The purpose of strength training for runners is to develop power in order to increase speed, strengthen muscles and bones to avoid injury, and to improve muscular endurance in certain parts of the body. Some runners are naturally strong and require less strength training than others. While others lack strength and need to implement strength training into their programme to progress further. Runners who lack speed need strength training to develop power - power cannot be gained by long steady runs.
The best way to develop power is to lift weights. Not only does lifting weights make a person stronger, but the person can be specific about what part of the body he or she wants to get stronger. In that sense, the runner can develop power in where it is needed most and see the result over time. Heavier weights usually translate to more power. However, I use that turn loosely because what is heavy for one person is not necessarily heavy to another. To find out what is heavy to a person he or she must determine what they can lift in one repetition. Seventy-five percent of this maximum weight would then be considered heavy for that person.
Lifting heavy weights will inevitably require fewer repetitions. When trying to increase power the motto is, "quality not quantity." I recommend no less than four and no more than eight repetitions when doing this type of workout. After a few months the athlete will need to be tested again for maximum weight which should be heavier. If so, to progress further the runner needs to increase the amount of weight he lifts accordingly. Also, for weight training to be effective, the athlete must do at least two sessions a week on a consistent basis.
Another type of strength training method is lifting lightweights for many repetitions. This is done to increase an athlete's local endurance needed when the runner experiences loss of stride length, or tired arms, in the end part of the race. Local endurance is improved by exercising the appropriate muscles numerous times with a light resistance. This method is quite the opposite of increasing power, which is done by exercising the muscles a few times with a heavy resistance. Many runners do not feel that they need to do strength training believing that they are naturally strong enough, however, the complete runner will disagree pointing out that he or she can improve on their weakness or make their strength even stronger.
