Maximize Your Off Season & Base training
- Ryan Matisko, PT, DPT, FAFS
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Key Role of Strength Training for Endurance Runners
For endurance runners, the offseason presents a valuable opportunity to build strength, enhance running economy, and reduce the risk of injury. Strength training is often overlooked in favor of high-mileage training, but it plays a crucial role in improving performance. By increasing muscle strength, runners can generate more force with each stride while using less energy, leading to improved efficiency. Additionally, strength training helps correct muscular imbalances and reinforces the tendons and ligaments, reducing the likelihood of common overuse injuries such as stress fractures, tendonitis, and IT band syndrome. Prioritizing strength in the offseason lays the foundation for a healthier, stronger, and faster race season.
To maximize benefits, a strength program for runners should be performed two to three times per week. The focus should be on exercises that mimic the demands of running, which means incorporating mostly single-leg movements that challenge stability and coordination. Movements such as split squats, step-ups, single-leg deadlifts, and lunges train the lower body in a way that translates directly to improved running mechanics. Additionally, exercises should engage all three planes of motion—the sagittal (forward and backward), frontal (side-to-side), and transverse (rotational). Examples include lateral lunges, resisted step-throughs, and rotational core work, all of which build resilience and power. A well-structured program ensures that strength gains are functional and directly applicable to running performance.
Once strength training becomes a regular part of your routine in the offseason, it will be easier to maintain it when your mileage increases. As you transition into your next training block, reducing strength sessions to one or two times per week will help you sustain your gains without compromising running volume. At this point, the focus should shift to maintaining strength rather than building it, ensuring that the neuromuscular adaptations from your offseason work continue to support your performance. By making strength training a consistent part of your regimen, you set yourself up for a more efficient stride, reduced injury risk, and a stronger racing season ahead.
Interested in strength training with FLPT? Check out our different offerings below:
