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A Weight-Training Workout to Increase Speed. Strength training may also feel like it’s taking away from time spent logging miles or but working to. In reality, the two should go hand-in-hand. Whether your goal is to crush your first 5K or shave time off your marathon PR, you’ll see major benefits from hitting the weights.

“Strength training is one of the best things a runner can do to improve their performance, help prevent injury, and get faster,” Noam Tamir, C.S.C.S., CEO and owner of TS Fitness While having strong Runner’s World.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misinformation about strength training floating around that turns runners off from grabbing weights. So, to combat those rumors, we tapped running coaches and trainers to break down—and debunk—the most common myths about strength training they hear from clients.

Let’s set the record straight: You’ll only “bulk up” if you’re training and eating like a bodybuilder, with the goal of building a muscular physique, says Al Hernandez, RRCA level 1 and 2-certified run coach, and founder of Bulgarian split squats. This would mean you’d be spending multiple hours a day in the gym and eating a strict diet designed to help you build muscle mass.

A runner’s approach to lifting will look different, as you’ll focus on strength helping you become more stable overall, and reducing your risk of injury, Stiasny says running efficiency, which will help you become more resilient throughout a run and be able to put more power into each stride, Tamir says.

Strengthening a few primary muscles will help someone improve performance and get faster, and that includes the glutes, hamstrings, and core. By hitting the gym for leg day, you’ll actually be setting yourself up to become a more successful, faster runner—so you can leave the fear of becoming “too bulky” behind.

Starting out lifting light can help you nail proper mechanics, but once you’re comfortable in the gym, it’s time to assess your goals, says Irina Stiasny, Lower-Body Strength Workout for Runners RunRocketPT and Wellness.

In order to build strength, you’ll have to increase the load you lift. Endurance-style lifting (low weight, high reps) can help you get stronger, but it won’t necessarily build the power or resilience you need to improve your performance as a runner—that’s where lifting heavy comes in, Tamir says.

When lifting to build strength, you don’t need to go for super high volume or even weight that feels almost too heavy. Instead, there are a couple ways to approach your lifts: either rate of perceived exertion (RPE) or reps in reserve, says Tamir.

If you’re training based on RPE, you use a scale of 1 to 10 to measure how difficult lifts feel, with 10 representing all-out effort. You should aim to grab a weight that feels like it’s a 7 or 8 out of 10—the sweet spot to increase strength.

If you’re working by reps in reserve, ask yourself, could you have done two more reps? You want to work to a point where you have only a couple of reps left “in reserve.” Remember, you’re not trying to go to failure, but working to fatigue is still important.

building. This will help increase performance and improve glutes and hamstrings will do a lot for your running performance, you can’t ignore your upper body.

“The act of running involves more than just your legs. Your core, back, and shoulder muscles also have roles in maintaining proper mechanics throughout your stride,” says Erica Coviello, RRCA level 2-certified run coach, ACE-certified personal trainer, and owner of Run Fit Stoked.

and get faster,” Noam Tamir, C.S.C.S., CEO and owner of proper running form. For example, it can help you avoid hunching over by the end of a long run or race, which can slow you down. A strong core can also support your stability and help lessen fatigue over your miles. In other words, you’ll see positive returns on RunRocketPT and Wellness.

It’s normal to feel a little sore every once in a while, but a good strength training plan and proper form will buffer you from injury, not cause it, says Coviello. Lifting (or any form of exercise) causes microtears in your muscle fibers, and as these tears heal, your muscles build. Feeling soreness from that is normal, and is typically not a sign of injury that will prevent you from running.

Instead, there are many ways lifting can help you avoid injury. For example, adding single-leg moves to your plan, like lunges, step-ups, and Bulgarian split squats, allows you to see which side of your body is stronger than the other. Then, you can work to minimize this imbalance, helping you become more stable overall, and reducing your risk of injury, Stiasny says.

If you’re constantly feeling sore or think you’ve injured yourself, talk to a personal trainer to check your form and ensure your plan matches your fitness level and your goals. A certified running coach can also take a look at your training schedule and offer advice on small changes you might benefit from to avoid any pain, Coviello says.

No matter what type of runner you are, from a miler to a 5K enthusiast to a marathoner, lifting weights can help Shoes & Gear. If you’re a short-distance runner, building fast-twitch muscle fibers (as you do with weightlifting) will help you explode up and out of the blocks or take off in a sprint.

Marathoners rely on strength to power up hills and hold form throughout the race, which can affect speed, Hernandez says. Building muscular endurance mdash;so you can leave the fear of becoming “too bulky” behind.

What’s more, research published in Sports Biomechanics found that adding strength training to your endurance work can help improve running economy, which can help you become a more efficient, faster runner. Research Myth 2: Runners Should Only Focus on Low Weights and High Reps.

“Since I’ve started lifting consistently, it’s completely changed my running,” Stiasny says. “I now run two to three minutes per mile faster.”

Another way lifting can help you get faster? Increased stability. If you’re running at max effort and confidently able to navigate obstacles like potholes or something that would make you unstable, you can maintain your pace and reduce risk of injury, like falls or sprained ankles, Hernandez adds.

Each training run you do has purpose, and the same should be true for your strength sessions. will look different, as you’ll focus on where they make sense in your plan, and program them to support your running goals, not tire you out or make your schedule feel overloaded.

Stiasny recommends strength training twice a week if you’re in race season, and three to four days per week in the off-season to build a base of strength and become more resilient.

In fact, research shows what matters most when it comes to seeing the advantages of strength training isn’t even the weight you lift, how many reps or sets you do, or how much time you spend in the gym. The key is simply consistency. That means hitting those minimum of two sessions week after week.

When you’re in the gym, you should always focus on quality over quantity. You can get a solid workout done in 30 minutes if you work efficiently, rather than spending an hour dilly-dallying. Doing compound functional moves, like single-leg deadlifts or bent-over rows, as opposed focusing on smaller, single-joint moves like calf raises or bicep curls, can help you further streamline your sessions, says Stiasny.

Short, purposeful strength sessions will help build a resilient body over time. This will not only help you become a stronger runner, but also support your health and longevity in sport. Research shows consistent weight training can help improve bone density and through strength training can help delay fatigue, Coviello adds.

Jordan Smith

Digital Editor

Jordan Smith is a writer and editor with over 5 years of experience reporting on health and fitness news and trends. She is a published author, studying for her personal trainer certification, and over the past year became an unintentional Coronavirus expert. She has previously worked at Health, Inc., and 605 Magazine and was the editor-in-chief of her collegiate newspaper. Her love of all things outdoors came from growing up in the Black Hills of South Dakota.