Strength training can help runners. But if running is the part of training you enjoy most, how much space should strength really take up?
In the fourth episode of The 5 Pillars of Better Running, Bjørn-Ivar looks at strength training from a runner’s point of view. Not as a separate fitness project, but as something that needs to support the running rather than take over the week.
The episode explores what strength training can actually add to running, including improvements in running economy, strength and performance, and why those benefits do not necessarily require an increase in VO₂max or body mass.
It also looks at the practical side. Does strength need its own hour-long session, or can a short session added to the end of a run be enough to make it worthwhile? How does the answer change for someone running three times a week compared with a more serious recreational or highly trained runner?
Age is another important part of the discussion. Strength may begin mainly as a performance tool for younger runners, but as we get older, maintaining strength and power becomes increasingly important in its own right.
The episode also takes a closer look at one of the most common claims around strength training: injury prevention. The research is more complicated than simply saying stronger runners get injured less, so the focus is on what the evidence actually supports rather than making promises it cannot make.
And finally, Bjørn-Ivar looks at what useful strength training for runners can actually look like, why simply creating more endurance fatigue in the gym may miss the point, and how strength can fit into the week without compromising the running that matters most.
Running is still the main thing.
Strength is there to support it.
Research referenced in this episode
Llanos-Lagos C, Ramirez-Campillo R, Moran J, Sáez de Villarreal E. Effect of Strength Training Programs in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners' Economy at Different Running Speeds: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2024;54(4):895–932.
Llanos-Lagos C, Ramirez-Campillo R, Moran J, Sáez de Villarreal E. The Effect of Strength Training Methods on Middle-Distance and Long-Distance Runners' Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2024;54(7):1801–1833.
Wu H, Brooke-Wavell K, Fong DTP, Paquette MR, Blagrove RC. Do Exercise-Based Prevention Programs Reduce Injury in Endurance Runners? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. 2024;54(5):1249–1267.
Klein M, Patterson C. Changes in running biomechanics in master runners over age 50: a systematic review. Sports Biomechanics. 2025;24(5):1168–1196.
Kidgell DJ, et al. Determining the cortical, spinal and muscular adaptations to strength-training in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing Rese
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