It wasn’t long ago that endurance runners were forced to stay away from resistance training. It was believed that it would muscle bound, limit their range of motion, and make them heavier, putting them at a disadvantage. This couldnt be further from the truth. If your goal is to improve performance, whether that’s PR in the 5k or just finish a 5 mile run competitively without stopping, listen carefully.

Studies show that resistance training does not improve VO2 max, however, it does improve running economy through muscle recruitment and reduced ground contact time. Now, let’s assume and agree that a person’s 40yd dash or 100m sprint is the greatest expression of strength. You’re attacking the ground with great strength at a fast speed. If we compare this to a distance runner, distance runners do not perform at that high of a level. They do, however, express their strength at a lower intensity. This expression of strength can be trained through resistance training. Luckily, resistance training is the best tool to build muscle. Resistance training should be done to improve running economy, prevent injuries, and to change body composition.

When it comes to periodizing resistance training, it depends on a lot of things. It depends on your running goal, training experience, training time, equipment available, etc. Planning your training is best for when you know what races you want to peak for and if you ample amounts of time to prepare (ideally a year).

The three training adaptions you want from resistance training is power, strength, and hypertrophy. Muscle endurance is the 4th adaption, however, that’s what running is for. Just like how long distance running is the perfect tool for developing cardiorespiratory endurance, resistance training is the perfect tool for building muscle and strength.

Guidelines (for a HS xc runner)

• Off season training (summer, or spring and summer if not in track & field) should be reserved for hypertrophy and strength training. You’re primarily doing easy miles, so this is the perfect time to work on full body, compound lifts. You may even need to lean out if you gained an abnormal amount of weight.
• The month before competition starts, or when your workouts start to dial in, is the time to work on specific strength and power. This is where plyometrics and sport specific movements are recruited. The goal should be to translate those strength gains into power. Low-moderate volumes at 30-95% 1RM is normal.
• Now that school has started and competition has started, it’s important to keep a moderate volume and moderate-heavy load to maintain your strength. The emphasis is on your running, and it’s normal to only be lifting once or twice a week.
• If you’re not a XC runner, you can adopt the offseason, preseason, and in season into your own training.

Final tip: injury prevention on it’s own is a worthy resistance training goal for long distance runners. There are many factors that can dictate what you do. Always have a reason for what you’re doing, and make sure what you’re doing actually accomplishes your goal.