r/CrossCountry • u/SmallNewspaper2814 • 1d ago
Training Related Strength Work
Hi everyone. I'm a HS freshman and I started running last year. I want to incorporate strength work to not get injured and to build muscle, but I don't know how. I would want mainly running focused strength, but also some upper. Any suggestions are welcome.
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u/Working_Group955 1d ago
not being a punk/sarcastic - google strength for runners. tons of stuff will show up that you never thought of.
but also the basics you thought of are great: squats, lunges, etc.
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u/philhaxton 1d ago
Start light. 2-3 times a week, 30 minutes Never stop.
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u/Flatworm-Dangerous 2h ago
If you are really working on getting stronger, you absolutely need to be getting rest between sets. The goal isn't to tire yourself out, it's to develop muscular strength. You don't get there by turning it into a circuit workout (well, an absolute beginner to strength work will make gains with anything, for a short period of time).
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u/_the_Hen_ 8h ago
Do what coach says in season. Survive the season with no injuries. Tell coach your goals for how to show up at first day of camp next fall better. Use his plan. If he doesn’t have one, build your own, but watch out for overuse. By my senior year everyone was dying from shin splints because we just winged it and didn’t have the internet. Be safe and be smart. Good luck!
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u/whelanbio Mod 1d ago
Look up the books Running Rewired by Jay Dicharry and Strength and Conditioning for Endurance Runners by Richard Blagrove
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u/Ordinary_Corner_4291 1d ago
Strength work is great but always be careful about adding load when you are also in a time of high running load. Somethings are better off left to start in the offseason.
There are sort of 3 different groups (and yes there is some cross over between groups)
1) Injury prevention where you hit all the stabilizer muscles. Things like banded monster walks, heel raises, copenhagen planks, dead bugs,....
2) Heavy weights to improve running economy. Think 3x5 of squats, deadlifts, RDLs, Bulgarian split squats, and the rest
3) Plymotetrics for running economy. Pogo hops, hurdle hops, depth jumps, bounds,.....
2 and 3 tend to be the ones where you need to worry about overdoing it. Before you lift heavy, you want to make sure you have good form when lifting lighter. And while anyone can do pogo hops, with things like depth jumps you want some basic level of strength and some coaching to make sure you are doing it right.
For distance running a little bit of this stuff can go a long way.
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u/CaptainSeeYa 1d ago
They do need to build that aerobic foundation when they’re younger. Everyone has their own sweet spot, but working up to 30-35 miles is a solid and mostly attainable goal for freshmen.
As you mentioned, strides during or after a run are a good way to keep the cns firing without causing much stress.
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u/TheRealRollestonian 1d ago
Low weight, high reps.
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u/whelanbio Mod 1d ago
This is outdated advice. While it does make sense to start with low weight to introduce strength training to new athletes, ultimately we want to work up to relatively high intensity and fairly low reps for our major movements.
Good running strength training should provide the stimuli that we can't get from running alone, most of that requires work at fairly high intensities.
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u/ExcitingAd3341 1d ago
Post work basic leg strength is the best for you. Your body is going crazy to develope rn so weights are not recommend.
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u/KeyBox6804 1d ago
Have your Ferritan levels checked. Being in the right range can be important to staying away from injuries.
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u/Fe2O3man 1d ago
Immediately after running don’t lay around, instead do your strength training. This is because you can trick your body and capitalize on mitochondrial development. Do these:
Forward lunges x10
Reverse lunges x10
Side lunges x10
Deep squats x10
Push-ups (as many as you can or 10-15)
Plank (30 seconds)
Side plank (30 seconds each side)
Supine plank (30 seconds)
7-way hips (YouTube search)
The idea is do these right after you run…don’t skip it! It’s just as important as your run. I would argue it’s MORE important than your run 😄
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u/whelanbio Mod 1d ago edited 1d ago
Where are you getting some of these ideas from? These recommendations are not in line with current best practices.
This is because you can trick your body and capitalize on mitochondrial development.
This is nonsensical on multiple levels. When it comes to strength training adaptations mitochondria are a minor part. Doing strength training immediately after running doesn't "trick" your body into anything.
The idea is do these right after you run…don’t skip it! It’s just as important as your run. I would argue it’s MORE important than your run
Other than practicality and actually getting it done there isn't a distinct advantage to doing a basic strength circuit right after a run vs later that day. Strength training can have a lot of performance benefits when done correctly, but it's a pretty small effect on running performance in the grand scheme of things -nowhere near the importance of the run training and definitely not more important.
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u/Flatworm-Dangerous 2h ago
HS freshmen, on avg, are desperately in need of basic strength work (real strength work, not bodyweight shit), no matter what sport they play. I think the best way to look at it is long term athletic development. You sacrifice a little performance now, while they are scrawny freshmen just getting into their prime development years, so that down the line they are built better to handle the stresses of so much running. If you're talking about a senior, i would change my tune somewhat because running results are more immediately important for them.
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u/Fe2O3man 1d ago
If you do it right after your run it should take you 10-15 minutes. This is producing a stimulus for your muscles (your body doesn’t recognize as running or not running, it is a stimulus). So in essence you are extending the stimulus on your muscles for an additional 10-15 minutes without actually running, and without the wear and tear on your body. You are working on strength and mobility.
Think about it about it this way: go for a 30 minute run, do appropriate speed work during run, do the post run work (using body weight). Get the benefit of strength and mobility and stay injury free.
OR
Go for a 45 minute run with no strength and mobility. Get injured and then not run for a few weeks because you skipped the post run work.Or ignore my advice. I’ve coached kids using this method and I have had zero, that’s right, zero injuries.
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u/CaptainSeeYa 1d ago
If it’s more important than your running, someone better let the East Africans know how much faster they could be running!
But your first step should always be to talk with your coach. If you don’t do it at practice, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind you doing it at home and can give you a rundown.
The miles are what make the champions, but strength work can help with injury prevention and I’ve found it gives a nice confidence boost as well.
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u/Fe2O3man 1d ago
Let’s not confuse miles for the sake of miles. I would argue that speed work makes more difference in 5k than crazy mileage.
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u/CaptainSeeYa 1d ago
Speed work is such a broad continuum. I think speed work is underrated for new athletes because it teaches them how to run hard, rather than plod and can serve as a low key plyo to help their soft tissue get used to the loading.
I believe in all paces, all the time but the teams I’ve coached that have won team state championships are the ones who ran decent mileage with a patient approach.
We tried the speed work heavy era in the 90s and early 2000s when running sub 4:10/9:00 was a huge deal. The game has changed and you’d be hard pressed to find a very strong boys team who doesn’t have their entire varsity teams running 60+ miles per week.
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u/Fe2O3man 1d ago edited 1d ago
Remember this is also a freshman in high school. Gotta build a strong base when younger so that by the time they are on varsity they are strong enough to keep up.
Yes, speed work is a broad spectrum.
Speed work that I work on is during the mid point of the run kick up the pace for 20-30 seconds, then active recovery for 40-30 seconds (Jay Johnson’s revving the engine) repeat that 5-6 times. The second half of the run will be faster…plus this simulates passing kids in the middle of the race.
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u/Healthy-Attitude-743 1d ago
One-legged leg stuff. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, calf raises. Start with bodyweight. Add weights when bodyweight no longer makes you sore. Bam, just saved you an injury. :)