How To Choose Your Weights
As a coach of runners specifically, my focus for designing strength training programs is on building strength without emphasizing muscle growth.
In general, runners don’t really want to get bigger muscles (hypertrophy) but we do want to get stronger. Stronger bodies are more efficient and more powerful. With stronger legs, we can cover more ground with every stride. With stronger core and upper body we can run more efficiently, with less energy lost to wasted movement. Furthermore, by strength training we can improve mobility by working through a variety of movements under resistance.
Related: Get Faster Without Running More
When training for strength, we need to keep reps low and weight high: 6 reps per set at the most, but less is fine. Less reps will allow for even heavier weight to be lifted.
Muscle HYPERTROPHY refers to increasing size of muscles. Training for hypertrophy is done differently than training for gains in strength. The recipe hypertrophy training is generally 6-12 reps in a set, with short rests. Obviously the weight used will be less as the number of reps increases.
Learning An Exercise
When learning an exercise, we should keep the weight relatively light and do lots of repetitions. Rest as much as needed between sets. This isn’t how to train for strength, it’s how to train while LEARNING.
For example: Overhead press, 3 sets of 12 reps using 10lb dumbbells.
Working An Exercise
Once you’re comfortable with an exercise, you’ve practiced it and feel coordinated in motion, it’s time to lower the reps and increase weight. The goal is to move toward heavy weight. You may shift away from 3x 12 over the course of a few training sessions, with the goal of moving to 6 or less reps with the heaviest weight you can manage with control and good form.
For example: Overhead Press, 3 sets of 4 using 25lb dumbbells.
**In my examples, I chose weights that would be easy for me to do many reps (10lb dumbbells) and hard for me to do 4 reps (25lb dumbbells). The weights most appropriate for you will most likely not be the same.
Progressing An Exercise
We build strength in two ways. The first is way is from the nervous system. When someone is new to strength training, they will observe big improvements fairly quickly, too quickly for any changes to have happened in the muscles themselves. These improvements come from the brain which controls our muscles. Coordination improves with practice. The movement patterns become more familiar and therefore easier to do.
The second way is adaptation of the muscles. The size of muscle fibers will increase, and muscle fibers can switch types (slow twitch turning to fast twitch). This may not seem desirable for endurance athletes, but it is. I have never once heard of a runner who doesn’t want the ability shift gears at the end of a race.
With continued training, the body will adapt. When the weights used are no longer challenging for the amount of reps assigned, do not do more reps! Keep the total reps low (always 6 or less in a set) and move to the next heaviest option of weight.
Recovery Periods
When lifting very heavy weights (as we do with the goal of building strength) we need to allow for long rest periods to let our nervous system recover. Rest should be from 2-5minutes between each set, with the longer time for more complex movements using many muscle groups (like a back squat, or bench press) and shorter for simpler exercises like lateral raise.
Nicole Sifuentes is a full-time Running Coach for adults of all ages and abilities. She is a former professional runner and 2-time Olympian, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Read more about her services, and schedule your free coaching consultation.
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