Five reasons why strength training is great for runners

Whether you’re running your first 10k race or gearing up for this year’s London Marathon, strength training is your pre-race secret weapon. We sat down with six-time marathon runner and Lead Trainer at Digme Fitness, Ben Davie, to chat about the importance of mixing the miles with the muscle-strengthening exercises. Here’s five reasons why you should:

PREHAB PREVENTS INJURY

Prehab = preparing your body for injuries before they happen. Regular strength work will help to strengthen your joints which will be a major player in injury prevention. Time to get acquainted with resistance bands and low-impact moves.

IMPROVES YOUR SPEED

Incorporate running-specific strength exercises (like weighted step-ups and Romanian deadlifts) into your workout. Moves like this will activate all the right muscles you need for a speedier run, like your hamstrings and glutes.

KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED

Mixing up your training isn’t just good for you physically, mentally it’ll completely refresh you. Yes, your body will thank you for it, but it also breaks up the monotony of just running 4-5 times a week.

STAY MOBILE

Avoid joint stiffness on your run by improving your mobility in the gym. With a move like back squats, focus on control and making sure you’re using a full range of motion (your thighs should be at least parallel with the floor at the bottom of each rep). Don’t worry about the weights you’re lifting; pain-free running is the goal here.

MAKES YOU MORE EFFICIENT

Why is core strength so important? In short, if your core is weak, your shoulders will hunch when you get tired and it’ll become harder to breathe. Building a strong core makes you more resilient to fatigue which improves your form, posture and makes you a more efficient runner – so it’s a win-win.