Good to see more people discussing this outside of elite circles. I'm a running specific strength coach and the key issue I see when people come to me for help is that the high reps-light weight approach is just creating a lot of additional endurance fatigue without giving proportionate benefits. The change is always pretty rapid and noticeable when they shift to predominantly low rep-high weight. Personally, as a runner who's been strength training for years and transitioned to mostly fell/hill/mountain running about four years ago, lifting heavy has done wonders for my uphill running and ability to tackle steep ascents.
If you are a beginner in terms of strength training, DO NOT go with heavy weights, learn technique first and that happens with more repetitions (e.g. 8-20 per set), and concentrate on your core muscles as those are what stabilize you in both running and strength training. Body weight exercise like squats and lunges are also great, and you can get great benefits from doing the eccentric movement slowly and from increasing the range of motion (ie. go lower when squatting). Also, training a single leg at a time can help improve strength balance and reduce the risk that comes from bigger weights.
@@Nyelands Good point. Go without shoes or use shoes with low stack height, preferably "barefoot shoes" as those tend to allow your feet to stabilize better (much like going without shoes).
As an N of 1 study, and an old guy, I ran a route last summer (65k with 3k elevation) and split it into two goes. I was pretty hammered after the second day. This year I ran the whole route in one go but did 20 min strength training 3 times per week all year. Huge difference! I was still solid after 17 hours on the trail. Next year I’ll run the whole distance around the fjord (Lysefjord Göran). Strength training-little effort with big gains I believe.
Thanks for sharing really interesting to hear. Yeah I for sure also believe that it is crucial for having your body hold together when running ultra distances.
As a 'hybrid' athlete, I'd please emphasise to not squat heavy in trainers. Either use weightlifting shoes or flats/even just in socks. Much much better stability.
@@reecegunningham That's kind of irrelevant to this - it's about mitigating limiting factors to maximise the benefit of the strength training, as well as mitigating injury risk. Regardless of how strong your ankles are, soft shoes will offer less stability (they will move laterally and vertically under weight) which limits your ability to train optimally. This is before we even consider that regardless of the strength of your ankles, the impact of the volume of weight (and volume of work) necessary for benefits would be riskier than with a stable shoe
That's a great point. Additionally, your brain limits force production when it doesn't feel stable, so you can get closer to your 1 rep max when you have weight lifting shoes. Furthermore, they typically have 18-22mm drop which helps when doing full squats. If you're on a budget, wearing something like vans with heel wedges is a big improvement over running shoes.
I honestly don't even care if strength training improves performance or speed. I only do it to help prevent injuries. I do the 6-12 reps thing though 😅. I use 24kg kettlebell and do a 30-45min workout that target the "whole body" twice a week. I feel like if I was going heavier I would most likely injure myself. Coming back from injury, I'm 2 years injury free so It seems to be working fine for me so far. Not looking like a long noodle is a plus for strength training.
That's an important point, doing max strength training (1-5 reps at 85% of max) requires perfect technique otherwise you risk injury. It also usually requires more special equipment or a gym membership - which many non pro runners don't like to go to. Considering this, overall its unclear to me if max strength is worth it vs 8+ reps for a non professional athlete (and I didn't really see in the study any comparison between the two). I don't think the amount of mass gained in 2 strength workouts a week of sets of 8+ reps is going to be significant for most people. A lot of people simply work with body weight and then the number of reps is actually much higher than 8 per set.
Just doing more reps won't immediately make you bigger. You need to eat at a surplus and train like that consistently to see such results. The risk of being too big is not real. If it would be that easy, everyone in the gym doing bodybuilding would be happier
For most people I agree you're absolutely right. Doing 3 sets of body weight squats (even if you get to 40 reps per set) or the same with push ups - won't suddenly make you huge. You'll need to constantly adjust and increase the number of reps and go close to failure to see real mass gains and I don't think most runners train like that. I think high reps / body weight / low weight stuff is ideal for most runners because of the low risk of injury and the ability to do the workout without a gym. However if you are super ambitious and want to maximize every last bit of your running potential then yeah its hard to improve max strength after a certain point with this types of workouts and you should look at going to a gym and lift heavy I guess.
Hypertrophy isn't the main focus here. Lower repetitions offer intramuscular benefits that enhance strength, such as optimizing your CNS to send stronger, more frequent signals, which boosts force production. They also promote the development of fast-twitch muscle fibers for more power, improve muscle coordination, and increase motor unit recruitment, among other factors. Yes, a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle. However, a stronger muscle does not have to be a bigger muscle. Probably a better choice for most runners, although both will take years to notice signifcant benefits
@@henrys.8047 Agree with you, but as I said this type of training is more complicated (needs a gym/equipment) and more stressful on the joints (can lead to injury). I'm not sure at all for non professionals its a necessity over the alternatives. The performance gains in running probably won't be huge over higher reps. If the person has the time and money to go to a gym and possibly hire a personal trainer to go over technique (otherwise injury is highly likely) then sure , why not. He might gain an extra 1% performance boost in his running over higher reps. Its probably necessary for professionals or people obsessed with breaking a PB but for most people I don't see it as a must at all.
in fact doing more reps helps you get stronger faster. body builders used to have a better bench press per pound than power lifters per pound some years back as the typical powerlifter philosophy was to never go above 5 reps in a set. now they are doing 20 reps regularly and we have some of the freakiest strength records. They also started to do actual cardio, lol. Winblad is parroting the stuff from University which is 20 years behind the curve and is teaching the old mistakes to people. But also growing muscle mass while eating same calories ... weans you found a way to increase your testosterone levels. So that is the training you should use if you actually see a sudden increase in muscle mass. It means everything will go better. The issue is probably guys like him and many other runners NEVER TRACK CALORIES. So one thing that happens with effective training is your growth hormone levels increase. This increases your appetite also. So you eat more... and gain. I think what he and other runners saw was just that - actual effective strength training was boosting their hormone levels and they thought this a negative because they don't track nothing. It's the ultimate self sabotage lol. They could have better recovery, all of it. Heck they give race horses testosterone. Why would a runner avoid higher test levels ?! It only makes you faster. Some college runners take test and stay SKINNY because they don't add calories. It's the natural runners who tend to be totally clueless
Heavy weights with few repetitions is great in theory. The disadvantage for inexperienced weightlifters is that the injury risk becomes high when the movement pattern is not well trained. I don't think 8-12 reps is a bad place to start until you get the hang of the exercises. You can build quite a bit of muscle doing low rep ranges as well, the trick to building less muscle is to stop the set early instead of pushing to failure.
I agree with your first point. However, not pushing to failure doesn't mean building less muscle. In fact, there have been plenty of studies that indicate the reverse is true. Lifting until about 1 to 3 reps in reserve instead of to failure generally increases muscle hypertrophy. If you don't want to gain weight, you simply don't eat in a surplus. Doesn't matter if it's fat or muscle gains. As a beginner you will gain a lot of muscle if you're getting stronger if you're eating in a caloric surplus. Regardless of reprange or reps until failure.
I'm excited to give this a try. I hate lifting, and I have always felt I needed to spend a couple hours a week doing it, which means I end up avoiding doing it all together.
I'm a bit worried about the shoes you are using when lifting. Seems like they are decreasing your stability, this will get more pronounced as the weight gets heavier. To keep things simple and stable I find it best to lift without shoes.
Even experienced lifters do take care with low repetition/heavy weight lifts (such as squats/deadlifts). These are difficult excercises to get right (high risk, high reward). Careful please, especially if one has not a years long experience in lifting. Clearly this is very potent for well trained/well instructed runners. Great video!
