Running is more than just logging miles, building strength off the road can make you faster, more efficient, and more resilient. Evidence shows that combining resistance training with plyometric exercises improves running economy, boosts endurance, and helps reduce fatigue-related performance drops.
Why Strength Training Works for Runners
Improve Running Performance & Endurance
Strength training enhances the neuromuscular system, helping muscles produce force more efficiently. Recent research indicates that runners who add high-load resistance training (≥80% 1RM) and plyometrics see improvements in time-to-exhaustion and running economy — even without increasing weekly mileage.
- Plyometrics, like hops and bounds, help train muscles to handle impact forces more effectively.
Enhance Fatigue Resistance
Training strength off the road helps maintain running efficiency during long or intense sessions. Studies show runners who complete a combined resistance and plyometric program maintain better running form and speed even under fatigue.
Reduce Injury Risk
Strong, balanced muscles help stabilize joints and absorb impact, potentially lowering the risk of overuse injuries such as knee, ankle, and lower-leg strains. Targeted exercises for the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves correct imbalances that often contribute to injury.
How We Help at Physio on the Green
We make strength training personalised, measurable, and safe, using advanced tools like:
1. Running Assessment
Before designing a program, we perform a comprehensive running assessment. This includes:
- Gait analysis to detect biomechanical inefficiencies
- Video analysis of your stride, cadence, and posture
- Identification of muscle imbalances or asymmetries that could limit performance or increase injury risk
2. Hand-Held Dynamometry (HHD)
Measures muscle strength to detect imbalances and track improvements over time.
3. Force Decks
Assesses jump power, symmetry, and rate of force development, helping us fine-tune plyometric training.
4. Tailored Strength Programs
Based on HHD and force deck results, we design a program aligned with your running goals, whether it’s speed, endurance, or long-distance performance.
5. Ongoing Monitoring & Coaching
We retest at regular intervals, track improvements, and adjust your program. Coaching ensures exercises transfer effectively to running.
By combining evidence-based strength training with personalised assessment, we help runners run stronger, farther, and more safely.
Final Thoughts
Strength training isn’t optional, it’s a performance multiplier for runners. Properly implemented, it improves running economy, builds fatigue resistance, corrects imbalances, and supports long-term joint health.
At Physio on the Green, we use the latest assessment and monitoring tools to design programs tailored to you. If you want to get faster, stronger, and more resilient, start your personalised strength training journey today.
Written by Nick De Vries | Physiotherapist
References
- Llanos-Lagos C., et al. (2024). Strength Training Improves Running Economy in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners: Systematic Review & Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 54, 895–932.
- Zanini M., et al. (2025). Strength Training Improves Running Economy & Fatigue Resistance in Trained Runners. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (Ahead of Print).
- Rodríguez-Barbero S., et al. (2025). Effects of Combined Endurance and Strength Training on Running Economy and VO₂max. Applied Sciences, 15(2), 903.
- Optimizing Resistance Training for Sprint & Endurance Athletes: Balancing Positive and Negative Adaptations. (2024). Sports Medicine, 54, 3019–3050.
- Systematic Review: The Association Between Running Injuries and Training Parameters. (2021). PubMed [34478518].