Runners are notorious for trying everything to improve performance, from eating "power gel" to buying space-aged shoes, but most runners are missing one key performance boosting element. It's strength training.
In a study published in the journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers had 8 subjects (4 men and 4 women) perform heavy barbell squats three times per week for 8 weeks in addition to their regular endurance training. A control group of men and women only did the endurance workouts.
(Reference: Storen, O. et al. Maximal Strength Training Improves Running Economy in Distance Runners. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 40(6):1087-1092, June 2008.)
Not surprisingly, the strength training subjects got stronger (33.2% stronger in the squat). However, it was a surprise that these men and women also increased their time to exhaustion in an endurance test by 21.3%. In comparison, the control group did not get stronger or increase their endurance.
This study proves that getting stronger will make you a better runner. But don't worry, you don't have to become a bodybuilder to do so. Just do three strength workouts per week for 8 weeks, focusing on an exercise such as squats or split-squats, and you should build the strength you need to improve your time to exhaustion.
Runners need iron love too,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training for Fat Loss
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