Why Runners Should Lift Weights

Nick Gornick, PT, DPT | October 24, 2023

Benefits of Strength Training For Runners

Research has shown over and over that strength training is beneficial for runners (Balgrove 2018, Yamamoto 2008). Because of these benefits, I strongly recommend that coaches and athletes implement strength training into their team’s training plans.

1. Improved Running Economy

One of the strongest reasons to implement strength training is an improvement in running economy. Running economy is the amount of energy used while running at a given speed- it measures running efficiency. To put it into car terms, running economy is your gas mileage. If you raced two cars at the same fuel output, the car with better gas mileage would go faster.

Running Economy and Strength Both Improve With Strength Training

Balgrove 2018 completed a review of all the studies that looked at the effects of strength training in runners. They reviewed 20 different studies with a total of 469 participants.  Here’s what they found:

• Running economy improved 2-8% in 3/4 of the reviewed studies, particularly at higher speeds

• Strength increased 4-33% in all of the reviewed studies

• VO2 max stayed the same in 8/9 of the studies

Why did some studies not show an improvement in running economy?

There are a few factors at play here. Some of the studies in this review did not measure running economy at multiple speeds, and a wide variety of exercise programs were tested. Not all the programs proved to be beneficial.

When measuring changes in running economy, it is important to test the runners at multiple speeds. The studies that showed a benefit noticed that runners only improved their running economy at higher speeds. If you only measure the runners at lower speeds, you’ll miss some important data.

The strength program itself may also play a role in determining if the runners improve their economy. The programs that caused an improvement in running economy tended to utilize multi-joint exercises such as the squat, lunge, or split squat, as well as explosive multi-joint exercises. The studies that utilized single joint exercises like hamstring curls or heel raises were less likely to show an improvement in running economy.

2. Well Rounded Fitness

While an improvement in running economy is the biggest reason to strength train in runners, improving strength and explosiveness have their benefits as well.

I’m a big advocate for playing multiple sports as a kid, or for having a variety of physical hobbies as an adult. A well rounded athletic profile is beneficial even if you want to specialize in a sport.

Performing strength and explosive training allows runners to improve their fitness in ways they won’t get from running alone. This may allow them to transition more easily to other activities without feeling sore, slow, and out of shape. This may also be helpful for track athletes who participate in multiple events.

3. Race Times

Ultimately runners want to get faster on race day.

Across a wide variety of programs and race distances, strength training resulted in an additional improvement of 2-4% compared to running training only. Eihara et al summarize all the data on the topic here.

To put that in perspective, when running 3 hour marathon pace, a 2-4% improvement is 3.5-7 mins! For a shorter race like a 5k, the improvement would be 7-15 seconds per mile.

Strength Training Principles For Runners:

The programs that were successful in improving running economy had some similar characteristics. Here are the factors that should be included in a strength program:

Multi-Joint Lower Body Exercises:

• Squats

• Lunges

• Split Squats

• Leg Press

• Deadlift

Higher Weight With Lower Reps:

• 2-6 sets

• 3-10 reps per set

• 70% of 1 rep max

• 2-3x/week

• 8-12 weeks total

Key Takeaways:

• Running programs should include strength and plyometric training

• Running Economy improves 2-8% especially at higher speeds

• Strength improves 4-33%

• Race times improve 2-4%, which can lead to big drops in time

• It’s good to be strong. Life involves more than just running fast. Well rounded fitness is beneficial for everyone.