Running and Weights

I’m just getting over a broken arm and took up running while recovering, now that I can lift somewhat efficiently again I want to keep running a bit.

So, I was wondering if any runners on the site might notice any particular exercises that help in their overall performance? I kind of want to break 40 Minutes in my 10 K time and haven’t been able to get under 43.

I was on cross country before I started lifting. I can run a much faster sprint now than I could back then, but I get tired much faster too, so anything beyond a half mile got much slower.

I’ve put on a lot of weight since then, so that’s why I’m getting tired faster, and because I don’t train for running anymore.

Anyways, the exercises that obviously made my sprint faster would be squats.

Long-distance wise, I don’t know if having extra muscle on your legs would help you or not, but getting stronger legs made me a much faster sprinter.
Hope that helps somewhat…

Weight training for runners really is best for guys doing the 800 and below. For longer distance your best bet would be circuit type stuff with lighter weights focusing on reps, not load. Include things like squats, lunges, dumbbell step-ups, etc.

When you start getting to the 5k mark the only thing that is going to help is more running. Granted you can cycle tempo, sprints, and endurance runs but getting stronger isn’t going to make longer runs faster.

When I ran CC in high school the two things that made me faster was running and the drop of weight from 150 to 130 due to all of the running. I was 5 foot 9 at the time so towards the end of the season if I had kept up I’d have been really really sickly looking…and probably straight up sick.

Ohhhh wait I totally forgot the best thing on how to run faster. Get somebody that is much better than you and force yourself to keep up with them. That’s how I completed the 2 mile warmup on the first day of CC in 14 minutes. Granted I was pretty much ruined for the rest of practice but at least I was fast for those 2 miles.

Run faster! Sorry couldn’t help myself.

Practise sprints.

Start your runs differently. Fast one day so you’re dragging your ass to finish. Slow so you can power finsh.

Lots of walking lunges and lots of stretching to keep your legs limber.