Those gains are enormous. To put in perspective that is the same or more than the “supershoe” revolution that was so controversial that some people called it shoe doping.
@@goranwinbladHi! I have just stumbled upon the term cadence and steps per minute via my new garmin watch and begun to read more about it. I am familiar to it through cycling but have never thought about it when it comes to running. I could not find any video of yours around this subject, do you consider SPM to be an important thing to look at to gain speed, efficiency and to avoid injuries? Thanks for all the great videos!
My understanding is that the key for building muscle mass is not rep ranges, but proximity to failure. To get big, you are supposed to lift within 0 to 2 reps of where you could physically not do any more (and eat lots of protein). I don't think 8-12 reps will cause unwanted muscle mass if you are not going close to failure as much as 4 reps as hard as you can, although it won't build pure strength as much either.
Higher reps (8+) will encourage more anaerobic energy-systems growth (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy) even if the weight is not heavy enough to promote much structural hypertrophy (in the form of contractile elements). This is probably only useful for sprinting.
Bloody hell Göran, 150k subscribers!! I've not watched your vids for about a year or 18 months as not been running but I'm sure you were on "only" about 10k back then! Congrats 👌👌🚀 thanks for the vid, I'm back in the game again and training.
Really good video! One thing to also consider doing is switching in some lifts where you work in one leg at a time. Things like single leg Romanian Deadlifts really help build stability muscles and can help prevent injuries.
Takk Goran, for the very insightful video. It is really important to stress the importance of weight training, not only from the direct performace increase point of view but also as an injury prevention. If we consider injury in runners lifespan, then the overall percentage for performace "boost" would be significantly higher than 4,6%, considering how many training units you miss when you are injured. Looking forward to you new video :)
I’ve just started running at 46 and weight training for 12 weeks I have no idea what I’m doing but it seems better than sitting on my ass watching tv rep ranges for me are 4-6 and compound excersises squats deadlifts and chest press I’m only 63 kilo and 5 6 in height
I'll give this a try! I usually do a lot of bodyweight training like box jumps, squats, and planks, which takes 20 minutes or more. It will be interesting to see if a super short workout can be just as effective
Depends on what your running goal is. If you're going for more power, you will need to eventually upgrade to weighted training as bodyweight can only give you so much strength.
@@tf-ok yeah that’s the thing. I’m going for long distance slow Ultra training with some hills. So I don’t need explosive speed. More strength for endurance and hills
Always doing weight lifting training for years, and I learned that it can also help when we getting older. Like your videos, thank you. Just one thing, I don't think its a good idea to weight lift in running shoes with thick sole, it's not stable, you don't feel the ground and big part of your strength go to compress the sole instead of using all the power to lift.
As a former coach and physio I approve! 😂 This I think id close to being the ideal supplementary strength programme for running. I would do it in a trap bar deadlift instead. Slightly better movement pattern for running, easier to learn, you can load it heavier and you can be more explosive in a triple extension (extending hip, knee and ankle simultaneous, as you do in running). But pretty close to perfect ❤
@@usbsol that all depends on your grip strength. If grip is a limiting factor I would use straps for sure. The point of the exercise is not to try to get a stronger grip
Simple leg day routine: 3 x 12-15 leg extension (not too heavy, just warming up the quads) Superset with 3 x 12-15 Hip Abductors ("bad girls") for warming up the glute medius muscles Standalone: 4 x 3-5 Back Squat at 60-80% 1RM, 2:30-3:00 min rest in between. Then 3 x 8-12 Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift (heavyish, nice stretch) Superset with 3 x 12-15 Cable Rope Pull Throughs (working your glutes, really squeeze!) Finish with 3 x 8-10 (each leg) Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats with your foot elevated (only about 6-10 inches) shouldn't be too hard, but should still test your balance and leg strength. You'll definitely feel this workout for the next few days, but it won't be so bad that you're not able to walk. It's probably best to couple this routine on the same day as your quality or speed run workout day (morning run, evening lift) so that You have enough time to recover for your long run a few days later, and you're not unnecessarily stressing your legs. This routine can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour with proper warmup (I usually bike 5 mins, then use the first two exercises as warm up for the squat).
As a age 50-something runner, strength training is simply not optional. Big compound lifts (Squats, Deadlifts, presses and pulls). Currently loving sets of 8/5/3 reps at increasing weights... there's something about progressing steadily through the session. I train with a PT and she keeps the exercises relevant to my running goals and adjusts things to cover areas that running exposes as needing strengthening. She also keeps the sessions honest - not sure I'd get away with a half-depth back squat 😉
It seems to help prevent injuries for me. I don’t enjoy doing it and when I’m in the building phase it’s stressful having muscle soreness after a harder lifting day lol. Nice video
My main worry with such heavy weights is popping something and not being able to run. I would prefer to lift lighter for this reason until I can feel fatigue and failure approaching. I think most people like running because it’s easy and cheap but lifting requires either gym membership or home gyms.
I thought running was cheap but with the constant purchasing of shoes, long run gels and running club monthly fee its freaking expensive. Of course I don't have to do the running club thing but many runners need the group support especially when training for hard things like marathons.
@@יואלבלום shoes are hard to get away from, though if you can get used to them, barefoot shoes apparently last for a long time, but you don't need gels either. Most areas have FB groups, etc. for support too
Thank you Göran. I believe I had it the weong way around all this while. Thanks for also sharing the studies that you based your conclusion. Would be a very helpful paper to read through.
Please don’t recommend low rep. Low rep is notorious for injury, since people lift too heavy and do it with bad form. High rep low weight is generally encouraged by physios to encourage good form and to stimulate muscles and tendons for prehab/rehab.
Think about all winter sports where stand in activites during summer is the norm. It still allow for great performance after only a couple of weeks with the actual thing. I think if you only train 1 way you might hit like a local maxima.
5% increase is huge within running.I always find your videos useful.I have been doing strength training for running for about 15 months now but it seems I’ve been doing it wrong.I was part of the 8-12 rep group.Definitely going to try those half squats out.
I went from consistent DNF failures in trail ultras at distances under 25 km to completing 100km to 100 mile distances by learning to use my glutes and doing many reps of Bulgarian split squats. Up to 3 sets of 60 reps once a week. When I’m fully trained this way I can do 100 miles and although my body overall is tired (obviously) my legs are fine and feel like I could keep going forever
hey, thanks for the insights, i have a question tho, when should i train with weights? i have heard people say train hard on hard days and easy on easy, does that mean i should do my hard run training and a weight training on the same day? or should i "use" a off day for the gym? normally, i do my gym days on a day where i dont run but most of the time iam thinking about if it is better to combine gym with hard run sessions^^ i am a bit lost on this xD
I came from lifting into endurance running. I used to be able to flat bench press 140kg(>305lbs) and deadlift >200kg(>450lbs) without running any specialized program or peaking phase for powerlifting. I was generally lifting for all of the major muscle groups and movement patterns with basic periodization for progress. With concurrent training for half/full marathons, I have had to reduce my lifting volume such that I simply do not have the same preparedness/fitness for lifting as I used to (~10%power reduction), but my cardio/endurance and running has significantly improved. I will probably go back and forth between which one is my priority (lifting vs running) to hopefully be better at both than I am now in the coming decades (Lord willing)!
For safety, I highly recommend you acquire and use long spotter arms for your rack that would catch the weight if your knees or back give out, or you simply aren't able to complete that final rep of a back squat.
