Running strength and conditioning

Running isn’t really much of a “strong man’s” sport, is it? I mean, look at the Kenyan runners, our own Steve Moneghetti, Craig Mottram, not to mention Paul Radcliffe and others…you’d hardly call them strong. Rob de Castella was perhaps an exception with his tree-trunk legs, but from the waist up he was pretty scrawny. A gust of wind would blow any field of Olympic distance track finalists away.

But let’s consider this from a different point of view. Go out and try running the 160-200 km or so per week these guys run for a while and see what it does to you. Actually, I’ll save you the effort (and pain) and tell you…it will break you because you simply won’t be strong enough to cope with it. That’s an extreme example, but the principle applies – you need to be strong for the sport you do, especially so when it’s a physically damaging sport like running where your enemy is gravity.

What is the strength these runners have, and how does it relate to the rest of the running – and triathlon – population?

The strength of these runners is in the strength and durability of their whole running infrastructure, that is, all the bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles involved in supporting the action of running. Underpinned by great balance in their running form, their musculature is also in balance so that as they do more and harder running there’s no underlying weaknesses which can manifest to create and overload elsewhere in their body…and subsequently an injury.

Getting to the point of being a “strong” runner in this sense is long and painstaking path. Some people will be blessed with great balance naturally, and can run hard and endlessly without problems. But for more mortals it requires attention to detail…which is where a complementary strength and conditioning program comes into play. Here’s some guidelines for how to approach such a program.

First let’s start with a few definitions.
Total Structural Strength – functional strength. Not the amount of weight you can lift, but the amount of strength you can use in the context of your sport.

Total Structural Stability – postural integrity. Allows us to move our bodies efficiently as a series of levers.

Total Structural Range of Motion - the ability to functionally take advantage of:

• just the right amount of motion
• in just the right plane
• in just the right direction
• at just the right time

These definitions highlight the overall function and action of our muscles as distinct from the brute force they can apply. It’s a skill to be able to control the application of muscle contractions in the context of the sport you play, whether it’s tennis, football, swimming, biking or running. The better you’re able to coordinate your muscle contractions the better your overall coordination and balance will be.

The first step to developing / improving specific strength and conditioning is to be aware of how your muscles are currently working, and to look for discrepancies and imbalances in an athlete, such as relative speed of movement from one side to the other, favouring one side over the other, muscle activation, weaknesses, and more. The purpose of such a screening is to know what to do to address the problems.

Some basic screening exercises – which are best observed and assessed by someone else – include single-leg hops, single-leg squats, walking lunge, and calf endurance. There’s other upper-body screening exercises, also. A further test that is best assessed by a physio is activation of your glutes – a common problem for many runners is delayed glute activation which results in over-use of your hamstrings, long-term weakening of your glutes and likely ITB and other problems. A minor weakness or lack of balanced functionality – and activation – in one area can lead to problems in other seemingly unrelated areas. A full screening by a knowledgeable and/or qualified person is invaluable.

The next step is to build a strength and conditioning program – plus some neurological re-training – to address your individual weaknesses. Many exercises do not require equipment, and should be incorporated into your weekly training schedule. Typical exercises include things like single-leg squats, lunges, hopping, front and side planks and lots more. Some people will need greater focus on some areas than others, and those with access to a gym, pilates, or other opportunities will be able to do a greater variety of exercises. Above all, you should consult a knowledgeable and/or qualified person for specific advice in your circumstances.

This nature of strength and conditioning is a very valuable addition to a balanced and sensible running – and training – program. Running is the activity which improve your running, and build the specific durability that will help you get the most benefit from your run training. But in the context of overall conditioning of your body, and addressing imbalances and weakness, spending time on complementary strength and conditioning can pay big dividends in keeping you on the track.