I am a 800, 1500 runner that just finsished the cross season. I am looking to bring down my times of 1:51 and 3:51 and was wondering how beneficial lifting weights would be, particularly lower-body. I have lifted upper body the past couple of seasons but have never lifted lower body in my life. I average probably about 55-70mpw. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Squats are good but start off with low weight if you haven't been doing them. You could even start off with the bar and do like 3 sets of 15. Hamstring machine is also beneficial. With any leg stuff as a runner, start off with lower weight and maybe just two sets. You will feel yourself becoming stronger in a few weeks.
how big are your legs? i find that my legs have always been really really muscley so i fear doing leg weights may be detrimental as they will weigh too much, decrese flexibility and affect my stride (knee lift in particular) any thoughts?
yeah...what drills can be done to improve knee lift? i have GREAT turnover, but a short choppy stride because of low knees...
lifting for power like Squats hang clean and dead lifts improve your explosivness drastically. I would recommend that. Be careful with your back though. Before you can really start moving up in weight you must have the techniques down.
You must be careful with your back
Tipper,
Get off the internet. You haven't ran 1:51. You split a 1:53 that you want to be a 1:51.
I find that swimming in the off season helps a lot. Also do lifting that works on your shoulders and biceps.
Does a 1:51 800 and 3:51 1500 guy really need advice from a message board on this??? Impressive times if your not running collegiately, or with a coach after college
PROPER lifting will NOT add lower leg muscle and will NOT decrease flexibility. Power lifters can be among the most fuctionably flexible athletes out there.
Alan
I know personally that I can't do more than say 30 pushups per day without adding upper body muscle. That's while doing 85 mile weeks. I don't know how different leg muscles would be, but mine are already strong as it is from doing a lot of long hilly runs.
I think instead of actual weight training, which is clearly not running specific, you should do things like plyometrics and other drills that are more specific to the activity that you are doing.
You need to lift with your legs if you run the 800
Lay off the guy maybe he is alan webb
what are some good pylometrics techniques would you guys suggest?
liger wrote:
I know personally that I can't do more than say 30 pushups per day without adding upper body muscle. That's while doing 85 mile weeks. I don't know how different leg muscles would be, but mine are already strong as it is from doing a lot of long hilly runs.
I think instead of actual weight training, which is clearly not running specific, you should do things like plyometrics and other drills that are more specific to the activity that you are doing.
I fully agree with you.
Weight trainig for runners don't neceserally build up muscle mass/weight because its amount of the total training is too small for that.
Though plyometrics and drills are best. In the winter training (base period) do one weekly session like this:
Warm up
Up a hill (preferably dirt road or grass):
1x80m high knees
1x80m sprint
1x80m bouncing (the "Lydiard bounce"/"sprunglauf" or whatever it's called
Repeat this 3-5 times.
One other day in the week do some hobbles at one leg and two legs. Do this on flat ground to train the eccentric strength in your muscles. In fact all kinds of tripple jump and log jump excercises are good for this.
I am a collegiate runner and I just wanted to get some input from people on this board. My coach says that we don't have enough time for the weight room as a team, and I was wondering how beneficial it would be for me. My legs are pretty small compared to the rest of my body, paarticularly my hamstrings and quads.