I was inspired to work with a strength coach Samantha RothbergCSCS, after interview for that runner’s world story continues Advanced Strength Workouts for Runners To do in the offseason. His approach to lifting for runners is all about building flexibility and the key benefits needed for running (like). Power and one-sided strength), resonated with me and I was eager to get a personalized version of it.
We started working together virtually through an app in early December, and to say it’s been game-changing would be an understatement. I feel stronger, see more muscle definition, and my races seem more doable. I’m able to hit speeds I was unable to before, and find it easier to maintain pace on my easy runs. long run. My recovery also feels faster and more complete, and I don’t have as much pain as I remember in the past, when attempting pick up and run simultaneously.
Obviously I’m doing things right—and working with a personal trainer has helped. Based on his advice, I’ve made six changes to my strength workouts to help you get the same benefits, and how these changes can help your running.
1. Start with a nervous system reset
Many of my workouts start with 90-90 Breathing, in which I lie on my back and put my feet on the wall, knees bent at 90 degrees. From there, I place my hands on my stomach and move slowly about 10 times. diaphragmatic breathingReset, then repeat for a total of three sets.
At first it made me feel nervous and like I was ready for just keep exercisingBut then I started to notice a calming effect that made me “drop” more into my body. And that’s exactly the point, Rothberg says. “Part of it is just a code switch that takes you out of that fight or flight,” she says, adding that it’s especially beneficial for people like me who live in a big city. “It’s really connecting your breathing to your body so that you can get up safely using your main To protect your spine,” says Rothberg.
2. Then do plyometrics
I’ve been working on box jumps (as seen in the top photo) in workouts for years as I knew, in theory, Plyometrics are important for runners. But Rothberg includes them in all three of my weekly strength sessions, after warmups and before my lifts. For example, I’m currently doing two sets of five box jumps followed by 10 pogo hops and eight jumping lunges in my Tuesday workout. I’ve also been working on depth drop jumps on Thursdays and have tried broad jumps and some other variations throughout the week.
“With plyos, your heart rate gets increased but it’s not cardiovascular conditioning,” she says, which is a common point of confusion. “The aim is to work on neuromuscular activation – how quickly your brain connects to your body – and your ability to generate force from the ground and then absorb force when you push off,” she explains. “People only think about running forward, but you also need to be able to slow down and absorb that force.”
The reason Rothberg programs plyos at the beginning of a workout is because they are the hardest and most tiring for the nervous system, which can be risky later in the session.
3. Move from bilateral to unilateral
After plyos, my workouts typically move to supersets of bilateral exercises for the legs (like two-legged moves like squats and deadlifts) or arms (like shoulder or chest presses). Then we move into a superset of unilateral exercises (for example, Bulgarian Split Squatssingle-leg deadlift, or single-arm shoulder press). “I like to start with a dominant bilateral movement, such as a squat or deadlift, as we’ll be loading those heavier weights, then, in the next set of exercises, I focus on unilateral work,” says Rothberg.
Although I’ve certainly done unilateral exercises in the past, intentionally integrating them into every session felt like I was doing my running a favor, which is the point: “We run on one leg, so training strength and balance “Exercising each leg is important, especially when we start to feel fatigued. That extra strength training can come in handy when your brain gets too tired to focus on proper form,” says Rothberg.
Rothberg says lower body unilateral moves are also helpful for building hip and glute stability and can help correct muscle imbalance. As someone who has struggled with recurring hip tendinitis for years, I’m sold.
4. Change up how you do different movement patterns
Part of my motivation for working with a trainer was that I knew my moves were becoming outdated. I cycled through pretty much the same exercises with the same equipment, and made a few half-hearted attempts to “get it on.”
With my new workout, I started trying new variations on the same tried-and-true moves. For example, I’ve been using a hip thrust machine, which allows me to lift more weight safely (and more comfortably). This allows for a much easier setup, because you don’t have to pull the barbell out, you don’t have to load it, and you don’t have to find an extra bench. “It eliminates a lot of the pain points of setting things up, which can be difficult in a commercial gym,” Rothberg says.
I am also using landmine For deadlifts, squats and shoulder presses instead of dumbbells. “(The landmine) helps keep you upright and protects the lower back,” for example, during squats, and is easier on the shoulders during presses, she says.
Still, the benefit of using the new equipment is probably more psychological than anything else: “Another wish of mine is that I want every woman to be able to go to the gym and feel comfortable,” says Rothberg. “So I use a variety of methods for that very reason.” She adds, and this approach helps break up the monotony of training and keeps things interesting.
5. Finish with mobility
Lately, I’ve been finishing my workouts with some mobility moves, which I try to do as a separate routine on my running days but don’t always do it. For example, I’m doing hamstring stretches, pigeon pose, rear-foot elevated hip flexor stretches, and more. I also do calf stretchWhich feels especially beneficial because my field is quite tight and it’s an area I haven’t focused on enough myself.
“Especially if you’re training for a race, whether it’s a triathlon or a race, you’ll need to do another workout either that day or the next morning,” says Rothberg. “So taking that three-and-a-half, four minutes, whatever it is, to just stretch out a little bit, it’s a gift for your next workout.”
6. Adapt strength to your running schedule
during my peak week for the upcoming New York City Half MarathonRothberg told me to stick to the same strength workouts, but do fewer sets in each of them. “We want the goal to be the goal,” she says, “and for me right now, that’s the half marathon.” “Because this was a significant peak week for you, I wanted your body to focus on (running) rather than recovery,” she says. Likewise, she plans to give me a lift only one day during the week leading up to my race.
While I have historically reduced my strength training workouts when peaking in half or full marathon training, I began to question my approach without the guidance of someone like Rothberg. With a Type A personality, I wonder if I In fact Very little needs to be done. In a way, having someone else do the programming for me gave me “permission” that I needed less and felt good about it – which I can now carry forward in the future, whether I’m working with a professional or not.