Lifting weights twice a week won’t make you bulky. If it did, then professional bodybuilding would be much easier than it is. Just like them running twice a week won’t make them great runners
Running without any weight training is just begging for injuries. Not sure about elite marathoners. Also lighter weight and deeper, slow eccentric squats with a pause at the lowest point would help runners more than the shallow squats in the video, I'll have to read that study and see why they went with half squats. Same approach for dumbbell walking lunges. Edit: Ok, their rationale is that half squats better target angles relevant to running which seems reasonable, I think there would be benefit to full squats for joint flexibility so long as a person begins with lower weight and focus on form before going heavy. Great video!
Yeah I think both has its place but the half squats I really believe in for the maximum power you get in the relevant range of motion for running /neuromuscular and tendon adaptations that give you this great running economy boost. Thanks!
I would like to see a study/ video review of performance enhancement between doing a Back Squat, a Front Squat, and a Full Clean with includes a power component
You could’ve mentioned when to do these gym excersises. On easy days or hard days? 2-3 times gym each week and you are forced to run either a long or hard run after a previous day gym session. (If week consists of 2 hard run days and a long run)
Im my experience I have never gotten injured from weight training but I have gotten injured from increasing my mileage. Also I think as an older athlete there is the benefit of maintaining your muscle mass which naturally decreases with age.
Hi! I have just stumbled upon the term cadence and steps per minute via my new garmin watch and begun to read more about it. I am familiar to it through cycling but have never thought about it when it comes to running. I could not find any video of yours around this subject, do you consider SPM to be an important thing to look at to gain speed, efficiency and to avoid injuries? Thanks for all the great videos!
8:01 I’m trying to get better at pull-ups as a runner. I started out at 10. And now I can do 14. I do one max set per day. I’m probably gonna stop after a month, but this will be a funny little experiment just like u did.
@@jblizzard962 I’ve been a runner for a year. And I am familiar with pushups. I can bench press my own body weight. So Ye I got some upper body strength in order to start with 10.
i assume your half rep squats are based off of the study you mentioned? i would still encourage to do more range of motion as it benefits a lot of the joints and ligaments in the hips, knees and ankles, and the surrounding muscles. the superior squat is the ass to grass and i believe it is the healthiest and most benefical squat transferable to any sports discipline, given you can do them properly as they require some mobility. also, your back seems a bit to anterior pelvic tilted which can cause lower back problems in the long run or when going heavier. great video and important topic
Why do you recommend half-depth squats specifically? Are they more of a natural body position for running? Wouldn't long length partials strengthen better?
Excelente 👌. Hace años q llevo combinando entrenar fuerza pir temporadas con la carrera. Despues de una etapa de sesiones de fuerza al principio me siento lento y algo mas rígido, pero rápidamente se transfieren los resultados a la carrera,en especial en las subidas. También menos lesiones. Muchas gracias ❤
At least for me, I spent years and years as a powerlifter. My hip flexors are super tight which causes some 'empty' lower back squats, it ends up hurting me. So I have resorted to doing stability and static strength. As in, I'll do a variation of lunge that is a static hold while holding the back leg straight. Builds stability, and static strength, and stretches my hip flexors at the same time. I have to do this or after about 3-4 miles, my upper quad/hip flexor starts burning like crazy. I do 5 sets of 30-second holds on each leg twice a week. I also do a ton of core strength work. I do enjoy lifting though but I run every day. Lift 3 days a week, run 3 days a week, off day is a longer hike/walk. Edit: Addon, I think the 2 absolute best exercises for runners is deadlifts (posterior chain strength and core strength) and Bulgarian squats (single leg strength and stability). At least IMO every runner should have these as core lifts to a regimen.
Fyi, isometrics (=static holds) doesn’t improve running economy. It needs to be heavy weights. >=80% of 1 rep max. Which is equivalent to picking a weight you can do 5 reps with and still have 2-3 reps in reserve before failure. Here’s the science if you want to read more. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38165636/
Any specific reason for the shoes you are wearing while squatting and the depth you chose? Edit: Alright, you used the protocol from the study, but my question would still stand.
From my experience, it's hard for the average person to get big legs from weight lifting. I assume because legs are already well worked, load bearing muscles. So it would take that much more to go further vs. upper body muscles, for example.
Very good but be careful with heavy weights close to the part of the spine that is designed mostly to carry the weight of your head .😊 ....'However, improvements did not occur in all cases, suggesting that they might depend on the specific characteristics of the resistance training applied. Although current evidence supports the effectiveness of resistance training to improve performance in already trained endurance runners, the methodological inconsistencies identified suggest that the results should be interpreted with caution. Future studies ought to investigate the benefits of resistance training in endurance runners while considering the existence of possible differentiated effects based on the specific characteristics of the resistance training carried out.
When I did alot of strengh training back in the days (before starting to run) my personal trainers taught me the exect opposite... Less Reps with higher weights = max. strengh and max. muscle growth More reps with less weights = more like a strengh endurance trainig focusing more on specific muscle fibres Did science change or where they just wrong ? :D
Personal Trainer/Running Coach here. Not really, just more refined. More reps with lighter weights targets your capacity to metabolically do the work (i.e. muscular endurance), whereas higher resistance/more explosive work is typically limited by your nervous system's ability to recruit muscle fibers (i.e. get more of the muscle fibers to fire together). This is part of the reason why you can see big gains when you start doing it, it's really more about learning how to coordinate your muscles than it is getting that muscle to actually be able to generate more total power. This is the same reason why a lot of folks start seeing improvements when they first start going to the gym (even if they aren't lifting heavy, they're learning how to coordinate all of those muscle fibers to generate more force without ever having to actually build more muscle).
Since I began lifting regularly around three years ago I haven’t had a single injury and so have been able to maintain high running volume for a long time. My running performance has vastly improved over that time but I don’t know if that’s due to the stronger muscles from lifting or the injury prevention that has permitted higher volume or both.
Good day all. As a runner in my ealry years up to 43. I cut down a bit and put lots of muscle up top. Now im trying to lose the muscle for running and cycling .snd guess what its not easy to lose the upper muscle lol . Something to think about in yourr fitness journey . I do use some of the extra muscle at work . Im 55 lol🚴🍺🚴
Feels like 90% of runner-targeted weight training is aimed at small muscles in the hips and not squats. The year I did a heck of a log of squats it really did seem like running got easier. I always wondered if there was a good reason why squats weren't more central to a runner's strength training at least in other youtube videos. Looks like squats are in fashion again for runners!
Its not about running faster but getting less injured. This is why you should lift weights. Also, if this is how you squat, you’re better off doing leg presses.
From a pragmatic point of view this kind of sucks for most people. Squad racks like that are very expensive and take up a lot of space, and gym memberships are also quite costly and personally I hate going to the gym. I like running because I can just do a warming up/ dynamics stretching, put on my shoes and go for a run. What about calisthenics? I've been doing single leg squats, Bulgarian split squat and single leg heel raises. Is that not enough? Does it really need to be done with weights?
Yeah I agree, what I have tried to replace it with earlier that I think works good (but I don’t have any evidence for it) is to lower the weight but increase intensity for example put on a heavy backpack filled with water bottles and doing squat jumps jumping as high as you can. Also doing it 4reps x4
Over time, you will discover that body weight exercises have their limit, especially when it comes to developing higher strength and power. That's when weights come in.
