Resistance training for runners: complex or simple solutions?

Distance running performance is determined by the ability to produce a lot of energy in muscles and then use that energy to create speed. Running itself is effective at developing both of these qualities, particularly the ability to create energy. However, that doesn’t mean that other training strategies aren’t effective at improving performance, and in some cases, more effective at improving certain performance determinants.

While distance runners generally took a while to appreciate the importance of resistance training for performance, it has now become an accepted strategy for helping runners run more efficiently. By strengthening muscles, runners are able to better control the impact collisions that occur when the feet strike the ground, and use the energy involved more efficiently to create speed.

Limits to resistance training

Traditional resistance training has its limits. While it is effective at improving muscular strength, it’s usually performed at slow speeds and doesn’t sufficiently train the ability to capture and release the energy that is stored during foot strike. However, plyometrics training (see these articles) has been shown to be an effective strategy for improving these qualities. It’s important to note though that resistance training and plyometric exercises are likely complementary, as they work through different mechanisms. In fact, a specific type of training - ‘complex training’ - has been put forth as way to combine these strategies for maximal effect on running performance. To what extent does resistance training improve neuromuscular performance and running performance in distance runners? Is complex training more effective than resistance training alone at facilitating these outcomes? These are critical questions for those looking to effectively plan non-running training.

New research

A group of Chinese researchers has sought to provide answers to these questions by implementing an 8-week training study⁽¹⁾. The study involved 32 young male distance runners with an average age of 16 years. These subjects were well trained, possessing an average aerobic capacity, or VO2max of 65 ml/kg/min. The subjects were split into two groups, with one performing complex training and the other performing resistance training. Both groups trained three times per week. This training was performed in addition to run training as both groups continued with their regularly scheduled training.

The training content performed by both groups was similar yet differed in one critical way. All subjects performed the same strength training exercises:

·        Back squat

·        Hexagonal barbell pull-up

·        Loaded Bulgarian squats

·        Loaded calf raises

However, in the complex training group, the subjects performed a single set of plyometrics after each resistance training set. The plyometrics were chosen to resemble the movement pattern used in the resistance training exercise. Meanwhile, to compensate for the increasing loading the complex training group, the resistance training group performed an extra set of resistance training. For both groups, training loads were progressed over the course of the study, with gradual increases in loading intensity, as well as an increase in the number of sets that were performed. This ensured that the subjects were sufficiently challenged throughout the study, allowing them to make continued progress.

What they measured

The subjects performed a variety of tests before and after the training interventions to determine whether resistance training or complex training differentially impacted markers of performance. The first series of tests involved looking at the physiological responses to various running speeds. After a standardized warm-up, the subjects performed 4-minute running bouts at 12kmh, 14kmh, and 16kmh. These intensities were considered submaximal for the runners, and they rested for one minute in between each segment.

During each 4-minute bout, the researchers measured the subjects’ oxygen uptake, blood lactate, and heart rate. The oxygen uptake values were used to calculate running economy, or how much energy is required to sustain a given speed - a key determinant of endurance performance. The less energy a runner needs the run a certain speed, the longer they can potentially maintain that speed. Blood lactate provides an insight into the energetic demands of exercise, with a greater metabolic stress indicated by the inability to clear lactate from the blood. Likewise, heart rate is a measure of exercise intensity, providing information about the level of stress each speed created for the subjects.