program. so by the next day when it is time for another hard workout I am pretty tired. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best set up of training in order to get workouts and speed and hurdle drills, mileage and lifting all done and still recover and be able to have great races? I would also love to get your opinion on the type of strength training that is best for a steepler and how to combine this with the all important hard workouts.

Thanks