Training for a race? Just love running? Read about the serious benefits of strength training for runners, and make sure you sign up for Race Ready with BLD! You’ll receive a weekly email with his tips, a FREE On Demand workout, and lots of motivation. Plus, he’s teaching FHIT for Runners every Thursday morning at 7:30am leading up to the TCS New York City Marathon. On your marks, get set…go!
1. Build Efficiency
Building strength improves the body’s ability to efficiently use power and oxygen.
2. Have A Better Final Kick
Strength training will increase your fast-twitch muscle fiber count, helping you achieve a faster, more powerful final push.
3. Decrease Body Fat
Building muscle increases the metabolic rate. You’ll lose fat and become lighter and faster.
4. Have Better Body Composition
Endurance exercise degrades your muscles and bones. Strength training centers that, providing better performance.
5. Prevent Injury
Strength training corrects structural imbalances in the body that may otherwise increase your risk of injury or chronic pain.
6. Strengthen Your Core
Squats, deadlifts, lunges, and other traditional strength training movements create a strong core that helps runners combat back pain and increase speed.
7. Increase Antioxidants + Decrease Stress
Endurance training produces oxidative stress, leading to inflammation. Strength training increases the body’s antioxidant status and counters these negative effects.
8. Improved Fitness
Although running is mainly endurance training, it’s also important to expose yourself to different levels of intensity throughout your training to improve your overall fitness.
9. Better Insulin Health
Good insulin health helps in muscle recovery. Strength training produces irisin, a hormone that increases insulin health.
10. Increase Speed
Incorporating heavy lower-body lifts along with compound exercises in your program, has proved to increase runner’s pace and speed.