On the other hand, lifting lighter weights (again, relative to your strength) over a higher number of reps will increase muscular endurance (the ability for your muscle to continuously contract against a given resistance or movement) and will help develop Type 1 muscle fibers (“slow twitch”) that are endurance based and slow to fatigue. The very simple rule of thumb is that lifting a heavy weight (relative to YOUR strength) over a low number of repetitions typically results in muscle hypertrophy (increasing muscle mass), and activates Type 2 muscle fibers (“fast twitch”), which have greater power but fatigue quickly. Not all sources or loads of resistance, nor repetition volume or frequency will yield the same results. In this post, we’ll discuss the various pros and cons of strength training for trail and ultra runners, so you can determine if combining weight lifting with your run training is right for you. There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings when it comes to weight lifting and running. Runners want to strength train, but are unsure of where to begin or how to fit it in with their run training.Runners fear strength training might make them bulky or “tight”, and thus slow them down or negatively affect running performance.Runners are unsure if strength training is even necessary, since they are already so active.Runners simply don’t enjoy strength training, and would rather run.If runners are limited on training time, they would rather run than strength train (this isn’t inherently a bad thing, more on this soon).Over the last decade as both an Exercise Physiologist and runner myself, I’ve made the following observations about my fellow runners, when it comes to strength training: While I personally love lifting and my time spent in the weight room, hearing this confession never surprises me. One of the most common ones is something along the lines of “ I know I should probably strength train…but I don’t.” Last Updated on Januby Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCSĪs a running coach, there are a number of “running confessions” I hear routinely from new clients.
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