Many endurance athletes believe that training should only focus on cardio, but incorporating strength training can improve performance and give you an edge over your competition. Strength training for endurance athletes doesn’t have to be about bulking up but can help you build a stronger, more resilient body that can perform at its peak. This post dives into the advantages of combining both types of training and how it can improve endurance performance.

 

Why Should Endurance Athletes Strength Train?

The real question is, why not? Strength training for endurance athletes provides a myriad of benefits. Endurance athletes who strength train experience fewer injuries, higher power output, noticeably better muscular endurance, and better performance overall.

Dispelling the Myth of "Bulking Up"

If you’re worried about getting “bulky” from adding a few days of strength training to your routine, you need not worry. Putting on significant muscle mass requires a specific diet and training program with that goal in mind. The “bulky” muscle look is achieved by people with the right genetics and diet who spend hours lifting weights every day for years. Adding one to two weekly gym sessions will make you stronger, not bulky. A strong body is a body that can power up hills, recover faster, and reduce injury risk since there are few imbalances.  

How to Prevent Injuries While Strength Training

Spending time in the gym strengthens muscles and joints, which helps your body handle stress more effectively. “Stress” could be repetitive movements during training, losing your balance because you stepped off a curb incorrectly, and everyday life stress (low sleep quality, insufficient calorie intake, etc). A more substantial body is more resistant to stress, and less stress means fewer injuries. 

Strength training also reduces muscle imbalances and improves joint stability, critical components for health and longevity in any sport (like repetitive endurance sports). 

 

resistance training for endurance athletes

Resistance Training Benefits for Endurance Performance

Resistance training (also known as strength training or weight training) requires your muscles to work against an external force, resulting in strength gains. This includes bodyweight movements (push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc), weightlifting movements (barbells, dumbells, kettlebells, machines), or other equipment like resistance bands or pilates machines.

Many benefits of resistance training are unique to athletes competing in endurance sports. Enhanced power and speed, improved economy and efficiency, and increased bone density to name a few. Let’s break these down.

Enhanced Power and Speed

Why would a runner want better power? To be able to run more efficiently! This reduces time to fatigue so that you can run faster for more extended periods. But how does this happen? Resistance training primes the body to rely on type I (“slow twitch”) muscle fibers that are more efficient and best suited for endurance efforts, saving the use of type II (“fast twitch”) muscle fibers for the final stages of exercise. The best way to increase power and speed is through heavy lifting in the gym; think the five rep range or lower at near maximal efforts. 

Understanding Plyometrics and Power

Plyometrics (exercises that require explosive movements, like jumping) are not just for the benefit of team sports athletes or sprinters. Plyometrics are great for power development in endurance athletes since they help the body effectively utilize force and power. Think of plyometrics helping you reduce your contact time with the ground, which will help propel you forward faster. Thus improving your ability to run faster, bike, or swim at longer distances.

Improved Economy and Efficiency

Just as lifting weights doesn’t train your cardiovascular system the way endurance training does, running and cycling do not train your muscles like strength training does. 

Utilizing an external load (especially a heavy weight) forces your body to recruit all of your muscle fibers, which increases the connection between your brain and your muscles. So, the benefit of strength training for endurance athletes is that all of the muscles work together simultaneously, which will help you propel forward with minimal effort.

Increased Bone Density

Don’t forget about stronger bones! Bone density is critical to reducing breaks and fractures. External resistance (i.e., strength training) and plyometric training forces bones to become more dense over time, which will help the body remain resistant to falls or any kind of impact. 

 

Designing a Strength Training for Endurance Athletes Routine

Great, you’re down to try strength training as an endurance athlete! But where do you start? Here are some key exercises to focus on and tips to add them to your program safely and effectively.