Obviously you don't have to do this though, and most runners I know don't either. If running is a hobby for you - e.g not your day job - even if its a demanding hobby (e.g training for a marathon), you get to decide where you draw the line. I agree that turning your living room into a gym crosses the line for most people (mine already has dumbbels , a yoga mat and a treadmill I think that's enough). If you're totally obsessed with improving some PB and are stuck, then maybe go to a gym for a couple months and see what the fuss is about. Otherwise this is indeed unnecessary, you can get quite far with body weight and simply training in running. I also wonder if training all out sprints (100m) won't give similar benefits for fast twitch leg muscles as heavy lifts, sprints sound like one heck of a strength workout to me yet most runners I know don't do it.
Im wondering if there are any decent books (based on actual research) on running with chapters on cross training including weight lifting as well as diet. I enjoy running, but I feel it's extremely hard to improve without really understanding the big picture. Any recommendations welcome :)
I stopped doing deadlifts and got slower. You want to be strong enough to stay tight through the whole race - so that you have better movement economy. I couldn't run more. I was already running at max. Because I am an average person ... not a 120 pound Japanese guy who can do 200 mile weeks. Adding two resistance sessions per week didn't take away from my ability to run. There are only 2 hard days of running per week tops...
I heard a podcast with Jan Helgerud (one of the authors on the study) advocating a calf raise at the end of each squat. Don’t know if he’s done research on it.
The calf raise at the end seems interesting but isn't the weight too small for being around 80% 1 rep max ? I guess you need 2 or 3 times more weight than for squats.
What are your thoughts on minimalist/“barefoot” shoes? I just read a fascinating book called “Born to Run: A hidden tribe…” I’m switching over to more minimal shoes 🙌
I started triathlon training. I cannot do 3 times a week max weight training. Even if its a short time. It would impact my other training quite a bit. Im doing lots of core training tho. I find that super important.
Plyometrics (i.e. Max power broad jumps, etc.) can fill in for the heavy lifting, as it's still a rapid burst of max effort. And they can be included in any plyometric/core work you're already doing. It's not QUITE the same, but the physiological principle is similar.
@@dylanallen7847 thanks for your feedback. I will surely consider doing some more of such exercises. Its surely helpful. I just wanna avoid tire my legs out too much doing strength as im doing lots of endurance and tempo sessions currently. I think this and heavy weights would be too much load for me atm.
@@99cya Yeah, you don't want to do the super explosive stuff on tired legs (that's when mechanics get out of whack and you get hurt). Especially if you're jumping. The jumping itself isn't the problem, it's stabilizing the joints as you land:P
I think even without studies, it is kind of logical, that Lifting makes you run faster. I mean you train your muscles to oppose forces, that you also have, when you are running. Valid?
Thanks! Started running zone 2/3 this April and been running about 500km since the start. Did a sub 2 half marathon yesterday in zone 3. Aiming to do my first ever marathon sub 4 but really wanna make sure i'm ready for it. Working in the swedish army so kinda need to be a bit hybrid but enjoying running the most. You'r channel has really helped me with alot of great tips and just the right once are keep coming 😃👍
I would say no. The leg press is not a good alternative to the squat. Smith machine could work, but the absolute best is to do the squat. Thats because its actually a whole body exercise that also activates the core. Most important for good form: brace core, chest up (sit down, don't lean forward) and weight should move in a straight line. To my eye Görans squat does not go deep enough, but it might be because we work with different parameters when working out for running performance. What I recommend for beginners: do squats with no to low weight to build technique and then overload muscles with smith machine. When you feel you have good technique on the squat you can start to do progressive overload there instead.
Just do one legged squats without weights, slow eccentric movement (edit: 4-6 seconds, and an.. energetic concentric movement), and a big range of motion, edit: add a weighted vest if that's not enough resistance
Great video. But get better shoes for squat. You should have shoes with a hard sole. Gives more stability when you squat. Also not a fan of half squats.
I have mild-moderate scoliosis and was prescribed squats by my physio. Turns out I get a lot of pain in my right shoulder. Which exercise do you think could be an alternative if any?
Something machine likely, there are good benefits to doing barbell back squats in that it uses a lot of supporting muscles, but it’s not the be all end all. If your gym has a hack squat machine, they’re really similar to back squats but the weight loads on your lower back.
Hi, I would actually strongly recommend you seek out a physical therapist who is certified in postural restoration before you try to do any weight lifting. Scoliosis is a result of neuromuscular miscommunication and in order to correct your spine, you must first correct your nervous system. PR therapy combines precise positioning of the body with proprioceptive cues and breathing exercises to "reset" the nervous system. After you fix those firing pathways, THEN you commence strength training to reinforce them. I kept getting pain and injuries on my right side (ankle, knee, hip, neck/shoulder) over the years and went through traditional PT several times, which focused only on strengthening underutilized muscles without addressing the reason why my body wasn't using them appropriately. It wasn't until I went to a PR therapist that I learned my pelvis was completely twisted and skewed towards the left, which was causing all of my problems. A few breathing exercises fixed my hips immediately, and eliminated systemic pain I'd been having for years. I have been injury-free ever since!
Well it’s really plain and simple. If you want to be in good all around shape, then you have to do it all. Including lifting. No if ands or buts. But If all you care about is running and don’t mind looking like a toothpick, then just run. But at the same time, you’re never going to be the best or fastest runner if you pump out the weights just as much. And vise versa.
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Good to see more people discussing this outside of elite circles. I'm a running specific strength coach and the key issue I see when people come to me for help is that the high reps-light weight approach is just creating a lot of additional endurance fatigue without giving proportionate benefits. The change is always pretty rapid and noticeable when they shift to predominantly low rep-high weight.
Personally, as a runner who's been strength training for years and transitioned to mostly fell/hill/mountain running about four years ago, lifting heavy has done wonders for my uphill running and ability to tackle steep ascents.
If you are a beginner in terms of strength training, DO NOT go with heavy weights, learn technique first and that happens with more repetitions (e.g. 8-20 per set), and concentrate on your core muscles as those are what stabilize you in both running and strength training. Body weight exercise like squats and lunges are also great, and you can get great benefits from doing the eccentric movement slowly and from increasing the range of motion (ie. go lower when squatting). Also, training a single leg at a time can help improve strength balance and reduce the risk that comes from bigger weights.
Exactly. And don't use running shoes when you squat!!
@@Nyelands Good point. Go without shoes or use shoes with low stack height, preferably "barefoot shoes" as those tend to allow your feet to stabilize better (much like going without shoes).
Agree!
As an N of 1 study, and an old guy, I ran a route last summer (65k with 3k elevation) and split it into two goes. I was pretty hammered after the second day. This year I ran the whole route in one go but did 20 min strength training 3 times per week all year. Huge difference! I was still solid after 17 hours on the trail. Next year I’ll run the whole distance around the fjord (Lysefjord Göran). Strength training-little effort with big gains I believe.
Thanks for sharing really interesting to hear. Yeah I for sure also believe that it is crucial for having your body hold together when running ultra distances.
As a 'hybrid' athlete, I'd please emphasise to not squat heavy in trainers. Either use weightlifting shoes or flats/even just in socks. Much much better stability.
Check out the flexibility and strength of killian jornets ankles. Trail runners have ankles of steel
@@reecegunninghamthe best do, unfortunately I don’t sigh
socks r good unless the platform is slippery!
@@reecegunningham That's kind of irrelevant to this - it's about mitigating limiting factors to maximise the benefit of the strength training, as well as mitigating injury risk. Regardless of how strong your ankles are, soft shoes will offer less stability (they will move laterally and vertically under weight) which limits your ability to train optimally. This is before we even consider that regardless of the strength of your ankles, the impact of the volume of weight (and volume of work) necessary for benefits would be riskier than with a stable shoe
That's a great point. Additionally, your brain limits force production when it doesn't feel stable, so you can get closer to your 1 rep max when you have weight lifting shoes. Furthermore, they typically have 18-22mm drop which helps when doing full squats. If you're on a budget, wearing something like vans with heel wedges is a big improvement over running shoes.
