Want To Run Strong? You Need (To Be) A Dumbbell (Or Two)

I wrote in an earlier posting about my first trip to an area which for many runners is “the dark side;” the weight room. The weight room can be a scary place, especially if you’re a ‘typical’ recreational runner. But the only thing which scares me more than a weight room is asking for advice and counsel from a fitness trainer, especially one who rarely works with runners. My marathoner, Deena, works as a massage therapist for a local fitness center. Many were the evening track workouts where she would show up stiff and sore: ‘Coach, the trainer kicked my butt today in the gym; he had me doing…’ She was one of the fittest persons working for the gym, so the management would have her be the “guinea pig” when a new trainer came on board. A fitness trainer who doesn’t understand that running is more than ‘cardio” or warm-up for their training regimen can have runners doing all sorts of exercises which can make them feel worse than the worst track interval workout or over-distance run through which they’ve ever suffered.

My friend Jay Yanovich is a physiology guy and a former ultra-runner.  He served as my strength coach during some of my best years of running in my early 40s.  He limited my unstructured routine to a few short resistance exercises; after the initial shock wore off on the roads, the routine put some surprising power into my legs. Regrettably, once I got into triathlon (especially swimming) I dropped everything having to do with weights.

As I mentioned the other week, it's time to get back to where I once belonged.

Kelly, Burnett, and Newton (2008) investigated whether a strength training program, added to endurance running, would improve 3-km run times in a group of recreationally fit women when compared with run-only training. The strength-trained group was found to improve their 3K run time, while not significantly, compared to the group which only ran. Not surprisingly, the lifters also were stronger when lower body strength was tested (parallel squat and hamstring curl), and stronger in the upper body, as measured by bench press data. But did they become bulky, which is often a “reason” women give for not weight training? Not only did the researchers find no difference in VO2max or running economy in the lifting/running group, but there were no changes in the body composition. Women are less likely to get bulky (if lifting for muscle endurance) because of their hormone make-up.

Michael Leveritt, author of the upper body strength training section in “Run Strong” (Human Kinetics, 2005) describes the varied outcomes of strength training – muscle strength, muscle power, muscle hypertrophy, and muscular endurance – and recommends that to increase muscle endurance without the hypertrophy (getting “bulky”), the exercises should involve 12-to-15 repetitions for two to three sets, about a minute of rest between sets, with a weight at about half of what could be lifted for one repetition. Leveritt’s sample upper body program can be performed in about 30 minutes and focus on the back, chest and shoulder muscle groups, with some assistance from the biceps and triceps. The movements are running-specific, done with alternating movements of the limbs and mostly in an upright position. The routine includes:

Lat Pulldown - place hands on bar in a grip wider than shoulder width. With knees under the pad, bend the elbows and pull the arms out and down until the upper arms are parallel to the floor. Extend arms back to starting position.

Alternate Dumbbell Chest Press - lie flat on your back on a bench. Dumbbell in each hand, one arm extended straight up from the shoulder, the other arm bent at the elbow to 90 degrees. Bend the elbow to lower the dumbbell down until that elbow is bent 90 degrees. At the same time, contract the chest and straighten the other arm so that it extends straight up from the shoulder.

Cable Seated Row - from a seated position, with the hips and knees slightly flexed, grasp the pulley handles with both hands. Bring the handles toward the trunk while squeezing the shoulder blades together and down. Keep arms close to the body during the movement. Return the pulley handles back to the starting position.

Alternate Shoulder Press - from a standing position, begin this exercise with one arm extended straight up from the shoulders and the other arm with the elbow bent at 90 degrees. Bring the dumbbell in the hand of the straight arm downward until the elbow is bent 90 degrees. At the same time straighten the other arm so that it extends straight up from the shoulders. Maintain tension in the trunk to stabilize the body throughout the exercise.

Dumbbell Side Delt Abduction - from a standing position, lean forward slightly while holding a dumbbell in each hand, with hands extended straight downward from the shoulders and elbows slightly bent. Bring the arms outwrd and upward with elbows only slightly bent until the arms are outstretched and parallel to the floor. Return hands to the starting position.

Dumbbell One Arm Lat Row - place the knee on a bench with the shin along the length of the bench. Bend forward at the hip so that the spine is almost parallel with the bench. Hold a dumbbell in the opposite hand with the arm extended straight downward from the shoulder. Raise the dumbbell while bending the elbow until the upper arm is parallel with the floor, keeping the arm close to the body. Lower the dumbbell to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.

There are several other exercises which can be used for strength training, depending on the individual runner’s strengths, weaknesses and imbalances. Remember that the goal is to increase the muscle strength – and running performance – with as little increase in muscle size as possible.
Next post will outline some lower body exercises which can be incorporated as part of a strength training program.