Strength Training for Fell, Trail & Ultra Runners
Hi there!
Welcome to the next instalment of the Keeping Pace Newsletter…
Autumn and winter are good times to focus a bit more on strength training. The weather is generally bad, running volume is often lower, and races are usually less frequent. This means we have more spare time to spend in the gym or strength training at home. Plus, any muscle soreness from the strength training is less likely to negatively affect race performances.
Strength training for fell, trail and ultra runners is a big topic, and one that I could write about extensively! However, I wanted to briefly summarise (i) why you should consider strength training, if you’re not doing it already, and (ii) some best practices to aim for.
Benefits of strength training
Reduced injury risk. Each time our foot strikes the ground when running, the impact force can be up to three times our body weight. If muscles and ligaments aren’t sufficiently strong to withstand these repetitive forces, then we can easily develop overuse injuries. When running off-road, we also need our muscles to be really good at working in synchrony to stabilise joints and keep us balanced. Imbalances in strength, or an inability to quickly and effectively activate muscles can mean it’s easier to roll an ankle, or take a tumble. Indeed, one of the main things strength training achieves is better communication between muscles and our brain, so that you can activate the right muscles quickly - something that’s super important when running on varied and unpredictable terrain!
Improved endurance. There is good evidence that improved muscle strength contributes to better endurance, meaning you can run at a given pace for longer. Strength training to improve endurance is particularly important for ultra-runners and especially those targeting races with lots of descending, since this applies very large ‘eccentric’ (stretching) forces on the quads. Descending can be very damaging if you haven’t done enough strength training to help condition the muscles.
Improved maximal force and power. Strength training can also improve your ability to recruit high-power ‘fast twitch’ muscle fibres, meaning you can produce higher forces and more power. If you ever feel like you’re held back by an inability to simply contract your leg muscles hard enough to run faster, then strength training could be a big help. You can see quick improvements in your 5k time, or climbing abilities for example, if you start on a good program of strength training.
Improved economy. Finally, strength training has been shown to improve running economy. Simply speaking, this is the amount of oxygen you need to run at a given pace. If you improve your economy, you will be able to run faster for a given duration.
Strength Training Best Practices
Strength training doesn’t need to be overly complicated. Here are some basic principles that should get you off to a good start…
Make squats and deadlifts your primary focus
Focus most of your time on these key compound movements. Squats and deadlifts have a very high degree of relevance to running (the muscle groups and movement patterns are close to those used in running). They also work multiple muscle groups at once, making them time-efficient.
You will want to begin with lighter weights, so that you can practice the movement and so that your brain becomes better at ‘switching on and off’ the right muscles at the right times. This also helps give you chance to build strength in your supporting muscles e.g. back and arms. Aiming for 3 sets of 10-12 reps for this phase is ideal.
Once you feel like you are squatting and deadlifting with good technique, you should ideally work towards increasing the weight you are lifting. Always stick within your limits, so that you can maintain good form. However, you should work towards lifting a weight that brings you to the point of failure after roughly 6-7 reps. Aim for 5 sets of 5 reps with this weight, taking at least a couple of minutes to recover between each. This heavy weight training is optimal if you want to achieve benefits 2-4 above.
If you can’t lift heavy (e.g. because you don’t have access to appropriate equipment), then you can incorporate more challenging single-leg exercises such as split squats or single leg Romanian deadlifts. You can also consider squatting onto a box or chair, pausing as your glutes lightly touch the box. This adds a greater challenge because you can’t use stored elastic energy to help ‘bounce’ up out of the squat. It can also help you squat lower if you lack confidence.
Keep progressing the weight higher as you get stronger, maintaining the same rep range (i.e. 5 sets of 5 reps). You don’t need every lift to be perfect - the goal is to get 3 reps of ‘good quality’ per set (e.g. squatting low with good form).
If you aren’t confident with using free weights, then a leg press can be a good alternative to squats. You might also find you prefer a hex/trap bar for deadlifting.
For time efficiency, I’d recommend either strength training 2x per week, and focussing on squats in one session and deadlifts in the other. Or, if you can only commit one strength session per week, you can change the focus of the session between squats and deadlifts e.g. doing 5 sets of squats, and just 3 sets of deadlifts (for maintenance) for 4 weeks, and then switching to deadlifts as the focus.
Add supplementary exercises targeting weaknesses/stability
Alongside your main exercises of squats and deadlifts, you can add supplementary exercises that target areas of weakness or that help develop core strength and stability.
Some good exercises to consider include bent leg calf raises, bird dogs, bossu ball balance exercises, planks, side planks, split squats, Turkish get-ups, and clam shells. You could also incorporate exercises you’ve been recommended by a physiotherapist. If you’re not sure exactly where your weaknesses are, you can cycle through these supplementary exercises, picking 2-4 to do each time, so that you get a broad spectrum of supplementary exercises. Instagram and YouTube are great sources of inspiration for this supplementary work, and for guidance on how to make exercises harder or easier.
For time efficiency you can do two supplementary exercises while you are recovering between sets of squats/deadlifts. For example, you might cycle between a set of squats, 45-seconds of planking, and 60-seconds of clam-shells (each side).
Overall, a good strength routine shouldn’t take you more than 30-mins, and you can even do something really effective within 15-20 mins. So there’s no excuse for not including some this autumn/winter
That’s it for this month. Just a reminder that we have various resources available on our website, including the complete workout library, alongside various training plans. If you need any advice on selecting a plan, or have any requests for plans you’d like to see in the store, please get in touch!
Until next month, happy running!
Emma