I honestly don't even care if strength training improves performance or speed. I only do it to help prevent injuries. I do the 6-12 reps thing though 😅. I use 24kg kettlebell and do a 30-45min workout that target the "whole body" twice a week. I feel like if I was going heavier I would most likely injure myself. Coming back from injury, I'm 2 years injury free so It seems to be working fine for me so far.
Not looking like a long noodle is a plus for strength training.
That's an important point, doing max strength training (1-5 reps at 85% of max) requires perfect technique otherwise you risk injury. It also usually requires more special equipment or a gym membership - which many non pro runners don't like to go to.
Considering this, overall its unclear to me if max strength is worth it vs 8+ reps for a non professional athlete (and I didn't really see in the study any comparison between the two). I don't think the amount of mass gained in 2 strength workouts a week of sets of 8+ reps is going to be significant for most people. A lot of people simply work with body weight and then the number of reps is actually much higher than 8 per set.
Agree!
Just doing more reps won't immediately make you bigger. You need to eat at a surplus and train like that consistently to see such results. The risk of being too big is not real. If it would be that easy, everyone in the gym doing bodybuilding would be happier
For most people I agree you're absolutely right. Doing 3 sets of body weight squats (even if you get to 40 reps per set) or the same with push ups - won't suddenly make you huge. You'll need to constantly adjust and increase the number of reps and go close to failure to see real mass gains and I don't think most runners train like that. I think high reps / body weight / low weight stuff is ideal for most runners because of the low risk of injury and the ability to do the workout without a gym. However if you are super ambitious and want to maximize every last bit of your running potential then yeah its hard to improve max strength after a certain point with this types of workouts and you should look at going to a gym and lift heavy I guess.
Hypertrophy isn't the main focus here. Lower repetitions offer intramuscular benefits that enhance strength, such as optimizing your CNS to send stronger, more frequent signals, which boosts force production. They also promote the development of fast-twitch muscle fibers for more power, improve muscle coordination, and increase motor unit recruitment, among other factors.
Yes, a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle. However, a stronger muscle does not have to be a bigger muscle. Probably a better choice for most runners, although both will take years to notice signifcant benefits
@@henrys.8047 Agree with you, but as I said this type of training is more complicated (needs a gym/equipment) and more stressful on the joints (can lead to injury). I'm not sure at all for non professionals its a necessity over the alternatives. The performance gains in running probably won't be huge over higher reps. If the person has the time and money to go to a gym and possibly hire a personal trainer to go over technique (otherwise injury is highly likely) then sure , why not. He might gain an extra 1% performance boost in his running over higher reps. Its probably necessary for professionals or people obsessed with breaking a PB but for most people I don't see it as a must at all.
in fact doing more reps helps you get stronger faster. body builders used to have a better bench press per pound than power lifters per pound some years back as the typical powerlifter philosophy was to never go above 5 reps in a set.
now they are doing 20 reps regularly and we have some of the freakiest strength records. They also started to do actual cardio, lol.
Winblad is parroting the stuff from University which is 20 years behind the curve and is teaching the old mistakes to people.
But also growing muscle mass while eating same calories ... weans you found a way to increase your testosterone levels. So that is the training you should use if you actually see a sudden increase in muscle mass. It means everything will go better.
The issue is probably guys like him and many other runners NEVER TRACK CALORIES. So one thing that happens with effective training is your growth hormone levels increase. This increases your appetite also. So you eat more... and gain.
I think what he and other runners saw was just that - actual effective strength training was boosting their hormone levels and they thought this a negative because they don't track nothing. It's the ultimate self sabotage lol. They could have better recovery, all of it. Heck they give race horses testosterone. Why would a runner avoid higher test levels ?! It only makes you faster. Some college runners take test and stay SKINNY because they don't add calories.
It's the natural runners who tend to be totally clueless
@@agnidas5816 utter was of time reading that rubbish i should sue you.
Heavy weights with few repetitions is great in theory. The disadvantage for inexperienced weightlifters is that the injury risk becomes high when the movement pattern is not well trained. I don't think 8-12 reps is a bad place to start until you get the hang of the exercises. You can build quite a bit of muscle doing low rep ranges as well, the trick to building less muscle is to stop the set early instead of pushing to failure.
Agree!
I agree with your first point. However, not pushing to failure doesn't mean building less muscle. In fact, there have been plenty of studies that indicate the reverse is true. Lifting until about 1 to 3 reps in reserve instead of to failure generally increases muscle hypertrophy.
If you don't want to gain weight, you simply don't eat in a surplus. Doesn't matter if it's fat or muscle gains. As a beginner you will gain a lot of muscle if you're getting stronger if you're eating in a caloric surplus. Regardless of reprange or reps until failure.
@SirTipsi I didn't mean that you stop at 1-3 RIR, I meant well clear of failure. But of course, calories are a major part of it as well.
I'm excited to give this a try. I hate lifting, and I have always felt I needed to spend a couple hours a week doing it, which means I end up avoiding doing it all together.
I'm a bit worried about the shoes you are using when lifting. Seems like they are decreasing your stability, this will get more pronounced as the weight gets heavier. To keep things simple and stable I find it best to lift without shoes.
Even experienced lifters do take care with low repetition/heavy weight lifts (such as squats/deadlifts). These are difficult excercises to get right (high risk, high reward).
Careful please, especially if one has not a years long experience in lifting. Clearly this is very potent for well trained/well instructed runners.
Great video!
Those gains are enormous. To put in perspective that is the same or more than the “supershoe” revolution that was so controversial that some people called it shoe doping.
love the upload schedule Goran!🎉❤
Glad to hear, more to come! Will try to keep weekly uploads every Sunday for a while 😊
Love seeing you reference quality studies 👌🏼
Glad to hear!
@@goranwinbladHi! I have just stumbled upon the term cadence and steps per minute via my new garmin watch and begun to read more about it. I am familiar to it through cycling but have never thought about it when it comes to running. I could not find any video of yours around this subject, do you consider SPM to be an important thing to look at to gain speed, efficiency and to avoid injuries? Thanks for all the great videos!
My understanding is that the key for building muscle mass is not rep ranges, but proximity to failure. To get big, you are supposed to lift within 0 to 2 reps of where you could physically not do any more (and eat lots of protein). I don't think 8-12 reps will cause unwanted muscle mass if you are not going close to failure as much as 4 reps as hard as you can, although it won't build pure strength as much either.
He is trying to avoid mass and improve fast twitch fibers, as far as I understood the video
Higher reps (8+) will encourage more anaerobic energy-systems growth (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy) even if the weight is not heavy enough to promote much structural hypertrophy (in the form of contractile elements).
This is probably only useful for sprinting.
Time under tension and focused eccentrics which actually causes increased muscle micro fiber tearing initiating the rebuild and growth process
Bloody hell Göran, 150k subscribers!! I've not watched your vids for about a year or 18 months as not been running but I'm sure you were on "only" about 10k back then! Congrats 👌👌🚀 thanks for the vid, I'm back in the game again and training.
Right? I showed up around 20k. It's insane how quickly the channel has grown.
Really good video! One thing to also consider doing is switching in some lifts where you work in one leg at a time. Things like single leg Romanian Deadlifts really help build stability muscles and can help prevent injuries.
