PUBLISHED 12/06/2005
Throw Some Weight Around
Even when runners do commit to a regular strength-training regimen, they tend to shy away from heavy weights. "I used to train with the lightest weights I could find because I was afraid of getting bulked up," says Hussey. A 2004 study found that beginners in particular often use weights that are too light to do any good.
"Weight training increases muscular strength and can reduce the risk of running injuries," says the study's lead author, Stephen Glass, Ph.D., of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. "But in order to strengthen muscles, runners need to use weights they can lift no more than 15 times. Any weight lighter than that will have minimal benefit." During the strength-building phase of your training year, which for many runners will fall in the months of February and July, use weights that you can lift no more than eight to 10 times.
Don't Forget Your Legs
Just because running primarily works the legs doesn't mean you can cut them a break in the gym. It's precisely because you use your legs so much that you need to strengthen them. "A lot of runners have overuse injuries such as plantar fasciitis and shin splints," says Bob Phillips, a personal trainer for Eastern Athletic Clubs in New York. "A well-designed resistance program can strengthen those muscles, but not if you just do arm exercises." When working with Hussey, Indiviglia focused on the glutes, which are a prime mover in running, and the hip rotators, because runners tend to have very tight hips.
Resistance exercises for the abs, lower back, and trunk muscles should also be at the heart of any good strength-training program for runners. "A strong core transfers energy more efficiently to the working muscles," says Stewart.
A strength-training overhaul certainly worked for Hussey. Now seven pounds lighter than when she started her new program, Hussey ran a 3:55 at the 2005 Chicago Marathon. "I felt strong in my abs and lower back, which gave me more energy to run," she says. As for the true payoff, she knocked 39 minutes off her time at Rock 'N' Roll.
