The Tao of Training (Strength)

Strength Training

I am a HUGE proponent of incorporating strength training into an overall training plan for ultrarunners. Strength training is not currently part of the Ultra App but is on the horizon as a feature addition in 2021. When I speak of strength training I am not only talking about lifting weights but also plyometrics, bodyweight exercises, core training, stability, and even speed/running drills. There are several ways in which someone can lift weights and each of these has a specific outcome. I find that most runners who lift weights fall into the muscular endurance category which is defined as light weight and high reps (anything over 10 reps). There is also hypertrophy training which is what bodybuilders concentrate on and includes moderate/heavy weights for moderate reps (5-10) and minimal rest between sets (~90 seconds). What I think is most beneficial for ultrarunners is strength training which includes heavy/very heavy weights with low reps (1-5) and maximum rest between sets (5 minutes). I’m not going to get overly technical with the descriptions here but I will lay out some examples of the exercises I’m talking about along with the benefits of each major type of training:

Strength Training

Strength specific training has many benefits the the ultrarunner including increased durability (see the previous blog on Endurance for a good description of durability), injury prevention (increased bone density and tendon strength), increased hill climbing capability, muscle building, fatigue resistance (especially when carrying a load such as a pack), and many others. Strength specific training has not shown to increase VO2max, however, the more interesting (and perhaps more important) finding is the increase in running economy. Running economy is basically how hard your body has to work at a given pace and is measured by heart rate. Improvement in running economy is one factor that plays into your ability to run faster at a given heart rate or perceived effort. Ever wonder why the world record holder in the mile doesn’t always have the highest VO2max? One reason is because they have better running economy than runners with the highest VO2max. To really simplify how strength specific training helps is that stronger muscles don’t have to work as hard to put out the same energy as weaker muscles. You need to recruit fewer total muscle fibers to propel you at the same speed, therefore you are more efficient. Listed below are just a few of my favorite strength specific exercises (notice that they are almost all lower body exercises):

• Dead Lift

• Squat

• Bench Press

• Step Ups

• Leg Press

Plyometrics

Plyometrics (Plyos) are a form of power training which utilizes a stretch/reflex action. This is typically seen with many of the jumping exercises. While power is not something that typically benefits an ultrarunner there is an interesting benefit that Plyos provide. These specific exercises really help to stiffen the tendons and connective tissue and activate an elastic response from your legs. This may not sound like much but the elastic response can provide a significant amount of “free” energy into your stride. For really long races, even small improvements in your running efficiency pay huge dividends towards the end of the race. Some good examples of Plyos are listed below:

• Box Jumps

• Depth Drops

• Broad Jumps

• Jump Lunges

Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises or calisthenics are very self explanatory. I prefer to do most of my upper body exercises as pushups and pullups. It may not be too evident at first but your upper body is very important for ultrarunning. You do not need to have giant biceps or a 48” chest but a good balanced upper body is key for keeping your posture correct deep into a race. Most people tend to neglect the back if they do any upper body exercises at all. The back is incredibly important for helping maintain posture and correct running form. Bodyweight exercises are technically endurance exercises which is actually appropriate for the ultrarunner’s upper body. I don’t think I need to belabor the importance of core strength so I’ll just say…do your core work, it’s important!

• Pullups

• Pushups

• Core Exercises

Stability

Stability training or balance training is something that I find not many people do on a regular basis. I prefer to do stability training in bare feet when possible. There are great benefits to incorporating stability training into your daily routine. Feet strengthening is among my favorite benefits (this is why I like to do it barefoot). There are a lot of very small muscles in and around your feet and ankles that have to work overtime when you are trying to balance on 1 foot on top of a balance disc. Stability training helps increase your proprioception by working all the little auxiliary muscles in the lower leg. After doing stability exercises for a while you will find that you have much less foot issues and your balance is much improved (which helps tremendously when running on technical trails with lots of hazards).

• 1 Leg Balance Drills

• Balance Drills on Disc

Speed/Run Drills

There are a million speed or running drills out there. I prefer to do these as a warmup prior to my actual workout. There are some benefits to this drills such as improvements in gait or form and efficiency gains. Here are a few that you can work on:

• Ladder Drills

• Calf Pops

• High Knees

• Jump Rope

I’m not going to go over what periodization is since the theory follows what was laid out for Endurance Training. For Strength Training there is a major split in the focus of training. There is Off/Pre-Season Training and then In-Season Training.

