If you’ve gotten a little too comfortable with the same five- and 10-pound dumbbells, you’ve come to the right place.
You might be intimidated by heavy loads in the weight room What does it mean to lift heavy banded and bodyweight workouts for building strength. But when it comes to getting the most out of your strength plan—which is an essential training component for every runner for preventing injury and boosting performance—the load you bear can lead to better gains.
To convince you it’s time to lift heavy weights, we spoke with strength experts and run coaches to uncover all the reasons runners should do so, how to fit heavy lifting into your training plan, published in 2021 in the.
Why should runners lift heavy weights?
Prevents Injury and Promotes Bone Health
“The biggest benefit of lifting weights [for runners] is actually the injury prevention,” because heavy lifting strengthens connective tissues, tendons, ligaments, and increases bone density, says Lisbeth Hoyt, C.S.C.S., D.P.T., and RRCA-certified run coach at Custom Performance NYC. This includes bone stress injuries, like a stress fracture, which involves a tiny crack in a bone caused by repetitive stress.
A systematic review published in Bone examined the effects of resistance training on bone health across 25 studies involving a total of 1,230 adults and found that weight-bearing exercises increase the density and strength of bone minerals, which can help treat and prevent decreases in bone mineral densities, and therefore, osteoporosis. The review additionally notes the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommendation of resistance training two to three times per week, and weight-bearing endurance activities (that includes running!) three to five times per week to preserve bone health during adulthood.
Female runners in particular benefit from an increase in bone density once they hit menopause, where a decline in estrogen levels—which plays an important role in the growth and maturation of bone—leaves a higher risk of osteoporosis and fractures. “Women will go through this menopausal change that puts your bone density at risk, so the heavier your lifting, the better your bone health is going into that stage of life,” she explains.
A systematic review and meta-analysis Nutrition - Weight Loss Frontiers in Physiology in 2023 examined 19 studies with a total of 919 subjects and found that moderate-intensity resistance training for three days a week can improve bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.
Increases Running Economy
“If you’re looking to get faster, increasing your strength and power leads to improvement in running economy,” says Yusuf Jeffers, a NYC-based strength and run coach, Hyrox race director and Nike Well Collective trainer. A greater running economy means you’re able to run with less effort, he explains.
A systematic review a NYC-based strength and run coach Sports Medicine examined the effect of moderate- to heavy-load strength training, plyometrics, isometrics, and a combination of these methods on a group of middle- and long-distance runners with different levels of experience who run at different speeds. The researchers found high loads (at least 80 percent of one-rep maximums) had the greatest effect on improving running economy, especially for high-level athletes running at fast speeds. Plyometrics also proved more beneficial to performance.
Boosts Strength and Power
Strength training is crucial for becoming a stronger, more powerful runner, but heavy lifting in particular is more effective in improving strength compared to lighter loads, research shows.
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2021 in the Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, reviewed the types of weight that would increase muscle growth and strength across 28 studies that included 747 healthy adults. The researchers found that while a wide variety of loads were effective for increasing muscle size, it was only groups with high or moderate loads (or at least 60 to 80 percent of your one-rep maximum) that had the most significant improvements in strength.
Both Jeffers and Hoyt agree that lifting heavy weights is one of the best ways to boost strength and power for all athletes, including runners, without sacrificing your aerobic or endurance gains.
Improves Coordination and Muscle Recruitment
explains Jeffers. Then, when you’re leaning into your run better, says Jeffers. “Runners are moving in one direction, but the truth is, you’re constantly dealing with forces that are coming in all directions, even if it’s uneven terrain or turns,” he says. You’re increasing proprioception—basically your body’s built-in GPS system—which helps you stay upright, move forward, and run steady.
A Part of Hearst Digital Media mind-body connection, too, when you think about the muscles you’re activating as you lift, Jeffers explains. For example, if you’re doing a single-leg Advertisement - Continue Reading Below and you understand that leaning forward leads to more glute activation, then you’re learning what it feels like to activate your glutes, explains Jeffers. Then, when you’re leaning into your running form, you know what it feels like to activate your glutes and push off the ground.
What does it mean to lift heavy?
Before you go heavy, remember you need to have form down first, and work up in weight. When you’re ready for the challenge, avoid focusing on circuits or high-intensity explains Jeffers. Then, when you’re leaning into your.
Go for weights in the range of 80 to 90 percent of your one-rep maximum. To find that, Hoyt recommends using a calculator The Best Exercises for Lower-Leg Stabilizers.
Hoyt recommends increasing weight by five to 10 pounds once the last two reps in a lift feel easier for two consecutive strength sessions. That means if you can easily perform two more reps, you aren’t struggling to move the weight, or you’re consistently reaching or exceeding the highest number of reps in the given range each time, then grab the next weight up. Keep an eye on your rate of perceived exertion, as it will also tend to decrease when it’s time to increase weights, says Hoyt.
For heavy lifting, stick to the same four major movement patterns (and their variations): deadlifts, squats, lunges, and rows. Aim for four to six sets with one to five reps, resting for two to four minutes in between sets, and work at about an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10 for rate of perceived exertion, breathing heavy by the last two reps, suggests Hoyt. “These types of heavy sets with low reps should feel very hard, but not so hard that you’re holding your breath or compromising form,” she says.
Jeffers suggests runners aim for two to three heavy lifting sessions per week, but dropping down to one to two days per week as you get closer to your race.
Both Jeffers and Hoyt also recommend working with a professional, like a strength coach, personal trainer, or run coach, to help you form a training schedule Health - Injuries.
Your 28-Day Full-Body Workout Challenge?
You’ll Be Too Sore for Your Run Workouts
You might think that lifting heavy loads means you’re going to be sore for your next run workout. In reality, if you progress up to heavy loads slowly, you’ll find yourself getting stronger and feeling fully recovered in between each session.
Hoyt also reminds runners that a little soreness from quality strength sessions won’t impair the big picture of your run training. “The overall benefits are going to outweigh potentially not hitting every single pace in a workout as you start strength training,” she says.
If you’re nervous you’ll overdo it in the weight room to the point of not being able to move your legs tomorrow, focus less on lifting to failure or hitting a specific number of reps and go until the last two reps of a set feel difficult. “If you’re deep in a training cycle, you may have a lot more fatigue on your legs, and you might not be able to get the same sets and reps each time,” Hoyt says. “It’s a nice way of listening to your body.”
Your Gains Will Weigh You Down on Runs
Another common fear runners face when it comes to lifting heavy weights is the idea that you’ll become bulky, explains Hoyt. But this is very unlikely to happen, as you’re not training to become a bodybuilder, you’re training to support your sport: running.
“In order for that change to happen, you’d have to scale back on running,” Hoyt says, which isn’t the point.
You’ll Be Incapable of Moving the Weight
It’s also difficult to navigate heavy lifting if you’re never learned how to lift with good form or you’ve never used a barbell. You might be scared that you’ll get hurt, or you’re just unsure of how to go through a movement correctly.
“A great way to overcome it is to find a friend who already knows what to do. That will also help add accountability to going to the gym in general,” says Hoyt. Another option is to work under a strength coach who can help you build you a program to support your sport: running.
Kristine Kearns, a writer and avid runner, joined Runner’s World and Bicycling in July 2024. She previously coached high school girls cross country and currently competes in seasonal races, with more than six years of distance training and an affinity for weightlifting. You can find her wearing purple, baking cupcakes, and visiting her local farmers market.