Takk Goran, for the very insightful video. It is really important to stress the importance of weight training, not only from the direct performace increase point of view but also as an injury prevention. If we consider injury in runners lifespan, then the overall percentage for performace "boost" would be significantly higher than 4,6%, considering how many training units you miss when you are injured.
Looking forward to you new video :)
Love this type of content, great video!
I’ve just started running at 46 and weight training for 12 weeks I have no idea what I’m doing but it seems better than sitting on my ass watching tv rep ranges for me are 4-6 and compound excersises squats deadlifts and chest press I’m only 63 kilo and 5 6 in height
I'll give this a try! I usually do a lot of bodyweight training like box jumps, squats, and planks, which takes 20 minutes or more. It will be interesting to see if a super short workout can be just as effective
Depends on what your running goal is. If you're going for more power, you will need to eventually upgrade to weighted training as bodyweight can only give you so much strength.
@@tf-ok yeah that’s the thing. I’m going for long distance slow Ultra training with some hills. So I don’t need explosive speed. More strength for endurance and hills
@@Rich_1 how often do u do the body weight training seshes in a week? usually after a run?
This video is absolutely fantastic. Well done!
This is a great video. Tussen takk!
Great video! I just wish I'd seen it before I uploaded my weight routine for runners 😂
Always doing weight lifting training for years, and I learned that it can also help when we getting older.
Like your videos, thank you.
Just one thing, I don't think its a good idea to weight lift in running shoes with thick sole, it's not stable, you don't feel the ground and big part of your strength go to compress the sole instead of using all the power to lift.
Love the scientific aproach. Subscribed!
As a former coach and physio I approve! 😂
This I think id close to being the ideal supplementary strength programme for running. I would do it in a trap bar deadlift instead. Slightly better movement pattern for running, easier to learn, you can load it heavier and you can be more explosive in a triple extension (extending hip, knee and ankle simultaneous, as you do in running).
But pretty close to perfect ❤
Using lifting straps that is or your grip will be the limiting factor, wouldn't you agree?
@@usbsol that all depends on your grip strength. If grip is a limiting factor I would use straps for sure. The point of the exercise is not to try to get a stronger grip
Single leg physio exercises as a beginner have made my running feel a lot better.
Simple leg day routine:
3 x 12-15 leg extension (not too heavy, just warming up the quads)
Superset with
3 x 12-15 Hip Abductors ("bad girls") for warming up the glute medius muscles
Standalone: 4 x 3-5 Back Squat at 60-80% 1RM, 2:30-3:00 min rest in between.
Then 3 x 8-12 Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift (heavyish, nice stretch)
Superset with
3 x 12-15 Cable Rope Pull Throughs (working your glutes, really squeeze!)
Finish with 3 x 8-10 (each leg) Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats with your foot elevated (only about 6-10 inches) shouldn't be too hard, but should still test your balance and leg strength.
You'll definitely feel this workout for the next few days, but it won't be so bad that you're not able to walk. It's probably best to couple this routine on the same day as your quality or speed run workout day (morning run, evening lift) so that You have enough time to recover for your long run a few days later, and you're not unnecessarily stressing your legs. This routine can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour with proper warmup (I usually bike 5 mins, then use the first two exercises as warm up for the squat).
When I do weight training it is not to get faster, but rather to become more resilient to injury and to reduce ”aches after many minutes of running”.
As a age 50-something runner, strength training is simply not optional. Big compound lifts (Squats, Deadlifts, presses and pulls). Currently loving sets of 8/5/3 reps at increasing weights... there's something about progressing steadily through the session.
I train with a PT and she keeps the exercises relevant to my running goals and adjusts things to cover areas that running exposes as needing strengthening. She also keeps the sessions honest - not sure I'd get away with a half-depth back squat 😉
50-something is not a limiting factor at all.
It seems to help prevent injuries for me. I don’t enjoy doing it and when I’m in the building phase it’s stressful having muscle soreness after a harder lifting day lol. Nice video
So glad you made this video. You're the jeff nippard of the running community if that makes sense
My main worry with such heavy weights is popping something and not being able to run. I would prefer to lift lighter for this reason until I can feel fatigue and failure approaching. I think most people like running because it’s easy and cheap but lifting requires either gym membership or home gyms.
You can use a weighted rucksack to do a number of weighted exercises.
I thought running was cheap but with the constant purchasing of shoes, long run gels and running club monthly fee its freaking expensive. Of course I don't have to do the running club thing but many runners need the group support especially when training for hard things like marathons.
@@יואלבלום shoes are hard to get away from, though if you can get used to them, barefoot shoes apparently last for a long time, but you don't need gels either. Most areas have FB groups, etc. for support too
So glad I stumble upon your video
Glad to have you here 😊
🤗Love your no nonsense videos🤗
Would love your take on Knees Over Toes guy’s programs / recommendations - having recently been using his advice in recovering from a knee injury!
Thank you Göran. I believe I had it the weong way around all this while. Thanks for also sharing the studies that you based your conclusion. Would be a very helpful paper to read through.
Please don’t recommend low rep. Low rep is notorious for injury, since people lift too heavy and do it with bad form.
High rep low weight is generally encouraged by physios to encourage good form and to stimulate muscles and tendons for prehab/rehab.
Think about all winter sports where stand in activites during summer is the norm.
It still allow for great performance after only a couple of weeks with the actual thing. I think if you only train 1 way you might hit like a local maxima.
You should do a talk with Dr. Mike Israetel !
5% increase is huge within running.I always find your videos useful.I have been doing strength training for running for about 15 months now but it seems I’ve been doing it wrong.I was part of the 8-12 rep group.Definitely going to try those half squats out.
Love your Videos, Man❤❤❤
nice job my man. great videos that are informative and fun to watch.
I went from consistent DNF failures in trail ultras at distances under 25 km to completing 100km to 100 mile distances by learning to use my glutes and doing many reps of Bulgarian split squats. Up to 3 sets of 60 reps once a week. When I’m fully trained this way I can do 100 miles and although my body overall is tired (obviously) my legs are fine and feel like I could keep going forever
hey, thanks for the insights, i have a question tho, when should i train with weights? i have heard people say train hard on hard days and easy on easy, does that mean i should do my hard run training and a weight training on the same day? or should i "use" a off day for the gym? normally, i do my gym days on a day where i dont run but most of the time iam thinking about if it is better to combine gym with hard run sessions^^ i am a bit lost on this xD
Brilliant video, thank you! It would be great to have more videos like this one 😉
I came from lifting into endurance running. I used to be able to flat bench press 140kg(>305lbs) and deadlift >200kg(>450lbs) without running any specialized program or peaking phase for powerlifting. I was generally lifting for all of the major muscle groups and movement patterns with basic periodization for progress. With concurrent training for half/full marathons, I have had to reduce my lifting volume such that I simply do not have the same preparedness/fitness for lifting as I used to (~10%power reduction), but my cardio/endurance and running has significantly improved. I will probably go back and forth between which one is my priority (lifting vs running) to hopefully be better at both than I am now in the coming decades (Lord willing)!
For safety, I highly recommend you acquire and use long spotter arms for your rack that would catch the weight if your knees or back give out, or you simply aren't able to complete that final rep of a back squat.
Brilliant!
