Do you use strength training or is it pointless

I do 25 pushups and tricep dips just about every day. Not sure if that's strength training or not. I do it more out of habit than anything. I'm sure it's not helping in any way.

Depends on your event. 800m, yes. Marathon, no. More generally speaking though, if it helps you avoid injury then try it for a few months.

If you mean weight training, yes. See other threads.

Me Mum's from L13. Do you run for the Harriers?

Works for me, but I'm a hobby runner with a pretty fixed workout schedule.

I'm varying my gym time inversely to endurance time over many weeks. All of my workouts are basically HIIT workouts. I also like the definition from weight lifting. I'm genetically a skinny guy so I don't get bulky, but defined.

Even on my limited time it is super helpful in getting through plateaus in speed. If the times/sensations are not great, then I lay off the endurance and head to the gym. I will get a bigger max rep after a couple of weeks, then lower the gym time, raise the endurance time.

If I were working towards a long endurance event, (2hrs+) then I'd structure my time between the event training and weight training a bit differently.

pop_POP! wrote:

Works for me, but I'm a hobby runner with a pretty fixed workout schedule.

I'm varying my gym time inversely to endurance time over many weeks. All of my workouts are basically HIIT workouts. I also like the definition from weight lifting. I'm genetically a skinny guy so I don't get bulky, but defined.

Even on my limited time it is super helpful in getting through plateaus in speed. If the times/sensations are not great, then I lay off the endurance and head to the gym. I will get a bigger max rep after a couple of weeks, then lower the gym time, raise the endurance time.

If I were working towards a long endurance event, (2hrs+) then I'd structure my time between the event training and weight training a bit differently.

When did LetsRun become overrun with so many crossfit gallowalkers? This forum is supposed to be for runners.

Strength / resistance training, occasionally but not much, to not overdo it and because it remains a long time.

Weight training, bulking, no, not ever.

Heavy weights are not needed, and are mostly counterproductive.

Running is 90 percent legs.

Running hills is the best exercise for the legs for runners.

Resistance training done slowly with light weights or body weight is better than heavy weights that bulk up the muscles or make them too strong, as running is mostly endurance not strength; even sprinting is many repetitions of movements.

It might help you if you are very weak but ask yourself, did kimetto break the world record because of it? Running is better for your running than strength training.

Yes it's very important. Especially if you run races that include some type of endurance/speed. It helps you maintain your form when you're fatigue. My coach has us do pushups every day after practice. We started first with 10 sets of 10 then every week he'll add a a set of 10. I'm now at 10x80. I also do weight lifting and my abs. I definitely recommend doing it!

Nope. I have a life. Friends. A girlfriend. A job. I love running but it takes up enough time doing doubles so strength training is not something I give a shyt about.I actually do nothing but run....no strength training, no stretching, no foam rolling, etc. I have been injured LESS since I dropped everything except running.

liverpool18 wrote:

Would like to hear your opinions.

Baseball players, sprinters, football players, basketball players...pretty much every sport ever used to NOT lift weights because the thought was that it would make them muscle bound and slow. ..of course we are not in the 1940s now...its 2014.

Lifting heavy weights will not make a distance runner who runs an hour a day muscle bound. I would like to find this magic potion which adds muscle to skinny endurance athletes. You have the exact opposite genetics needed to gain muscle with any ease.

I'm pretty sure even female gymnasts are lifting these days.

You run with your legs. Your legs provide the needed FORCE to move you forward. Focus on the wheels as well as the engine.

Heavy squats

Lunges

Step ups

Deadlift

Plyos...jumps split jumps box jumps

Speed squats

Don't forget muscle balance....pullups dips push press

Alan

It depends. If you're young and have no injury history, strength training is probably pointless. If like me, you're older, have lots of miles on the legs, have had several injuries, and are trying to keep your decrepit old body together for a few more miles, then strength training is very helpful.

pop_POP! wrote:

I'm genetically a skinny guy so I don't get bulky, but defined.

Never understood why SCRAWNY runners are worried about getting "too bulky". As if that was a bad thing. Listen guys, for the most part, muscles will help you running. Yeah there may be a point of diminishing returns (if you want to compete in long distance jogging races) but overall, you're much better of being BUFF, with a PHYSIQUE the women lust after, e.g. like this guy:

it depends wrote:

It depends. If you're young and have no injury history, strength training is probably pointless. If like me, you're older, have lots of miles on the legs, have had several injuries, and are trying to keep your decrepit old body together for a few more miles, then strength training is very helpful.

+1 but if you are young and want to run the rest of your life, you may as well make sure you prevent the inevitable injury cycle that happens to most people if they don't strength train.

Crossthis Crossthat wrote:

When did LetsRun become overrun with so many crossfit gallowalkers? This forum is supposed to be for runners.

Yes, I'm not a "True Runner." Should I hang my head in shame? Supplicate myself begging admission to some scrawny guy somewhere?

I am a hobby runner and hobby cyclist that reluctantly started working out at the gym years ago due to time constraints and discovered it worked great for me. It worked far better than the excessive hours I committed previously.

If you want to call what I do "crossfit" then I'm here to tell you it sucks if you want to get really fast at any given endurance sport. Do I think weight training should be a part of an endurance athlete's training? Yes. For sure.

Maximal Strength Training Improves Running Economy in Distance Runners

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18460997

Short Term Plyometric Training Improves Running Economy in Highly Trained Middle and Long Distance Runners

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17149987

The Impact of Resistance Training on Distance Running Performance

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12762828

The Effect of Plyometric Training on Distance Running Performance

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12627298

There are literally thousands more.

The question shouldn't be should you use strength training the question should be HOW?

Alan

Runningart2004 wrote:

The question shouldn't be should you use strength training the question should be HOW?

Alan

For once I agree with you. Look no further than CrossFit to maximize your potential. Our training sessions will leave you devastated but you will recover and grow stronger than ever before.

Or you could go to a commercial planet fitness gym and get injured. Your choice.

J.R. wrote:

Heavy weights are not needed, and are mostly counterproductive.

J.R. wrote:

Resistance training done slowly with light weights or body weight is better than heavy weights that bulk up the muscles or make them too strong, as running is mostly endurance not strength; even sprinting is many repetitions of movements.

Very, very wrong.

Distance runners should be lifting very heavy weights. 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps. Though you should start off a bit easier at first to practice the form. Just think of the first month as training for future training. You'll get sore anyway because you're not used to it.

The objective is to avoid hypertrophy and to work instead on neuromuscular recruitment and generating an anabolic hormonal response. Heavy weights do this. Light weights do not.

In general, do squats 2x/week during base training, along with hill sprints. As you start getting into more specific training and approaching the competition phase, you can drop the squats down to once/week or even a bit less on average. If you really don't want to go to the weight room, then hill sprints are an okay substitute as long as the hill is super steep.

J.R. wrote:

Strength / resistance training, occasionally but not much, to not overdo it and because it remains a long time.

Weight training, bulking, no, not ever.

Heavy weights are not needed, and are mostly counterproductive.

Running is 90 percent legs.

Running hills is the best exercise for the legs for runners.

Resistance training done slowly with light weights or body weight is better than heavy weights that bulk up the muscles or make them too strong, as running is mostly endurance not strength; even sprinting is many repetitions of movements.

So unbelievably wrong