HELP! Weightroom workouts for distance runners?

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Pull-ups to fatigue.

Push-ups to fatigue.

Dips to fatigue.

Decline sit-ups until fatigue.

The Pedestal routine (Jay Johnson's stuff--look it up).

At dip station, hang from thing and do leg raises so your legs are parrallel to the group until fatigue.

Core, core, core for distance runners.

should read "parallel to the ground"

This might be overkill, but incorporate some of these workouts/regimens into your training:

Strength work.

He works on the main muscle groups, but the coach believes in work the small ones as well, those that have major influence in the posture, in a varied way, through the utilization of free weights and special gym apparatus. During this stage he has done the following exercises:

Half-squat 6 x 20 reps with 25 kg bar

Half-squat 4 x 16 reps with 30 kg bar

Squat 4 x 16 reps with 20 kg bar

In machines/apparatus:

Hamstrings 4 x 16 reps

Quadriceps 4 x 16 reps

Abductors 4 x 16 reps

Adductors 4 x 16 reps

Lunges 4 x 20 reps with 25 kg bar

Step-up 1 x 20 reps with 30 kg bar with each leg

Abdominal 300-400 reps

Back 300-400 reps

Power.

He does once a week up-hills 10 x 300 m

besides horizontal jumps and vertical jumps over hurdles.

From elite Morrocan training logs

Well, the good news is that you're distance runners and unlikely to put on a lot of muscle (= weight), even if you did a bodybuilding-type routine. Using heavy weight (once you're skilled in an exercise) and limited reps/sets will maximize the strength gain and minimize the muscle gain.

The other good news is that strength training will definitely make you a better distance runner, in part because a good balanced (whole-body) routine will make you more resistant to injury.

Core work is vital, as noted by another poster above, but lifting for the legs is important, too.

IF your training sessions can be organized so that you lift fairly early in a practice and then do easy distance/strides, so much the better.

Alacrity wrote:

Pull-ups to fatigue.

Push-ups to fatigue.

Dips to fatigue.

Decline sit-ups until fatigue.

The Pedestal routine (Jay Johnson's stuff--look it up).

At dip station, hang from thing and do leg raises so your legs are parallel to the group until fatigue.

Core, core, core for distance runners.

Working to fatigue will help the athlete gain size, but if you want to improve performance you should be going for either muscular power or muscular endurance. I prefer going for power, as most runners already have a fair amount of muscular endurance.

Keep in mind you should be training the nervous system as well as the muscles. Do a short warm up of each exercise then use a near maximal weight and lift it 5-6 times with perfect form. Don't go to failure, I see people doing this in the gym all the time, doing workouts with terrible form just to eek out that extra rep or two. Not worth it.

It depends on what the athlete needs more then anything. Personally, I don't do anything for the chest or upper back because those muscles bulk up very easily for me and they are not used a huge amount in running anyways. They are basically dead weight. I have enough strength in my upper body anyways. If a runner is very thin and not strong at all in the upper body, lifting weights for the upper body can help. It all depends on the individual.

I do agree with the core though, having good stability around the hips and abdomen helps absorb the pounding, makes you more efficient, reduces injury and aids speed.

You run from your hips, and the farther the muscle group is away from your core then the less it needs to be strengthened for running. I try and focus on the glutes, hamstrings, quads and lower abs/lower back when lifting-for some people running is enough to strengthen the legs adequately, but I need the lifting as well.

The best advice I can give is look up a bunch of different exercises and try them all. After doing that just stick with the ones that you feel benefit you the most. Your training plan needs to be personalized for YOU, and you or your coach will be able to do that far better then anyone else.

moroccan eh? you left off the post workout epo

lol, alas, probably true

Does any know any good books about lifting for runners?