Strength Training Exercises to Focus On as an Endurance Athlete

Endurance athletes will benefit the most from lower body exercises since the legs are used the most during running or cycling. These movements include (but are not limited to):

  • Deadlifts
  • Squats
  • Lunges
  • Glute bridges
  • Calf raises
  • Single leg exercises
  • Leg extensions
  • Leg curls

Of course, these exercises have many variations, but training the main lifts weekly will ensure your legs are stronger and more balanced. 

Training the core as well as the upper body can be beneficial as well and shouldn’t be ignored. Those exercises include (but are not limited to):

  • Planks
  • Deadbugs
  • Push-ups
  • Overhead press
  • Lat pull downs/pull ups
  • Rows
  • Leg lifts

The core controls the external limbs, and the upper body can help hold you up or propel you forward; so, include both in a well-rounded strength program.

Compound Exercises vs. Isolation Exercises

Compound exercises (like squats and deadlifts) train many muscles at once. Squats train your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core. Deadlifts train the hamstrings, glutes, and back. You’ll get the most out of your time at the gym if you perform mostly compound exercises. These exercises also teach your body to use muscles synergistically.

Isolation exercises (like curls, extensions, calf raises) use one main muscle. These can be added to a routine as accessory work if desired but shouldn’t make up the primary training exercises.

Proper Form and Technique

Injury prevention in the gym is critical for longevity. As you start a strength training program, focus on proper form and technique by moving through the full range of motion of the intended exercise with minimal weight. You can add more weight as you perform the movement more efficiently and with correct form.

If you are unsure how to perform an exercise, consult a personal trainer or film yourself to compare to a correct form video (you can find many form how-to videos online). This can help ensure you are doing the move right and hitting all the points of performance. Not only will proper form and technique reduce injury, but it will also maximize strength and power in the intended muscle,, resulting in the most benefit from the training session. 

How to Balance Strength and Endurance Training

Start slowly. Move slowly, add weight slowly, and add strength training sessions slowly.  

As your body progresses and adapts, add in weight and add in one to two days of strength training. You don’t need to be in the gym every day. Aim to replace 30% of your endurance training with gym training—this has been shown to improve race time, economy, and overall capacity compared to athletes who only replace a small portion of their endurance training with gym time.  

 

Integrating Resistance Training Into Your Program

Now that you know which exercises to add and how to do so safely, let’s dive into the ins and outs of how and when to add strength sessions to your endurance training routine.

When to Schedule Strength Training Sessions

Strength training is intended to benefit an endurance program, not distract from it. The minimal effective dose for strength training is at least two days per week. 

Ideally, you should schedule all strength training sessions on rest or easy days programmed in your endurance program. If you need to train both strength and endurance on the same day, paying attention to the timing of strength training relative to the last endurance session you completed is essential. Aiming to rest at least six hours in between sessions. And, since endurance performance is your top priority, do your endurance training before your strength training. 

The Importance of Rest and Recovery

Rest will always be the best performance enhancement you can engage in. So, strength training shouldn’t replace all rest days, and there should be at least one day (ideally two or more) between strength training sessions. 

Sample Weekly Training Plan For Endurance and Strength Training

  • Monday- AM Upper Body, PM Easy Run
  • Tuesday- Tempo Run 
  • Wednesday- Endurance Run 
  • Thursday- Rest day 
  • Friday- Lower body 
  • Saturday- Long endurance run 
  • Sunday- Rest Day 

 

Strength Training for Endurance Athletes: Final Tips and Strategies

Follow these tips for the most success in incorporating strength training into your endurance training: 

  1. Start gradually. Just like you didn’t run a marathon from the start, you won’t be lifting a lot at the beginning of a strength training program. 
  2. Focus on proper form. Not only will you remain injury-free, but you will also maximize your strength gains. 
  3. Consider replacing one run with a strength session to reduce your risk of overtraining.
  4. Don’t be afraid of strength training! Training with weights won’t bulk you up and slow you down; it will increase your power, balance, and speed with time. 

If you need support fueling for concurrent strength and endurance training, the coaches at WAG are trained to help you fuel both while keeping your performance and body composition priorities in mind!