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Concurrent Strength and Endurance TrainingBy Rick Morris This is one of the great debates among runners. Should you do your strength training before or after your run? Should you do it on the same day as a hard workout or do it on an easy run or rest day? Should you even be doing it at all while you’re engaged in training runs?Let’s deal with the last question first. There are many runners and coaches out there that believe it’s inappropriate for a runner to do strength training concurrently with endurance training. They think that strength training should only be done during off times or times when you aren’t actively doing training runs. They are convinced that concurrent strength and endurance training will result in a decrease in the benefits of your endurance training. I disagree.I think that not only will concurrent strength and endurance training not interfere with your running performance, it will do just the opposite. I believe that concurrent strength and endurance training will improve your running performance more than endurance training only. The strength training will build and maintain the muscle elasticity and power that is so critical in developing your running economy and speed.Who do you believe, me or the opponents of concurrent strength and endurance training? Well - I would suggest doing two things. Take a look at what science tells us and try it for yourself.What does science say about concurrent strength and endurance training? It’s all good. There have been many studies that back up my claim that doing strength and endurance training at the same time has a positive effect on your training.One recent investigation on cross country skiers in Finland found that “...concurrent explosive strength and endurance training in endurance athletes produced improvements in explosive force associated with rapid activation of trained leg muscles. The training also led to more economical sport-specific performance.” The researchers went on to say “The improvements in neuromuscular characteristics and economy were obtained without a decrease in maximal aerobic capacity, although endurance training was reduced by about 20%”.
In other words the subject of this study got faster and more economical while maintaining their level of VO2 max. What’s really interesting about these results in that the subject maintained their aerobic fitness despite replacing 20% of their endurance training with explosive strength training. One of the primary arguments against strength training for runners is that it might take away from your endurance training time. First of all, I disagree that strength training will decrease your running training time. Your strength training program takes only about 15 to 20 minutes a couple of times per week, but this study shows that even a whopping 20% decrease in training time doesn’t have an adverse effect.
That same group of researchers performed a similar study on young distance runners and reached the following similar conclusion. “The concurrent explosive strength and endurance training improved anaerobic and selective neuromuscular performance characteristics in young distance runners without decreases in aerobic capacity, although almost 20% of the total training volume was replaced by explosive strength training for eight weeks.”The Finland studies don’t stand alone. A group of scientists at the University of California at Santa Cruz performed separate experiments on a study group of 20 women. These researchers concluded that “The results suggest that synergy rather than interference between concurrent strength and aerobic endurance training, support prescription of concurrent endurance and strength training...”The above studies used mostly college age athletes involved in off season running. How about concurrent training during your competitive season. A group of researchers at the School for Sport and Exercise Science in New Zealand investigated that subject. They said “We conclude that high-intensity resistance training in the competitive phase is likely to produce beneficial gains in performance for most distance runners.”There have been many studies on this subject; more than I have room to list here. But researchers at the University of Connecticut kindly did the job for me. They looked at all the available literature on concurrent endurance and strength training. It came as no surprise that they reported “After critically reviewing the literature for the impact of concurrent training on high level runners, we conclude that resistance training likely has a positive effect on endurance running performance or running economy.”I hope your now as convinced as I am about the benefits of concurrent endurance and strength training. If not or if you’re from Missouri, why not give it a try and find out for yourself.References: Concurrent endurance and explosive type strength training increases activation and fast force production of leg extension muscles in endurance athletes, J Strength Cond Res. 2007 May;21(2):613-20 Concurrent endurance and explosive type strength training improves neuromuscular and anaerobic characteristics in young distance runners, Int J Sports Med. 2007 Jul;28(7):602-11 Concurrent training enhances athletes strength, muscle endurance and other measures, J Strength Cond Res, 2008 Sep;22(5):1487-502 Effect of high intensity resistance training of performance of competitive distance runners, Int J Sports Physiol. Perform. 2006 Mar;1(1):40-9
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