Strength training for runners

Why runners (and women particularly) should be doing strength training, what sort of things to do and how to incorporate it into your week.

Hopefully, by now, we’ve all got the memo that doing some strength training alongside your running is a really, really good idea. But I find that there can be a bit of a lag between knowing you should do it and actually starting to do it - and I include myself in this.

Often runners are unsure what exactly they should be doing, when they should be doing it and we’re also short on time. There’s also the enjoyment factor - I love running but I don’t love strength training, so for a long time I would always prioritise an extra run over doing any kind of consistent strength. That was until my body (and my physio) made it abundantly clear that if I wanted to keep running, I needed to start working on my strength too.

Below I’ll cover why runners (and why women particularly) should be doing strength training, what sort of things to do and how to incorporate it into your week.