The Importance of Strength Training for Runners: Building Resilience and Performance – Matthew Osborn AEP

Running is often viewed as a pure endurance sport, but what many runners overlook is that strength training is essential to optimize performance and minimize injury risk. Whether you are a recreational jogger or training for a marathon, integrating strength work into your routine can enhance your running efficiency, boost speed, and reduce injury risk.

Not only is Running an endurance sport, it is also an impact sport where each foot strike generates forces up to 2.5-3 times your body weight. For a typical distance runner, this results in thousands of repetitive impacts during a session. The accumulated load on the body increases the risk of overuse injuries, especially in areas like the knees, hips, and ankles. Without sufficient muscular strength, runners may struggle to absorb these forces effectively, leading to common injuries such as runner’s knee, Achilles tendinopathy, and stress fractures.

This is where strength training becomes vital. It helps improve your body’s ability to absorb, dissipate, and manage the repetitive loads associated with running. Stronger muscles, tendons, and connective tissues act as shock absorbers, minimizing stress on joints and reducing injury risk.  When developing a resistance training program to help with running performance and injury risk management, it is important to include the following;

1. Hip Flexor Strength: Driving Performance Forward

The hip flexors—primarily the iliopsoas muscle group—are essential for driving the leg forward with each stride. Weak hip flexors can limit your stride length, reducing speed and efficiency. As fatigue sets in during longer runs, poor hip flexor strength also leads to compensatory movements, such as excessive hip tilting or trunk leaning, increasing injury risk in the lower back and hamstrings.

Strengthening the hip flexors through targeted exercises (such as a banded psoas march, or doing running drills) ensures that runners can maintain proper form even during extended periods of running. This improvement translates to better running economy, meaning you use less energy at a given pace.

2. Single-Leg Strength and Control: A Key to Stability

Running is a unilateral movement, meaning it involves repeated, alternating single-leg support phases. As such, developing single-leg strength and control is paramount for maintaining stability and balance with each stride. Weakness in single-leg stability increases the risk of common injuries, such as ankle sprains, iliotibial (IT) band syndrome, and hip misalignment.

Exercises such as split squats, weighted step ups, side lying clams  or  single-leg deadlifts train the muscles responsible for stabilizing the hips, knees, and ankles during running. Improving your single-leg strength enhances coordination, reduces lateral movement, and ensures efficient force transfer through the kinetic chain, making each step more powerful and controlled.

3. Full-Body Strength: Maximizing Running Efficiency

Although running is primarily a lower-body activity, full-body strength is crucial for maintaining proper running posture, especially during long-distance events. Weakness in the upper body and core  muscles can lead to poor form, such as slouched shoulders or a forward head position, which wastes energy and decreases running efficiency.

Incorporating exercises like planks, pull-ups, double arm rows  and weighted carries builds core strength and reinforces good posture, preventing energy leaks during running. A stronger core also improves force transmission from the legs to the upper body, creating a more stable and efficient stride.

4. Soleus Strength: Enhancing Shock Absorption and Endurance

The soleus muscle, located in the lower part of the calf, plays a critical role in absorbing impact and generating power during the push-off phase of running. Research suggests that the soleus endures substantial forces with every step—up to 8 times body weight during high-intensity running.

Weak soleus muscles can lead to calf strains, Achilles tendon issues, and plantar fasciitis. Strengthening the soleus with exercises like seated calf raises and tempo heel drops not only reduces injury risk but also improves running endurance by delaying fatigue in the lower leg muscles.