The promising effects of strength training on running

I’m a firm believer that we can have it all - we can feel good, look good, be kind to others, give back to society, find our purpose, have confidence… 

and we can be good at both cardio AND lifting weights!!!!

Before delving into specifics for runners, let’s just start off with the basics of how strength training is beneficial for all humans.

Let's talk about strength training for kids: lots of myths are out there about this subject. I'm sure you've heard plenty of folks saying that strength training stunts growth and is detrimental to kids' bones. BUT studies have shown strength training is safe for children, equally as beneficial for children as it is for adults, and does NOT stunt their growth! Studies show that strength training helps children decrease fat mass and improve bone strength, as well as improving the children’s strength and endurance (Reference 1). Plus, it sets them up for good habits down the road! 

For adults: Strength training can decreased visceral fat, decreased insulin sensitivity, reduced chronic pain, decreased risk for chronic disease, increased length of life, decreased fatigue (reference 2)...

Cue Toby from the Office - is that enough? Should I keep going?!

For older adults: It’s not ground-breaking - the same benefits for children and middle-aged adults occur in older adults. Plus, elderly people (over 65 years) have had decades of decreasing muscle mass - so they should counteract it with the very thing that counteracts muscle mass loss! 

Older adults can use strength training to decrease frailty and, risk of falls which can reduce their risk of broken bones (reference 3) - which is a very big deal. Broken femurs increase risk of mortality due to the complications that come along with hospital stays and the confounding variable as to why the person fell in the first place.

Ok so on to running specifically. Studies show that the running economy of mid & low-distance runners is improved by heavy strength training and explosive movements (references 4&5.) That means lifting heavy & jumping around helps you run faster with the same amount of oxygen intake! So don’t be afraid of heavy resistance slowing you down. 

Peak running speed may be improved by plyometric training and heavy resistance, as well!!

Note: If you are going to add strength training to your running training (which, obviously, I highly recommend!) it’s important to play with the intensity and volume of each. When you’re in a running training block and you’re increasing to a 20 mile long run + 4 additional runs and workouts throughout the week, decreasing the intensity of your strength training is imperative to avoid injury, with alteration in hormones that is associated with overloading your body’s capacity for stressors. 

As always, see a professional to make your workout splits, make sure you’re performing exercises in a way that targets the muscles you wish to get stronger, and are combining your strength and running in a way that’s safe and efficient.

Combining cardio and strength training is the closest we’ll become to superhuman. Your future self will thank you for training so that you can lift your grandkids and outrun them at your family wiffleball game!

1.     Faigenbaum, A. (2000) “Strength training for children and adolescents”, Clinics in Sports Medicine, 19(4), 593-619. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0278-5919(05)70228-3

2.     Westcott, W. (2012) “Resistance training is medicine: effects of strength training on health”,Current Sports Medicine Reports 11(4):p 209-216, July/August 2012. | DOI: 10.1249/JSR.0b013e31825dabb8

3.     Hurley, B.F., Hanson, E.D. & Sheaff, A.K. (2011) “Strength Training as a Countermeasure to Aging Muscle and Chronic Disease”, Sports Med, 41, 289–306. https://doi.org/10.2165/11585920-000000000-00000

4.     Balsalobre, et al. (2016) “Effects of Strength Training on Running Economy in Highly Trained Runners: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trials”,

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 30(8):p 2361-2368, August 2016. 

10.1519/JSC.000000000000131

5.     Storand et al. (2008) “Maximal strength training improves running economy in distance runners”, Official Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 40(6):1087-92. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e318168da2f