Strength training for competitive master's runners over 50 - yay or nay?

The problem with barbell squats is that--to train the glutes, quads and--to some extent adductors and lower back--you are placing the weight near the top of the smallest & weakest joints of the spine...the forces transmitted down can be considerable at the "turnarounds", i.e. at the top and especially bottom of the movement. Bill DeSimone has done a great job of elaborating on the dangers of the barbell squat and why it is a poor choice for non-powerlifters; look for his videos/writing on the subject. Of course, the dangers of the barbell squat can be reduced if one performs the exercise very slowly (and, if desired accentuates the lower portions of the movement, where leverage is disadvantageous). Still, the better solution is to perform a leg press, which eliminates the problem altogether. Another exercise, if desired, can be used to target the lower back.

I'm 67 and I've been doing endurance sports like running and cycling most of my adult life. About 10 years ago I started to get injured and my kids suggested that I strength train. I always had a pull up bar in my garage and did tons of those. But when I moved to Colorado 6 months of the year its too damn cold out there. So I joined a gym and hired a trainer and got into it. Like a lot. At some point I quit running etc and went down the power lifting rabbit hole. Until the pandemic hit. I did set up a great home gym, but I started running again and I'm glad I did.

Ask yourself this. Are you a runner or a gym rat? If you are a runner who wants to be competitive keep running as your overwhelming focus. Lift maybe 1-2 to days a week and if you miss a lifting day don't worry about it.

Most basic lifting programs start with 3 days a week- Pull day, Push day, and Leg and Abs day. I'm retired and I can't do that more than a 2-3 weeks in row. Its boring and I usually defer to another run. Its a lot funner being outside. Do you really need a leg day if your running a lot? Maybe. Maybe not.

So yesterday (Wednesday) after running on the previous 2 days, I went to the gym mostly because it has a great indoor basketball courts and I find that shooting hoops for 10-15 minutes is a great warm up for me. Plus yesterday was going to be a 'Lift Jam' day for me. In other words I do both push and pull lifts. Mix it up and have fun.

So after shooting baskets and some stretching I hit the weight room.

Back Squat- 15-20 reps X 5 sets at my working weight. ALL the way down. Ass to grass. 1-2 second pause at the bottom. You don't need to do a lot of weight. Really.

Next Barbell Row- 15-20 reps X 5 sets

Overhead press. 5-10 reps X5 sets. When the bar is at full extension, pause and do a 3-5 count then bring it down. Holding the bar over your head is HARD. Great overall strength builder.

Upright row- 20-30 reps X 5 sets

Pull-ups-To failure then switch grip and then do chin ups to failure. If you can't do them get some bands to assist you. Or do high-bar drops until you are stronger.

Plus a few more lighter lifts. Avoid the lifts where you sit or lay down. That's for gym rats. Remember your a runner, stay on your legs. I never sit down until I hit the locker room for a shower.

Flint

Yeah, this is more of the direction I was looking to get info on, but I do greatly appreciate the broader net of information that is coming in as well, even if some of it is geared towards longevity in the sport rather than performance, or maybe a compromise between the two, as many have come to this thread looking for.

How much time between sets? That workout sounds brutal, and also like it must have taken several hours to get through. Props to you for accomplishing all that.

strength training for anyone over 50, period.

90 second rest when my working weight is loaded on the bar for the compound lifts. Everything else 1 min or less. You don't have to do 5 sets of the lifts. 3 sets will be fine. Like I said you don't have to lift that heavy, you're a runner not a gym bro, so 1-2 times a week is plenty with hard training for running. BTW, I always start with some light back squats. Its a great way to warm up for other lifts-that full body stretch.

What were your race times this year?

I barely touch a weight from May to November, which is when I am deep in rock climbing season. I'm climbing at an elite level so my overall strength and flexibility are exceptional compared to most runners, regardless of age.

The past few years I have focused on sprinting over even middle distance. Two sessions (track and hill) a week plus maybe an easy fartlek. As a result I have lost no speed at all in the last decade, as I approach 70. Weight and body fat are locked in at ideal year around, and zero aches or pains, much less injuries.

Meanwhile, my endurance had dropped a lot as I stopped mileage the last few years to save my legs for my job in woodworking. This is changing as of this fall and I have upped my weekly mileage from 10 to 30, which includes tempo and intervals now.

You certainly have an unorthodox, but obviously successful approach. Good luck with the mileage ramp-up. Hopefully it will get you the results you're looking for. Please come back to let us know how it goes.

What do those two sprint sessions look like? Impressive that you’re still doing sprints twice a week at that age!

The track session is warm up with drills and short strides, then something like 5x50m, 5x100m or 5x100/5x200. Run almost all out, focused on relaxation and technique.I time everything, and go for PRs. Full recovery, 7-10 min..

If I feel I am straining, or slowing from fatigue, I cut it off and do drills and easy running. I do some hurdling for plyometrics as well. Hill sessions are similar. Between hills and track, I senior PR often in summer, separating solo efforts from using others as pacers.

I have also been doing Asian-style squats throughout the day to improve mobility quite a bit. I used to be locked up right from walking on concrete all day. Now very little issue with this.

My race times for this year? Dude I'm 67 and well past racing. When I was in my 40's and early 50's I would be happy if I got a top 5 result. Later it became top 10 result. Towards the end of my racing days it was finishing in the top 10% of the entire field.

2018 was my last year of racing

50K trail-race 6:00 flat and 30th out of 300 entrants.

5K road race- I usually volunteered at this race, but the RD told me I had a free race entry so why not? 21:07. I believe I finished 10th. It was a little weird running a race that was 10X shorter than my previous race.

10K road race- 44:10. It was another local race on Independence Day. The race start was a couple of miles from my house so I ran to the start for a warm up, then ran home afterward.

25 mile trail race-4:01 something and believe I finished 22nd. I was thinking of trying a 50 miler and this race had 25 and 50 mi option. But the 50 mi course was just 2 laps of the 25 mile course and I'm not interested in doing laps. So I forgot about it until 2 days before the race when I see a running friend at the grocery store. He tells me about his volunteer position at this race. It got me thinking...and when I got home I checked the website and it wasn't sold out. So I signed up for the 25 mile race. I'd been running a lot but obviously no time to taper before the race, Ha.

So I decided to run it 'socially', meaning to find a group close to my pace and do it with them. I did find a group of about 8-10 runners of both sexes. Normally when I'm racing its not so social if you know what I mean, but this was fun. When the course took us down from the mountains we hit a dirt road with some course marshals giving us directions and telling us its 3 miles to the finish. I definitely still had gas in the tank, so I announced to the group 'I'm turning on the afterburners to the finish and anyone who wants to join me is invited to go with me'. Surprise! 2 women were up for it and we hit it. They did great and finished right behind me.

FLINT