Excerpts from, "Shaping up with a month to go"
- Monday, March 19, 2001

The need for runners to strength train ­ and to do it right

This article followed novice runner Leann Young during her preparation for the annual Sun Run. In addition to attending Sun Run Clinics and eating right, Young decided to visit strength and conditioning specialist Steve Ramsbottom to "add a fourth component to enhance my ability."

According to Ramsbottom, it is crucial for runners to build muscle balance and joint stability. However, "what happens with most runners when they do strength training is they do body building, and body building exercises will usually decrease their performance."

For runners, Ramsbottom emphasizes that "the whole reason you want to do strength training is to counteract the pounding and constant forward motion of the joints. In running, there are no lateral movements at all." Ramsbottom cautioned that an effective strength training workout is essential for runners since, "Every runner I've ever worked with has had a lot of IT band tightness, and they generally lack hip strength which leads to collapsing knees when they are running. People who don't do strength training often have degeneration in their joints."

"Most people run with pain," Ramsbottom says. "But you can't run to get better. Running has to be combined with a strengthening and stretching program for injury prevention and performance.

To help Leanne Young and other would be runners, Ramsbottom suggested the following key weight room exercises for runners. For peak performance, it's best to have a trainer perform a physical assessment so your individual needs can be met. The Performance Institute can analyse your muscle balance, joint flexibility, core strength and body composition and then can design a runner's training program specific to your needs.