Lifting weights twice a week won’t make you bulky. If it did, then professional bodybuilding would be much easier than it is. Just like them running twice a week won’t make them great runners
Takk! Det er virkelig nyttig for de som har en travel hverdag 🤩👍
Ja det er tidseffektiv trening 😊
@@goranwinblad Jeg skal teste det ut så snart smerten i hoften forsvinner... Den ble vond etter 21 km forrige uke. Har du videoer om dette?
very interesting and good video as always :)
Thank you! 😀
Running without any weight training is just begging for injuries. Not sure about elite marathoners. Also lighter weight and deeper, slow eccentric squats with a pause at the lowest point would help runners more than the shallow squats in the video, I'll have to read that study and see why they went with half squats. Same approach for dumbbell walking lunges.
Edit: Ok, their rationale is that half squats better target angles relevant to running which seems reasonable, I think there would be benefit to full squats for joint flexibility so long as a person begins with lower weight and focus on form before going heavy. Great video!
Yeah I think both has its place but the half squats I really believe in for the maximum power you get in the relevant range of motion for running /neuromuscular and tendon adaptations that give you this great running economy boost. Thanks!
@@goranwinblad It this was true you should only be doing about 1/5 range of motion.
I feel like I'm stalking you with the over the shoulder shots of you reading on the computer. 😂
I would like to see a study/ video review of performance enhancement between doing a Back Squat, a Front Squat, and a Full Clean with includes a power component
You could’ve mentioned when to do these gym excersises. On easy days or hard days? 2-3 times gym each week and you are forced to run either a long or hard run after a previous day gym session. (If week consists of 2 hard run days and a long run)
Im my experience I have never gotten injured from weight training but I have gotten injured from increasing my mileage. Also I think as an older athlete there is the benefit of maintaining your muscle mass which naturally decreases with age.
Hi! I have just stumbled upon the term cadence and steps per minute via my new garmin watch and begun to read more about it. I am familiar to it through cycling but have never thought about it when it comes to running. I could not find any video of yours around this subject, do you consider SPM to be an important thing to look at to gain speed, efficiency and to avoid injuries? Thanks for all the great videos!
8:01 I’m trying to get better at pull-ups as a runner. I started out at 10. And now I can do 14. I do one max set per day. I’m probably gonna stop after a month, but this will be a funny little experiment just like u did.
Ok cool to hear yeah it’s interesting the improvements you can get from just a little bit of training everyday.
How did you start out at 10? You must have done some upper body exercise otherwise you do not start at 10.
@@jblizzard962 I’ve been a runner for a year. And I am familiar with pushups. I can bench press my own body weight. So Ye I got some upper body strength in order to start with 10.
Try doing 3 sets or 4 sets of 8 everyday, adding some isometric and eccentric variants. You will be pushing 20-25 in a few months.
i assume your half rep squats are based off of the study you mentioned? i would still encourage to do more range of motion as it benefits a lot of the joints and ligaments in the hips, knees and ankles, and the surrounding muscles. the superior squat is the ass to grass and i believe it is the healthiest and most benefical squat transferable to any sports discipline, given you can do them properly as they require some mobility. also, your back seems a bit to anterior pelvic tilted which can cause lower back problems in the long run or when going heavier. great video and important topic
Why do you recommend half-depth squats specifically? Are they more of a natural body position for running? Wouldn't long length partials strengthen better?
Excelente 👌.
Hace años q llevo combinando entrenar fuerza pir temporadas con la carrera. Despues de una etapa de sesiones de fuerza al principio me siento lento y algo mas rígido, pero rápidamente se transfieren los resultados a la carrera,en especial en las subidas. También menos lesiones.
Muchas gracias ❤
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Great video but I want to mention that the 1-5 rep range also builds a lot of muscle. the legs will get bigger when you keep overloading ! :)
At least for me, I spent years and years as a powerlifter. My hip flexors are super tight which causes some 'empty' lower back squats, it ends up hurting me. So I have resorted to doing stability and static strength. As in, I'll do a variation of lunge that is a static hold while holding the back leg straight. Builds stability, and static strength, and stretches my hip flexors at the same time. I have to do this or after about 3-4 miles, my upper quad/hip flexor starts burning like crazy. I do 5 sets of 30-second holds on each leg twice a week. I also do a ton of core strength work. I do enjoy lifting though but I run every day. Lift 3 days a week, run 3 days a week, off day is a longer hike/walk.
Edit: Addon, I think the 2 absolute best exercises for runners is deadlifts (posterior chain strength and core strength) and Bulgarian squats (single leg strength and stability). At least IMO every runner should have these as core lifts to a regimen.
Fyi, isometrics (=static holds) doesn’t improve running economy. It needs to be heavy weights. >=80% of 1 rep max. Which is equivalent to picking a weight you can do 5 reps with and still have 2-3 reps in reserve before failure. Here’s the science if you want to read more.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38165636/
Any specific reason for the shoes you are wearing while squatting and the depth you chose?
Edit: Alright, you used the protocol from the study, but my question would still stand.
From my experience, it's hard for the average person to get big legs from weight lifting. I assume because legs are already well worked, load bearing muscles. So it would take that much more to go further vs. upper body muscles, for example.
I have done low reps strength training sporadically. My biggest issue is to adjust running volume and strength progression so that i dont get injured.
Are there any suggestions of schedule for hybrid runner? Do you do “double training” per day?
Very good but be careful with heavy weights close to the part of the spine that is designed mostly to carry the weight of your head .😊
....'However, improvements did not occur in all cases, suggesting that they might depend on the specific characteristics of the resistance training applied. Although current evidence supports the effectiveness of resistance training to improve performance in already trained endurance runners, the methodological inconsistencies identified suggest that the results should be interpreted with caution. Future studies ought to investigate the benefits of resistance training in endurance runners while considering the existence of possible differentiated effects based on the specific characteristics of the resistance training carried out.
I want to build big muscles AND run fast. Plus, higher rep ranges with lighter loads are less likely to cause injury to connective tissues.
When empathizing for running speed should you do weight training after or before runs and on hard or easy days
When I did alot of strengh training back in the days (before starting to run) my personal trainers taught me the exect opposite...
Less Reps with higher weights = max. strengh and max. muscle growth
More reps with less weights = more like a strengh endurance trainig focusing more on specific muscle fibres
Did science change or where they just wrong ? :D
Personal Trainer/Running Coach here. Not really, just more refined. More reps with lighter weights targets your capacity to metabolically do the work (i.e. muscular endurance), whereas higher resistance/more explosive work is typically limited by your nervous system's ability to recruit muscle fibers (i.e. get more of the muscle fibers to fire together). This is part of the reason why you can see big gains when you start doing it, it's really more about learning how to coordinate your muscles than it is getting that muscle to actually be able to generate more total power. This is the same reason why a lot of folks start seeing improvements when they first start going to the gym (even if they aren't lifting heavy, they're learning how to coordinate all of those muscle fibers to generate more force without ever having to actually build more muscle).
Since I began lifting regularly around three years ago I haven’t had a single injury and so have been able to maintain high running volume for a long time. My running performance has vastly improved over that time but I don’t know if that’s due to the stronger muscles from lifting or the injury prevention that has permitted higher volume or both.
Good day all. As a runner in my ealry years up to 43. I cut down a bit and put lots of muscle up top. Now im trying to lose the muscle for running and cycling .snd guess what its not easy to lose the upper muscle lol . Something to think about in yourr fitness journey . I do use some of the extra muscle at work . Im 55 lol🚴🍺🚴
Feels like 90% of runner-targeted weight training is aimed at small muscles in the hips and not squats. The year I did a heck of a log of squats it really did seem like running got easier. I always wondered if there was a good reason why squats weren't more central to a runner's strength training at least in other youtube videos. Looks like squats are in fashion again for runners!
Top level video! How much weight do you use?
Its not about running faster but getting less injured. This is why you should lift weights.
