Over the course of time I have seen many a runner who would claim that they either don’t need to lift weights or at least not train their legs because of their running.
Of course over the last couple of years this mindset has changed. Nonetheless we still come across it on occasion.
For that reason I put a list together that explains why you should not lift when being a runner.
Don’t lift weights if you want to avoid being faster than you have ever been
Even running half marathons and marathons, lifting weights can give you a strength advantage when climbing hills, picking it up at the end to cross the finish line in front of your competitor. Strength training for a runner is highly customized and should not look the same as it does for a football player or sprinter.
Do not lift weights if you seek out injury
Running, is a motion that is primarily in the sagittal plane. The movement is monotonous and repetitive. A well designed strength training can strengthen your stabilizing muscles and help to “prehab” by working your muscles in various planes of motion.
Do not lift weights if you want to lose lean muscle mass
Our bodies like to keep what they use. In running, like in all sports there is an optimum when it comes to lean muscle mass vs. weight. If I am muscle-bound but too heavy my speed will suffer. But if I am too light, don’t have enough strength to propel myself forward the same will happen. A cross training twice a week can help you maintain the lean muscle mass you need for optimum performance.
Do not lift weights if your goal is to hold on to body fat.
You are reading correctly. Endurance training increases the efficiency of our metabolism. Meaning it gets a whole lot more out of a whole lot less. This also means that our resting metabolism might drop. Have you seen the runner that simply does not lose weight? Aside from eating too much the often carb heavy nutrition in endurance sports can mess with our hormone system. By keeping our lean muscle mass we not only keep our performance at a higher level but we also maintain a metabolism that runs at a higher level.
If you look to get in shape or improve your running performance, check us out at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting
Michael Anders
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