Researchers examined studies that looked at the benefits of strength training for running performance \u2013 particularly running economy \u2013 and found that it does improve efficiency.Comparing heavy weights and low reps, light weights and high reps, plyometric training and isometric exercises, researchers also highlight the types of strength workouts that are best for improving performance.<\/p>\n
Although cardio fitness and form influence your running economy, they\u2019re not the only factors. According to research published in Sports Medicine<\/a>, strength training can also be a significant variable for boosting your efficiency \u2013 but the way that you train matters.<\/p>\n \u2018The takeaway message from our study is clear \u2013 we need to incorporate strength training<\/a> into our running plans,\u2019 principal author Cristian Llanos-Lagos<\/a>, PhD(c), researcher in sports sciences at Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Spain, told Runner\u2019s World. \u2018However, it\u2019s essential to understand that various methods of strength training yield different adaptations, affecting running economy in athletes of varying performance levels.\u2019<\/p>\n To put the findings into context, it\u2019s helpful to revisit how running economy is defined. Running economy is one of the cornerstones of physiological performance in distance running, along with lactate threshold<\/a> and VO2 max<\/a>. Basically, economy isn\u2019t just about how much oxygen you get into your body, but also about how well you use it \u2013 especially at your race pace. <\/p>\n In the recent meta-analysis, researchers looked at 31 studies covering running economy effects from different strength training methods, including high loads (heavier weights with a lower number of reps), plyometric training<\/a> (explosive exercises) and sub-maximal load training that focuses on lighter weights with a higher number of reps. Studies also included combined methods, as well as isometric training<\/a>, which relies on contracting a specific muscle or group of muscles held in one position.<\/p>\n All the studies included control groups, with participants who performed endurance running but didn\u2019t do strength training. In total, the studies included 195 moderately trained, 272 well trained and 185 highly trained athletes. <\/p>\n Strength training to improve speed<\/p>\n Researchers found that strength training at high loads \u2013 that\u2019s the heavier weights and lower reps \u2013 were beneficial mainly for high-level athletes and those running at high speeds, because the training method improved short-term force generation.<\/p>\n \u2018The effect of strength training at high loads can improve running economy through neuromuscular adaptations and improved stiffness of the lower limbs,\u2019 said Llanos-Lagos. These neuromuscular adaptations increase recruitment and firing frequency of motor units and changes in muscle fibre type, he added, resulting in improved rate of force development, which is the amount of force applied over time. <\/p>\n \u2018This is important to understand, given that during the contact phase of running, the time that we must apply force is limited,\u2019 he said. \u2018An athlete who generates high levels of force in short periods of time can move more quickly from the braking phase to the propulsion phase of running, promoting favourable muscular conditions that allow for improved running economy.\u2019<\/p>\n Strength training to improve endurance<\/p>\n For those who run at low-speed levels, focusing on endurance<\/a> over pace, it turns out that plyometric training is the way to go, because it allows for greater energy storage that can be meted out over a longer timeframe, said Llanos-Lagos. The discovery that plyometric training<\/a> could be beneficial at low running speeds was a surprising find, he added \u2013 but one possible mechanism is that this type of training increases tendon elongation, which likely influences energy storage overall. This allows you to keep performing until the end of a long run or race.<\/p>\n In terms of the low weight and high rep approach, that turned out to be less ideal in terms of running performance. However, this doesn\u2019t mean that you need to ditch it, if that\u2019s your preferred training style. Instead, you may want to add in a different type of strength session once or twice a week.<\/p>\n \u2018Sub-maximal load training [low weight, high rep] alone does not generate sufficient adaptations to see changes in running economy, but when combined with plyometric training or high-load training, it could improve running economy,\u2019 he added. \u2018Therefore, it could be a safer and easier alternative to combine training methods if you have less experience in strength training.\u2019<\/p>\n Although isometric training also didn\u2019t generate changes in running economy on its own, Llanos-Lagos said that it could still be used under specific conditions \u2013 such as muscle contraction in the legs done for short periods of time \u2013 that simulate running biomechanics. <\/p>\n