How strength training can help your running workouts.
Are you a runner, maybe you run a few times a week or everyday. If you love to run, great! Everyone needs to find an exercise that they like to do to help relieve stress, keep your body moving and feeling your best.
I find that a lot of people that classify themselves as runners forget about strength training. Lifting weights can actually help you become a faster runner, make running easier and help you to recover better after your long runs. Strength training helps with your running workouts because your body is in better condition when including weights in your workout regime. Strength training also helps with strengthening your core and a strong core is key to running. When you legs get tired your core takes over and if you have a weak core, you will start to run slower and it will feel harder.
I encourage runners to focus on a total body strength training workout 3 days per week. Focusing on circuits or supersets will help boost your endurance as well. Interspersing power movements can help build calf and quad muscles which will help you run faster. Below is a basic total body superset strength workout
Complete the prescribed number of reps/time per exercise. Do the exercises back to back with little rest for 3 sets. Then move on to the next group of exercises.
#1 Deadlift-10 reps
Arnold press-10 reps
#2 TRX squat jumps-15 reps
TRX push ups-8 reps
#3 Row-10 reps
Side lunge-10 reps per side
#4 Plank-30 second hold
Side plank dips-10 reps each side
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