Runners need to do strength training!

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Runners need to do strength training

As we all know, running is very popular at the moment and every Tom, Dick and Harry go to running clubs, yes me included :) I have made many friends so far and have chatted to many of the runners, and as a strength and conditioning coach I always ask them if they do any form of strength training, most of them dont, all they do is run, and as time has progressed I have noticed that many of the runners struggle with injuries, whether its ITB issues, knee issues, lower back issues, you name it. All I can say is that there is definitely a connection between not doing strength training and all these injuries.

I honestly believe that strength training should be the foundation for all athletes - and yes, same applies to the individuals that are going to running clubs, more so for the ones that do marathons. If you are not doing strength training (laying the foundation) you are not going to reach your full running potential and yes, you will pick up injuries along the way!

Running is very taxing on the body and to be a proper strong runner the right muscles need to be firing while you run to ensure you running properly and your joints are not taking all the strain. 

Runners need to have strong:

- hip flexors,
- quads, 
- hamstrings
- calves 
- glutes 

If these muscles are strong, running will become so much more comfortable and you will be a stronger runner with a lot less injuries. So get yourself to a gym and start training these muscles. I want you to focus on progressive overload and a lot of unilateral exercises.

For example:

- Reverse sled walking (VMO muscles)
- Nordic hamstring curls (hamstrings)
- Tib taises (Tibialis)
- Bulgarian split squats (glutes, hamstrings, quads)
- Straight leg deadlift (Hamstrings)

Theses exercises are fantastic to strengthen important muscles for running (to name a few) and will help with injury prevention. 

If you do want a structured Strength training program for runners send me a DM or email me antonpt39@gmail.com and I will send you a program to help you become a better, stronger, and injury free runner. 







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