Forums >General Running>Do Runners need to be Strong?
Couldn't agree more!
I grew up doing heavy farm labor. I followed that up by doing significant weight training until I was about 24. I NEVER got injured. Fast forward a decade and change, and I've had repeated issues around my hips for the past several years. I have no proof, but I blame a combination of a desk job, no significant weight training, and much less "farm-like" labor (although I own property and still do some). I can honestly FEEL the difference when I do labor, my support muscles are just not as strong as they once were. My personal opinion is that a runner does not need to weight lift. But I do think that significant cross training, core work, and such are good for the runner. I feel typical weight room lifts...which largely isolate and focus on large muscle groups...are less impactful as they don't help with the support muscles as much.
I grew up doing heavy farm labor. I followed that up by doing significant weight training until I was about 24. I NEVER got injured.
Fast forward a decade and change, and I've had repeated issues around my hips for the past several years. I have no proof, but I blame a combination of a desk job, no significant weight training, and much less "farm-like" labor (although I own property and still do some). I can honestly FEEL the difference when I do labor, my support muscles are just not as strong as they once were.
My personal opinion is that a runner does not need to weight lift. But I do think that significant cross training, core work, and such are good for the runner. I feel typical weight room lifts...which largely isolate and focus on large muscle groups...are less impactful as they don't help with the support muscles as much.
Latent Runner
that's your non-running exercises, and perhaps some of the best you can do. It's functional! ... Now as a professional duff sitter, I miss all that daily exercise.
that's your non-running exercises, and perhaps some of the best you can do. It's functional!
...
Now as a professional duff sitter, I miss all that daily exercise.
Yeah, I sit in front of a computer all day as well; one of the reasons why I signed on to be a part time caretaker.
Fat old man PRs:
Interval Junkie --Nobby
I grew up playing video games and listening to the midnight handshake of a 300 baud modem.
Maybe I should buy a PS4, seemed to keep me injury free back then.
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
Interesting; I got injured a lot when I was a young and middle-aged runner, now that I'm "old" I've been attributing my injury free running to the fact that I've been shying away from my old "go as fast as I can go" mentality in lieu of lots and lots of LSD running. Maybe my work around the farm is a significant contributor to my having gone as far as I've gone injury free. Hmmm...
I grew up playing video games and listening to the midnight handshake of a 300 baud modem. Maybe I should buy a PS4, seemed to keep me injury free back then.
Geez I feel old. Back when I was growing up "Pong" hadn't been created yet.
As for my first modem, errr, called an "Acoustic Coupler", it was rated at 110 baud, but in practice, I was lucky if its actual throughput was as high as 75 baud.
Proboscis Colossus
I think your farm work is DEFINITELY helping you, whether we're right about the injury prevention or not.
Closest to being in shape I ever was before I started running was the summer I worked in a building supply lumber yard, loading orders and delivering them (throwing shingles, moving drywall, buckets of roofing tar, etc.). There was only one of the regulars there that wasn't wiry and toned; the one who wasn't (the foreman) could pick up a storage shed.
"God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people
Geez I feel old. Back when I was growing up "Pong" hadn't been created yet. As for my first modem, errr, called an "Acoustic Coupler", it was rated at 110 baud, but in practice, I was lucky if its actual throughput was as high as 75 baud. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_coupler
Heh, yep. I played around with one of those. Just went out of usage when I hit the scene. Pretty bad when you can type faster than the modem can transmit/receive -- especially since I was still hunting/pecking at the time.
i don't know if i will take a hit with this or not. so, this is just my opinion - but i have run since i was a child........ and i think you don't HAVE to strength train. meaning - you can just run only. obviously, it would help you overall if you augmented your running with other forms of activities. and i do. but the bottom line - in my experience- is that to run, the only thing that needs to be strong is your mind. love.
That's fine, but being a strong runner and actually being and feeling strong seem to be different. If a person can run 26 miles but can't even do a pull up or push up would they be considered all around strong? What do you all think?
Is that possible?
Feeling the growl again
The specific exercises you mention use completely different muscles than running...so of course there are a lot of fast runners who cannot do a pull up. Though I have never seen one who can't do a single pushup. Which was why I made the distinction about strengthening core and stabilizing muscles. One can also be very strong without gaining a lot in the way of size.
Regarding the age comment, yes I am older now and that could be part of my problem. But I'm not old enough to use that as much of an excuse, I don't believe it's the major factor. I do miss being able to easily shrug 2 stacked bundles of shingles on my shoulder (roughly 90lbs) and shimmy up a ladder. The reason I can no longer do that has nothing to do with age. Well, maybe the lack of shimmying does.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
The specific exercises you mention use completely different muscles than running...
I don't know...I thought I'd read in one of my training books* that strong upper-body muscles do help somewhat with running, mainly in terms of keeping form when fatigued, I think it was. Obviously a distant third to leg and core muscles in terms of relevance, but most running strength routines I've seen include at least a brief nod to upper body exercises like push-ups.
But of course this is tangential to the question clateboulder brought up...I think you can absolutely be considered "strong" if you can't do a push-up or a pull-up; that term can be defined in different ways, just like the term "intelligent." Or, for that matter, "fit."
*I have absolutely no recollection of which one and it's not important enough to me to look it up, sorry!
Biomimeticist
They're two completely different components to what it means to be a skilled runner.
You can train for strength all you want, but in no way will it change the way you run.
And If you're a lousy runner, then all you'll ever be is a stronger lousy runner.
And in no way is modern strength training intended to make you a more efficient athlete. Weight training is designed to increase your physical size and weight, not improve strength. It cannot increase the amount of power by which you can generate higher speed. Unfortunately science says that biological reality increases energy consumption per step. Last time I checked, that's no improvement anyway.
And regardless to strength, your skill as a runner determines how efficiently you can apply whatever you have to reach peak speed or manage your pacing to have the endurance to finish whatever event you're participating in at your goal levels of running ability.
Strength training will improve your running speed abilities, however in no way will it make you a better runner.
If the question is which is the shortest path to improve running speed, then focusing on improving your technique will allow for more efficient application of whatever strength you have.
Experts said the world is flat
Experts said that man would never fly
Experts said we'd never go to the moon
Name me one of those "experts"...
History never remembers the name of experts; just the innovators who had the guts to challenge and prove the "experts" wrong
I don't know...I thought I'd read in one of my training books* that strong upper-body muscles do help somewhat with running,
I'm sure everything helps, but I know a lot of great runners with terrible upper body strength.
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