Strength training?

[Monique1]

Hi all,

So I know that if you are a runner you have to strength train, too, so you don't lose your muscle and you strengthen your legs to run more confidently. What is your routine? I just started 6 simple exercises (bridge,squats,plank,superman,lunges). Is it really necessary though?

Thank you in advance!

[Rignold]

If you are a functioning human you need to strength train, runner or not.

That's a good selection of exercises to start out with. Make sure you focus on getting your form right, before building volume. Unlike running, form is everything with resistance exercise, and bad habits learned early can result in injury later on, or just not deliver the benefits.

[Coddfish Graduate]

Never one to tackle things the easy way, I recently signed up to do the Great South Run, which at 10 miles is quite a step up. So the plan of attack involved hiring a personal trainer to help strengthen me up. He's early 20s and very easy on the eye, so it's not quite the ordeal it might be. I am now the proud owner of workout 1a (which makes me worry about the future, with 8 weeks or so of process to go through).

It comprises

- lots of foam rolling. This I like

- various glute and leg stretches these are ok

- doing a glute bridge which is bum in the air but pointing downwards. These are also ok

- balancing on 1 foot on a soft surface. This is surprisingly difficult

-.then various forms of glute hell. Squats whilst holding weights, lifting kettle bells, lunges on a TRX strap, single leg presses on a leg press machine.

- then various forms of abs hell. Planks, superman, dart (on your tummy with shoulders and legs in the air).

So yes, it is helpful and you seem to be covering most of the bases, probably at somewhat less cost than my lovely young torturer-in-chief!