COACH’S CORNER - To lift or not to lift? by Anne-Marie Cook

Should I strength train?” A common question without an easy answer.

As a coach, I field the question weekly (and constantly ask it of myself). Where and how does strength fit into the Jenga puzzle that is the ultrarunner’s program?

It’s well-accepted that at least a certain amount of resistance exercise is recommended for most endurance athletes. So here’s a controversial answer… maybe you shouldn’t.

Join the debate

Of course, there’s heaps of research into whether strength training can be beneficial for runners. A quick search of “Strength training for runners” on Google Scholar reveals 7,500 published articles on the topic – in 2024 alone!

Numerous studies have concluded that strength training can improve running economy, reduce injury risk and enhance performance in runners of various levels. But it’s ‘various levels’ that we need to pull apart here. Because, as we all know, us ultrarunners are our own special breed.

Enter the contrarian. When I was studying my UESCA Ultrarunning Coach certification, I was surprised to hear Coach Jason Koop (demigod of trail and ultra training), offering this maverick stance. He puts it bluntly:  “If you want to strength train to specifically improve your ultrarunning performance, don’t do it… I feel a runner’s time is better spent elsewhere.”

There are studies to back him up. This research on female endurance athletes had half do strength training twice a week for 11 weeks. “Adding heavy strength training to endurance training did not affect 40 min all-out running performance or running economy compared to endurance training only.”

Ultramarathon training takes up a lot of time

Let’s unpack more about why Koop’s in the “no” camp. Primarily, it’s because his philosophy emphasises the importance of rest to prepare for the next demanding training session.

As we all know, rest days are when the body undertakes crucial recovery processes, allowing muscles to repair and grow stronger, glycogen stores to replenish and the nervous system to recuperate.

Coach Koop emphasises the toll that ultramarathon training takes on the body and the inherent risk of overtraining we all expose ourselves to. Which can of course lead to diminished performance, increased injury likelihood, mental burnout and long-term neggy effects.

Rest is vital

If rest days aren’t marked in your calendar, go add them now! Skipping rest days in favour of more training can be counterproductive – both short and long term. Rest helps the body handle the intense sessions, enhancing overall performance and reducing the risk of adverse effects from overtraining.

All too often, we view anything other than running as rest. Whether it be strength training or cross-training – these are not recovery activities!

Think of rest as an active investment in your future performance. By prioritising rest, you can hit your subsequent workouts with renewed energy and focus, ultimately leading to more efficient and effective training sessions.

Meanwhile, back at the gym

Our key question is whether the benefits of strength training are substantial enough to give them priority over a running session, while still getting enough rest and recovery.

Of course, we can find studies that agree with this POV too. “Coaches should not hesitate to implement a well-planned, periodized concurrent resistance and endurance training program for their endurance runners,” according to this systematic review.

If so, then how much, when and – probably most importantly – what type of workout?

As an (essential) note: if your physio gives you exercises to recover from or avoid injury – do them! No ifs or buts! In general, physio exercises are about more about recruiting the right muscles in the right way with control, and are unlikely to leave you in energy deficit.

Go heavy or go home

When it comes to the squat rack, deciding when to lift doesn’t have an easy answer. But it turns out we can be pretty sure that light weights and high volume are not the answer we’ve been looking for.

Let’s plop weight training into three buckets (as set out by this useful study):

• Heavy strength training (HST)
• Complex strength training (CPX) – this is heavy strength and complementary plyometric exercises alternating within a single session
• Endurance strength training (EST) – the classic high rep workout

This study was on recreational marathoners, not ultra folks, but there’s still good stuff here. It turns out that HST (heavy) and CPX (heavy + plyo) resulted in greater eccentric strength, maximum strength, power and running economy than low weight, high repetition EST.

When not to work out

Armed with the knowledge of “what”, next we need to work out “when”.

Choosing when not to strength train is a process of deduction – with the goal of not negatively impacting key running sessions.

Not before speed work. Not before long runs. Not before key quality workouts. That’s because Running economy is impaired following resistance exercise.

But also, not on recovery days. This study found that concurrent strength and endurance exercise impaired strength adaptations, which could be because of the impact negative energy balance has on building muscle. Anyone who’s tried to lift heavy or do effective plyometrics after they’ve just done 8 x 1km on the track will know that “weak as a kitten” feeling.

In the mix

So, what kind of resistance training should we focus on, if we’re going to do it? Well the classics like squats, deadlifts, lunges and step-ups are efficient ways to work multiple muscle groups at once, plus they mimic the full-body efforts of trail running.

Adding in plyometric exercises (think jumps and bounds) can complement the benefits of heavy training (as per the study above)

And there’s evidence pointing to a strong core supporting endurance and running economy as well as good posture and stability.

Find your sweet spot

What does that leave us? As I said, it’s a giant Jenga folks. Even for us coaches.

You might legitimately decide to choose camp Koop and focus on running rather than strength.

Or, you could embark on the test-and-try process of discovering what works best for your body (and mind) to help you maximise your training as well as recovery and hopefully avoid injury.

For me personally (sample size of 1), I’ve come to feel that my sweet spot is working with my strength coach twice a week. My strength training is specific to my race plan: for example, we’ve incorporated more core, lats and triceps work recently, as I’ll be using poles for my next race at UTMB Chiang Mai.

And every workout includes a focus on scaption: pulling my shoulder blades back and down using my lats to counteract the forward hunch I fall into every day at the computer as well as against my pack on my long runs.

What’s the take-home?

Ultimately, the decision to include strength training in your trail or ultra training regimen depends on individual factors such as race goals and your ability to support the additional training. While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, mixing in some smart (heavy) strength training could give you the edge you need.

Listen to your body, adjust as necessary (working with your running coach and potentially a strength coach too) and remember that rest and recovery are just as crucial as the workouts themselves. It’s all about building a solid fitness base, staying injury-free and hitting those trails feeling strong and ready.

Anyway, I’m off to take a nap!