Also, if this is how you squat, you’re better off doing leg presses.
From a pragmatic point of view this kind of sucks for most people. Squad racks like that are very expensive and take up a lot of space, and gym memberships are also quite costly and personally I hate going to the gym. I like running because I can just do a warming up/ dynamics stretching, put on my shoes and go for a run. What about calisthenics? I've been doing single leg squats, Bulgarian split squat and single leg heel raises. Is that not enough? Does it really need to be done with weights?
Yeah I agree, what I have tried to replace it with earlier that I think works good (but I don’t have any evidence for it) is to lower the weight but increase intensity for example put on a heavy backpack filled with water bottles and doing squat jumps jumping as high as you can. Also doing it 4reps x4
Squats compress the spine especially at the top. We dont move with both legs at once. Lunges would go much further than a squat rack.
Over time, you will discover that body weight exercises have their limit, especially when it comes to developing higher strength and power. That's when weights come in.
Obviously you don't have to do this though, and most runners I know don't either. If running is a hobby for you - e.g not your day job - even if its a demanding hobby (e.g training for a marathon), you get to decide where you draw the line. I agree that turning your living room into a gym crosses the line for most people (mine already has dumbbels , a yoga mat and a treadmill I think that's enough). If you're totally obsessed with improving some PB and are stuck, then maybe go to a gym for a couple months and see what the fuss is about. Otherwise this is indeed unnecessary, you can get quite far with body weight and simply training in running. I also wonder if training all out sprints (100m) won't give similar benefits for fast twitch leg muscles as heavy lifts, sprints sound like one heck of a strength workout to me yet most runners I know don't do it.
Im wondering if there are any decent books (based on actual research) on running with chapters on cross training including weight lifting as well as diet. I enjoy running, but I feel it's extremely hard to improve without really understanding the big picture. Any recommendations welcome :)
I stopped doing deadlifts and got slower.
You want to be strong enough to stay tight through the whole race - so that you have better movement economy.
I couldn't run more. I was already running at max. Because I am an average person ... not a 120 pound Japanese guy who can do 200 mile weeks.
Adding two resistance sessions per week didn't take away from my ability to run. There are only 2 hard days of running per week tops...
I heard a podcast with Jan Helgerud (one of the authors on the study) advocating a calf raise at the end of each squat. Don’t know if he’s done research on it.
Are there any downsides to doing full ass-to-grass squats as a runner? I see so many runners only doing half squats
As a older runner i use strength training to avoid injury. 5 x 5 decent weight .
The calf raise at the end seems interesting but isn't the weight too small for being around 80% 1 rep max ? I guess you need 2 or 3 times more weight than for squats.
What weight exercises do trail runners especially preparing for mountains?
u dont do anything for posterior chain? like 45 hypers/RDL's?
What are your thoughts on minimalist/“barefoot” shoes? I just read a fascinating book called “Born to Run: A hidden tribe…”
I’m switching over to more minimal shoes 🙌
any other weighted exercises other than heavy squat?
I started triathlon training. I cannot do 3 times a week max weight training. Even if its a short time. It would impact my other training quite a bit. Im doing lots of core training tho. I find that super important.
Plyometrics (i.e. Max power broad jumps, etc.) can fill in for the heavy lifting, as it's still a rapid burst of max effort. And they can be included in any plyometric/core work you're already doing. It's not QUITE the same, but the physiological principle is similar.
@@dylanallen7847 thanks for your feedback. I will surely consider doing some more of such exercises. Its surely helpful. I just wanna avoid tire my legs out too much doing strength as im doing lots of endurance and tempo sessions currently. I think this and heavy weights would be too much load for me atm.
@@99cya Yeah, you don't want to do the super explosive stuff on tired legs (that's when mechanics get out of whack and you get hurt). Especially if you're jumping. The jumping itself isn't the problem, it's stabilizing the joints as you land:P
@@dylanallen7847 thanks. Ill take all advice i can get. Im still fairly new handling the triathlon workload. Enjoying it a lot tho.
I think even without studies, it is kind of logical, that Lifting makes you run faster. I mean you train your muscles to oppose forces, that you also have, when you are running. Valid?
What's your opinion on plyometrics?
Where are the stability exercises you pointed at? 😄 Is it those in the other video where you stand and do the running motions with closed eyes etc?
Yes it’s those in that video also have two more videos about stability exercises on my channel one focusing on foot/ankle and one about core.
Thanks! Started running zone 2/3 this April and been running about 500km since the start. Did a sub 2 half marathon yesterday in zone 3. Aiming to do my first ever marathon sub 4 but really wanna make sure i'm ready for it. Working in the swedish army so kinda need to be a bit hybrid but enjoying running the most. You'r channel has really helped me with alot of great tips and just the right once are keep coming 😃👍
Good video! But I thought eating in a surplus is what gets you bigger though, and not your rep range 🤔
Is using a leg press machine a good alternative to the squats? I'm wary of injuring myself with bad form on free weights...
I would say no. The leg press is not a good alternative to the squat. Smith machine could work, but the absolute best is to do the squat. Thats because its actually a whole body exercise that also activates the core. Most important for good form: brace core, chest up (sit down, don't lean forward) and weight should move in a straight line. To my eye Görans squat does not go deep enough, but it might be because we work with different parameters when working out for running performance.
What I recommend for beginners: do squats with no to low weight to build technique and then overload muscles with smith machine.
When you feel you have good technique on the squat you can start to do progressive overload there instead.
Just do one legged squats without weights, slow eccentric movement (edit: 4-6 seconds, and an.. energetic concentric movement), and a big range of motion, edit: add a weighted vest if that's not enough resistance
Great video. But get better shoes for squat. You should have shoes with a hard sole. Gives more stability when you squat.
Also not a fan of half squats.
Seriously, if you have upcoming races this September, October, dont start heavy half squats now. Injury risk!
If it wouldn't improve speed the 100 m sprinters would have a somatotype similar ro marathon runners
I have mild-moderate scoliosis and was prescribed squats by my physio. Turns out I get a lot of pain in my right shoulder. Which exercise do you think could be an alternative if any?
Something machine likely, there are good benefits to doing barbell back squats in that it uses a lot of supporting muscles, but it’s not the be all end all.
If your gym has a hack squat machine, they’re really similar to back squats but the weight loads on your lower back.
Hi, I would actually strongly recommend you seek out a physical therapist who is certified in postural restoration before you try to do any weight lifting. Scoliosis is a result of neuromuscular miscommunication and in order to correct your spine, you must first correct your nervous system. PR therapy combines precise positioning of the body with proprioceptive cues and breathing exercises to "reset" the nervous system. After you fix those firing pathways, THEN you commence strength training to reinforce them.
I kept getting pain and injuries on my right side (ankle, knee, hip, neck/shoulder) over the years and went through traditional PT several times, which focused only on strengthening underutilized muscles without addressing the reason why my body wasn't using them appropriately. It wasn't until I went to a PR therapist that I learned my pelvis was completely twisted and skewed towards the left, which was causing all of my problems. A few breathing exercises fixed my hips immediately, and eliminated systemic pain I'd been having for years. I have been injury-free ever since!
@@Audifan8595 Thank you for your thought out answer!
single leg squats, with slow eccentrics, perhaps with a weighted vest?
Does this apply to triathletes?
Well it’s really plain and simple. If you want to be in good all around shape, then you have to do it all. Including lifting. No if ands or buts. But If all you care about is running and don’t mind looking like a toothpick, then just run. But at the same time, you’re never going to be the best or fastest runner if you pump out the weights just as much. And vise versa.