Off/Pre-Season Training

The Off/Pre-Season is where the major focus should be on Strength Training. During a long ultrarunning season it is very common to lose muscle mass as well as strength since the focus is on endurance. In order to prevent injury and keep your body strong there should be a major focus on strength specific training during part of the year. When I say that strength training should be the focus, that means that I don’t care if you miss a run or 2 or 3 during the Off/Pre-season but you better not miss any strength training days. The opposite is true while In-Season. Strength and Endurance training are essentially diametrically opposed. When improving endurance it is nearly impossible to improve strength. When improving strength it is nearly impossibly to improve endurance. You must spend the majority of your time working on one or the other. During the Off/Pre-Season there should be 3-7 days of strength training and 2-3 days of running. During Off/Pre-Season there should be a steady improvement in strength. I like to start off with a weight that is manageable with slightly higher reps (5-10) and then work my way up to higher/maximum weights and fewer reps. This strategy applies specifically to lower body exercises (squats, dead lifts, leg press). If you are a beginner and not very advanced in lifting weights I would always recommend starting with machines and “graduating” to free weights. If you are familiar with lifting free weights then always start with basic compound movements (squat or dead lift). I prefer to rotate these lifts throughout the week just keep things fresh. This means that if I lift on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will squat on Monday and Friday and dead lift on Wednesday. These will rotate the following week. Starting out the Off/Pre-Season I prefer to use a pyramid scheme for my lifts. This means that the reps decrease as the weight increases and then back up (10, 8, 6, 8, 10). Each set is performed with the maximum amount of weight that you can move for the prescribed amount of reps. The pyramid scheme can be used all 3 days of lifting during the week or you might want to include 1 day of 5 sets of 5 reps.

Lower body strength exercises should be the focus of every training session. To compliment the lower body strength work I like to incorporate upper body work as well as core strengthening. Upper body work does not have to mimic the lower body program (i.e. pyramid scheme). The purpose is ensure body balance and overall strength. I prefer to concentrate on 2 movements that work nearly every major muscle group in the upper body. I will do bench press/pushups and rows/pullups. Similar to lower body exercises there should be an emphasis on improvement during this phase. If you start out doing 20 pushups and 5 pullups then you should work towards being able to do multiple sets of 50 pushups and multiple sets of 15 pullups. I like to incorporate at least 4 sets of core exercises which target 4 different core muscles. I will do a sit-up variation (usually Atomic Sit-ups) for the lower rectus abdominis, seated side to side floor taps with a medicine ball (obliques), toe touches with a medicine ball for the upper rectus abdominis, and some sort of plank variation (usually Spiderman) for the transverse abdominis.

During the Off/Pre-Season I will typically schedule 3 days of lifting (Mon, Wed, Fri) and then do additional bodyweight workouts (Pushups, pullups, core) on Tue and Thurs. It is not advisable to perform strength training on consecutive days unless the muscle groups are split up (upper body one day and lower body the next). This does not apply to body weight exercises which can be performed every day once your body has adapted and you no longer feel sore from a session.

In-Season Training

The focus shifts once the season starts from gaining strength to just trying to maintain as much as possible. Once the season progresses there will be some additional benefits to adding in some additional exercises such as plyometrics, balance work, and drills. Strength training will now be relegated to Off-Days (Thursday) and either a Recovery Day or a shorter run day. Strength training should NOT be done the day before Long Slow Days or high intensity days. I prefer to decrease the volume of lifting on the days that I do lift while in season. This means that during Base training I will continue to do squats and dead lifts but will reduce the volume to 3 sets of 5. I will keep up with the bodyweight exercises and core work as well.

Once Build phase starts I will stop doing squats and dead lifts and start working on more functional movements such as lunges and step ups with weights. Build is also a great time to start doing hip exercises such as lateral band walks or clams. I prefer to keep the volume about the same (3 sets of 5 reps) for each leg. Adding in balance training to Build is also a good compliment to your plan. I prefer to start out easy with single leg exercises on flat ground and then progressively get more difficult. Ways to make balance training more difficult include adding an unstable surface such as a balance disc or wobble board, adding in movement such as swinging a leg side to side, changing your level such as bending over or squatting, and closing your eyes.

During Peak training there is a fairly large shift in the strength training protocol. Plyometrics now replace the functional strength training exercises. Plyometrics are explosive type exercises that typically include jumps. They are a maximal effort exercise that are only performed 3-5 reps for 3 sets. Running drills are incorporated to work on form, technique, and speed. Bodyweight exercises are still performed along with the core routine. Peak training is a very critical part of the training plan and is also the time when injury is most likely. It is very important not to try and do too much during Peak.