3 Benefits that Runners can expect from Strength Training

1) Have A Better Final Kick

A lower body strength training program improves your speed since you are able to generate more force coming off the ground. You’re going to have a better final kick through the combination of a better running economy and the ability to use energy more efficiently.

Strength training will increase your speed as you’ll increase your number of type IIA muscle fibers recognized for their ability to produce power and speed and fatigue gradually. Sprinters have large amounts of type II fibers also referred to as “fast-twitch” fibers because of their training. Final point: Speed also improves the same time with strength. Faster, fatigue-resistant muscle fibers, equal a better final kick.

2) Decrease Body Fat

Strength training helps you to lose fat. Most of the energy that get’s burned comes while we are resting, which is also the ratio of lean muscle to body fat. Body fat makes you fatter because it slows your metabolic rate and produces various substances, which includes aromatase (turns testosterone into estrogen) and adipokines (slow metabolism). Lean tissue and muscle are responsible for improving metabolism, which means in order to be a better runner (and have a better looking body), you want more muscle and less fat.

Experienced and elite runners know how difficult it is to lose fat, and that‘s why they focus on high-intensity training. Elite runners are thin so that it would be easier for them to run faster. They become thin because they often perform large volumes of running at a high intensity. Strength training allows a runner to get leaner without the need to increase intensity or distance. Final point: Strength training helps in burning fat and helps the runner to decrease their body fat percentage that makes them look and feel lighter as well as faster.

3) Prevent Injury

Strength training enables a runner to get rid of old injuries, chronic pain and help to prevent future injuries. It also improves the balance, affecting the risk of injury, which could lead to improper motor patterns. Some people have weaker non-dominant side of the body. This will throw them stride off, as will problems with their feet such as plantar fasciitis or bunions.

Muscle imbalances within each limb is the cause of most problems for runners. For example, weak calves are a factor in shin pain; while the vastus medialis obliquus is a common weak link in the quad. Including both unilateral and bilateral leg exercises helps in avoiding imbalances and prevents injuries. Single-side training improves sprinters’ speed and the endurance of athletes.