To be a successful ultra runner, you need exceptional mental and physical toughness. You’ll often push your body and mind to their limits, so it’s crucial to ensure that your training approach is on point. While most ultra runners focus on logging endless miles and improving aerobic efficiency, there’s a powerful but often overlooked element that can make a huge difference: strength training. Let’s dive into why it’s so important.

Injury Prevention:

One of the primary reasons ultra runners should embrace strength training is injury prevention. Long hours of repetitive motion and impact can create imbalances in the body, leading to overuse injuries. These typically present as IT band syndrome issues, stress fractures, and tendonitis. Strength work targets these imbalances by not only building muscle but also by fortifying tendons, ligaments, and stabilising muscles, which are crucial for maintaining proper form and reducing the risk of injury.

A study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine demonstrated that athletes who incorporated regular strength training into their regimen experienced a significantly lower incidence of injuries compared to those who focused solely on endurance training . Strength training promotes joint stability and improves muscular coordination, both of which are essential for reducing injury risk during the high-stress demands of ultra-endurance events.

Consistency: The Key to Success

Yep,I am going to mention the C word again. Consistency in training is the bedrock of success in ultra runners. Injuries can derail months of hard work and set runners back in preparation. By preventing injuries, strength training allows for more consistent training. With fewer interruptions due to injury, you will progressively build your fitness, leading to better overall results.

A consistent training schedule not only builds physical fitness but also fosters mental resilience. Knowing that your body is strong and less prone to injury can boost confidence, making it easier to maintain motivation and focus during long training cycles. 

“A runners mental health is often downstream to their physical health, injury can be catastrophic so we should go through every possible step to reduce the chance of forced periods of time out of training” – Kris King 

Body Composition:

 Lean muscle mass is more metabolically active, which means it helps the body burn more calories even at rest. For ultra runners, this translates to improved endurance and energy efficiency during long events. Additionally, a strong, well-conditioned body is better equipped to handle the rigors of ultra-endurance events, resulting in enhanced performance. There is course an upper limit to this. 

The benefits of strength training extend beyond physical performance. Research has shown that regular exercise, including strength training, has a positive impact on mental health by reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression . This mental boost can be particularly beneficial for ultra runners, who often face significant psychological challenges during training and competition.

Improved Performance: The Evidence

When it comes to performance, strength training has been shown to improve key aspects such as running economy and gait efficiency. A study published in the *Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research* found that endurance athletes who added strength training to their regimen improved their running economy by an average of 8% . This improvement was attributed to enhanced muscle coordination, greater force production, and more efficient movement patterns.

Another study highlighted in the European Journal of Applied Physiology revealed that strength training improved vertical clearance and running gait in endurance runners, leading to more efficient strides and reduced energy expenditure over long distances . These findings underscore the importance of strength work in optimizing the biomechanics of ultra-endurance athletes, ultimately leading to better race times and reduced fatigue.

What Should a Strength Session Look Like?

Strength training for ultra runners doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s how sessions can be structured based on experience level:

Beginners: All-Round Conditioning 

– Focus on full-body exercises at a moderate to high rep range (12-15 reps) with light weights.

– Circuit classes or bodyweight exercises are ideal to build a solid foundation of strength and endurance.

– Exercises like bodyweight squats, lunges, push-ups, and planks are excellent starting points.

Intermediate: Building Strength

– Introduce heavier weights with lower rep ranges (5-8 reps) and increased sets (4 sets).

– Incorporate compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, push-pulls, and rotational exercises.

– Focus on building functional strength that translates to improved endurance performance.

Advanced: Max Strength and Beyond

– Implement max strength work with very low rep ranges (1-3 reps) and high-intensity efforts.

– Combine these with all-round conditioning exercises to maintain endurance and mobility.

– Advanced athletes should focus on periodisation, strategically alternating between strength phases and endurance training to optimise performance without overtraining.

Myth Busting: Strength Training Misconceptions

Despite the clear benefits, some ultra runners hesitate to incorporate strength training due to common myths. Let’s debunk a couple of these while we are here:

Myth #1: Strength Training Will Make You Bulky and Slow.

  The truth is, strength training enhances muscle efficiency, power output, and endurance. The fear of becoming bulky is largely unfounded, especially for endurance athletes who have high caloric expenditures and typically low body fat percentages. The focus should be on building functional strength, not size. If your training volume is high it will be near on impossible to gain size. 

Strength Training Will Hinder Recovery

  While it’s true that high effort strength sessions require recovery time, they can be strategically integrated into a training plan to complement endurance workouts. Moreover, strength training promotes active recovery by increasing blood flow and aiding in the repair of muscle tissues.

For a more in-depth look at how to integrate strength work with active recovery, check out this ‘Recovery for Ultra Runners’.

Incorporating strength training into your programme is a game-changer. From injury prevention and improved consistency to better body composition and enhanced performance, the benefits are too significant to ignore. By following a structured strength program tailored to your experience level, you can unlock new levels of endurance, resilience, and mental toughness. 

Remember, the strongest athletes aren’t just those who can go the distance—they’re the ones who can do it without breaking down.

Let’s get at it.

Watch our extended video with Jonny Pain of Omnia Performance down below!