When one thinks of training for long distance runners (3000M+) strength training usually isn't the first thing that comes to mind. However a good strength program geared toward an endurance athlete's needs can help that athlete repeatedly set PR's and help prevent injuries.

     When I look at a distance runner and what they need to enhance their sports performance those needs are quite different than that of a sprinter, football player, or any other strength and power athlete. Most distance runners are strong enough in their prime movers to excel in their event. The two aspects I feel are most important to cover in the weight room to help improve performance are strengthening the stabilizer muscles and getting those prime movers to work through a full range of motion. The stabilizer and postural muscles are hugely important because in distance runners these are usually the first to fatigue. Once these muscles begin to tire it causes a slight breakdown in running mechanics and therefore a loss in efficiency of movement. The other concern is full range movements must be done in order to counter act the effects of the repeated limited ROM experienced when running at a pace less than 100% full speed. The range of motion used in distance training does not use the entire hamstring and glutes. Additionally this ROM overstrengthens the quads in relation to the hamstrings. This muscular imbalance can lead to knee pain or injury, back pain, and lots of strains or pulls. It's very important to develop the whole muscle by working through a full range of motion and pay special attention to the posterior chain in order to prevent injury and to have proper balance of strength between muscle groups.

     With those areas of concern in mind lets examine how I've gone about training the cross-country and track distance competitors I've worked with. I'm not concerned with having my athletes lift allot of weight and I for sure am not looking to put any mass on them anywhere except perhaps the hamstrings. To reach my training goals for my athletes my 2 primary modes of training are Kettlebells (or the same exercises done with a DB) and bodyweight exercises. Kettlebells are perfect for training the stabilizers. I almost always have them use 1 kettlebell at a time so their stabilizers/postural muscles are forced to work like crazy to balance the uneven load. The other thing I love about kettlebells is the infinite number of exercises and combination of exercises you can do. My distance runners' training with kettlebells is almost always endurance based. They do a lot of reps and in some of our drills the athletes will go 5-15 minutes without putting the weight down. Also many kettlebell exercises such as swings and snatches are excellent training for the posterior chain (low back, glutes, hamstrings) and works on evening up those muscular imbalances discussed earlier.

     My second primary mode of training distance runners is bodyweight exercises. A small sample of examples includes squats (full squats), walking lunges, chins, hindu pushups, and more. Most of these exercises are performed in either 1-2 high rep sets or are done density style. I love density training for endurance athletes because of the short rest and it allows for a very high volume of quality reps to be done. You can get more reps in performing an exercise density style than you could if you did just 1 or 2 high rep sets. Bodyweight exercises are an excellent way to work large muscle group through a full range, they are also excellent for getting strong without putting on mass, and for developing muscular endurance at the same time.

I'm including an example of a possible summer program for the cross-country team. There you have it, strength training for distance runners.

Note: To follow this program, take the workouts from Table 1 and plug in the numbers from Table 2 into the appropriate exercises. For example, in week 2 you would perform 3 sets of DB snatches for 5 reps right + 5 reps left at the start of every minute.

Table 1