Periodizing Strength Training For Runners
Periodization of strength throughout the year. What does this mean?
STRENGTH, LIKE RUNNING, NEEDS TO BE PROGRESSED THROUGH PHASES. EACH PHASE BUILDS UPON THE PREVIOUS ONE, ALLOWING YOUR BODY TO LEARN, ADAPT, AND IMPROVE.
Much like your run training will change in structure as the year passes, your strength work should change as well. Typically this means the training year starts with a movement learning and capacity focus, progressing through strength and power, before ending on a plyometric or speed of movement focus. This progression takes you from more general movements and strength, to skills more specific to running, much like your run program takes you from general fitness to race specific fitness.
For ease of discussion, we divide these progressions into 4 phases: Movement Capability, Movement Capacity, Power, and Plyometrics.
Phase 1 : Movement Capability
You have likely just finished your big goal for the season, or you are transitioning from running as the focus to winter sports being the focus. Running intensity will be low and volume will be low at the beginning of this phase before ramping up. We have a lot of time before we need to be working on power and plyometrics, and the body has likely developed some poor habits or even minor injuries and niggles from doing such a large amount of hard running. Now is the time to work on strengthening those areas that most need it, and improve how you move to set yourself up for success the next season. This strength block typically has a little more volume and less weight than in later blocks, but quality of movement is still the number one priority.
Key Points for Phase 1:
If you have an injury, address this first. Take advantage of the reduced time running to do your corrective exercises daily!
Focus on areas you found that were weaknesses during the season. For example, if you found all season that your calves were giving out before your cardio capacity, the feet and lower leg may be an area of focus for you.
Movement quality is priority #1! Work on full body basic movements like hinging, squatting, pressing, and pulling to get the body moving well again after a summer of hard running!
Phase 2: Movement Capacity
You’ve likely been taking a bit of a step back from peak training and hopefully have been focusing on recovering from any niggles or aches that crept up last season. Maybe even trying some fun things that aren’t running! Now that the break is winding down, run volume will be starting to ramp up. Your goal race may still be months away, and while there may be some harder running and workouts coming in, the majority of your running is probably low intensity. We can take this time to build strength before running intensity starts to ramp up again.
The goal of this phase is to improve muscle fibre recruitment and build tendon strength which we will need before introducing plyometrics and power. This type of work is more fatiguing and can interfere with your running without thoughtful planning. It is important to schedule these sessions as far away from hard or important run sessions as possible. They can be done right after a hard run, but make sure to reduce the weight. Remember - we prescribe weight intensity by RPE, so if you are tired the weight will be lower for the same effort and that is okay!
Key Points for Phase 2:
The goal is strength and muscle fibre recruitment so keeping the effort higher for these sessions is important.
Careful planning is essential. Keep these sessions as far away from target run sessions as possible.
Intensity or amount of weight lifted should be done by perceived exertion even though we are working on strength. This may mean some days you are lifting less for the same perceived effort.
Phase 3: Power
You are likely ramping up run volume and intensity by doing quality workouts with some sort of speed component. To complement this, the focus in the gym is going to shift from strength to speed. It is going to build on the capacity to recruit more muscle fibres you developed in the last phase by teaching you to recruit them quickly.
This skill helps power you up hills, gives you that extra kick at the end of the race, and helps strengthen connective tissue and bone.
This type of work is fatiguing, although less so than the previous phase, but can still interfere with your running without thoughtful planning. It is important to schedule these sessions as far away from hard or important run sessions as possible. They can be done right after a hard run, but make sure to reduce the weight so that you can maintain the desired speed and good technique.
Key Points for Phase 3:
The goal is muscle fibre recruitment speed so keeping the effort high for key exercises is important.
Careful planning is essential. Keep these sessions as far away from target run sessions as possible.
Ensure to take enough rest between exercises so that speed and quality of movement can be maintained.
Phase 4: Plyometrics
Running intensity will be up (speed for road runners, vert for trail runners), increasing your fatigue. We don’t want to add to this fatigue with heavy exercises in the gym, especially those exercises with a large lengthening or lowering component (in the gym we call this the eccentric phase of a movement) like weighted squats. Now is the time to work on your speed of movement and explosiveness. If you have the skill and have built up to them, this means low rep, high intensity movements like high pulls, jumps, and plyometrics. You only need a few of these each workout, as the goal is quality, not quantity! The rest of the session can be spent working on the movement capability exercises you did in phase one to keep yourself moving well.
Don’t have the technique for cleans, jumps and plyometrics? Progress backwards through Phase 2 and Phase 1 type workouts, reducing the volume if necessary, as you get closer to your goal race.
Key Points for Phase 4:
Avoid heavy eccentric exercises.
Work on speed of movement and elasticity if possible.
Movement quality is priority #1! If adding speed or intensity degrades the exercise quality, slow down and reduce the exercise difficulty.