Strength training for runners: running economy and how much is enough

The short answer

In trials, heavy lifting helped runners use less energy at the same pace. Jumps helped in some analyses, most at easier paces. The pooled research favors heavy lifts, with jumps added, 2 to 3 sessions a week for 8 to 12 weeks or longer. A few trials found smaller gains, and the injury research is mixed, What the studies support is that lifting helped runners, most clearly over 8 weeks or more.

Running economy, the main gain

Running economy is the energy it costs to hold a given pace. Better economy means the same pace for less oxygen.

In highly trained middle and long distance runners, strength training improved economy, and the authors suggested 2 to 3 sessions a week for 8 to 12 weeks, mixing resistance work and plyometrics (Balsalobre-Fernández 2016). A broader review put the gain from mixed strength work at 2 to 8% (Blagrove 2018).

1 small trial shows what heavy means here. 17 runners did heavy half squats, 4 sets of 4, 3 times a week, for 8 weeks. Max strength rose 33%, economy 5%, and time to exhaustion 21%. Body weight held steady (Støren 2008).

After 8 weeks of heavy half squats, running economy improved 5% and time to exhaustion 21%, with body weight unchanged.

VO2max barely moves with strength training (Llanos-Lagos 2024). The gains showed up in economy, in time trials, and in time to exhaustion.

Heavy lifts or jumps?

Both helped in pooled trials, and heavy lifting has the steadier evidence.

• 2 meta-analyses agree that heavy lifting and explosive training both improve economy, and that longer programs gain more (Denadai 2017; Eihara 2022).
• They differ on size. Denadai found similar gains from both, slightly larger for explosive training. Eihara found the larger pooled effect for heavy lifting, and a smaller effect for plyometrics alone whose range included 0.
• Combining methods did best for performance. High-load lifting improved time trials and time to exhaustion, and pairing 2 or more methods gave a greater gain (Llanos-Lagos 2024).
• Speed may decide which matters more. A companion analysis found plyometrics most useful at slower speeds and heavy lifting strongest at faster speeds and in runners with a high VO2max (Llanos-Lagos 2024).

Most plans pair a heavy lift with a small set of jumps in the same session. Jumps go first, while you are fresh, and stay few and crisp. That order comes from coaching practice rather than a trial.

Calves and the Achilles

Calf training alone, for 14 weeks, raised calf strength 7%, Achilles tendon stiffness 16%, and running economy about 4% (Albracht and Arampatzis 2013).

Tendons respond best to heavy load. Across 27 studies, tendons stiffened when the load was above about 70% of max, and programs of 12 weeks or more did a little better (Bohm 2015). For calves, that means heavy, slow raises rather than many light reps.

Trials with smaller gains

2 of these trials are worth knowing about.

Of 19 female endurance athletes, the 11 who added 11 weeks of heavy lifting raised leg strength 40%, and their 40 minute running performance and economy held steady (Vikmoen 2016).

20 middle-aged recreational runners did 10 weeks of either plyometrics or lifting, 2 times a week. Both groups improved oxygen cost and jump height, and their 5 km time held steady (Eihara 2024).

The fair summary is that lifting helped in studies. The pooled data point the same way, and any 1 runner may respond more or less.

How much is enough

The tested range is consistent:

• 2 to 3 sessions a week. Both reviews name this range.
• 8 to 12 weeks, or longer. Longer programs gained more in both meta-analyses.
• Heavy main lifts. The trials used sets of 4 to 10 reps with a heavy weight.
• A few jumps, built up slowly. 100 jumps off a 35 cm (14 inch) box, in people new to them, cut running time trial performance 4% at 48 hours (Marcora and Bosio 2007). 1 exposure does protect against the next (McHugh 2003). Start small and stay steady, and the next session hurts much less.

Injuries: what the research can say

Strength training builds the capacities linked to fewer injuries. The trials in runners are less clear, so it is worth stating this carefully.

Pooled across 9 trials in endurance runners, prevention programs showed no significant drop in injuries overall, and a drop when programs were supervised, in a follow-up analysis, possibly because people did the work (Wu 2024). The best single runner trial, in novice runners, used a physio-guided hip and core program, and the average weekly share of runners with an overuse injury was 39% lower (Leppänen 2024).

Programs seem to work when people actually do them, which is a good reason to keep sessions short and away from your key runs.

How Peak Hybrid uses this

Durability runs 2 days a week, about 35 minutes: calves and single-leg work, jumps, plus hips and trunk. It works with dumbbells or kettlebells, and with bodyweight alone. Jumps start easy and move up after 2 sessions at the top number. Calf raises and single-leg lifts are heavy and slow. For heavy barbell lifts, Full Body runs main lifts at 4 to 6 reps. Your strength plan reads your key runs and places heavy leg days around them; the day before a key run, legs come off. The sources for each rule are on the plans page.