Strength training not only strengthens muscles but also improves running technique and ensures optimal posture. Especially as you age, strength training plays a crucial role in counteracting muscle loss and maintaining overall fitness. Discover how targeted training can help you stay fit and efficient longer.
Author:
David Schaad, MSc Physiotherapy, Head of Therapy at Medbase Bischofszell and Medbase Amriswil Center.
Strength training for runners: the key to better performance and health
As a runner, you probably want to improve your running performance and avoid injuries. Strength training is an important piece of your training puzzle. It strengthens muscles, improves running performance, and increases efficiency. Additionally, strong muscles support the joints and reduce the risk of common running injuries such as knee pain or Achilles tendon problems.
Targeted core muscle training increases stability, leading to better posture and running technique. Muscle training also helps to compensate for muscular imbalances that can occur due to the one-sided strain of running. Furthermore, it contributes to the maintenance of bone density and promotes long-term bone health. Overall, strength training supports endurance and speed by increasing muscle strength and endurance.
Why is strength training especially important for older runners?
As you age, the body loses muscle mass and strength. This process can be slowed down or even reversed through regular strength training. Starting at age 50, around 2% of skeletal muscle mass is lost annually, which can lead to a loss of about 40% by age 80. However, current studies show that even older adults can rebuild muscle mass.
Strength training helps maintain joint mobility and stability, reducing the risk of injury and preserving running performance. It can also stimulate bone growth. Maintaining mobility and flexibility is also promoted through strength training. Moreover, it contributes to overall fitness and well-being by preventing cardiovascular diseases and other age-related health issues. Ultimately, strength training allows older runners to remain active and capable.
How much strength training should be done compared to running training?
The ratio of strength training to running training depends on individual goals and training status. With 1-2 short sessions per week, you can already make significant progress. It is best to consult with a physiotherapist or sports scientist to create a balanced and effective training program.
While endurance aspects are relatively well-maintained with age, recovery times lengthen. The combination of strength, mobility, and coordination training becomes more important. Recovery time plays a crucial role: between the ages of 60 and 70, it is about four days.
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At what age should you prioritize strength training?
Aging is a continuous process that begins at birth, so there is no standard answer to when strength training should be prioritized. The terms “running and age” are relative and vary depending on individual health, training status, and physical conditions. Many older runners often achieve better times in popular races than their younger competitors, showing that age does not necessarily mean a decline in performance.
Fitness in old age strongly depends on lifestyle. Staying active, making the best of one’s abilities, and setting the right goals is crucial to remaining fit and capable even in advanced age.
Good strength exercises for runners:
- Wall squat with calf raise
- Split squat with dumbbells
- Plank
- “Hip dip” in side plank
- Single-leg deadlift
- Plank with bilateral leg extension
What should older people pay attention to during training?
With age, the maximum heart rate decreases, on average by about one beat per year. At the same time, the maximum oxygen uptake capacity decreases by about 1% annually between ages 25 and 70, although continuous training can reduce this decrease to about 0.5%. The risk of cardiovascular disease increases significantly with overexertion.
Between the ages of 50 and 60, body fat content changes, leading to about 2 kg of additional fat reserves, despite training. There is a breakdown of cellular structures in the muscles, delaying lactic acid metabolism and reducing muscle mass and glycogen stores. Therefore, whole-body strength training becomes increasingly important to maintain body stability.
With age, flexibility decreases, and the body tolerates high loads less well, while aerobic loads are better tolerated. After the age of 40, you lose fitness less quickly than in younger years but require more training effort to maintain it. Older runners increasingly rely on complementary training. It is advisable to shift targeted running training to enjoyment running, while participation in competitions remains possible – thus goals change with age.
Conclusion
Strength training is of great importance for runners of all ages. It improves running performance, reduces the risk of injury, and supports overall health. For older runners, it is especially important as it counteracts age-related muscle loss and maintains fitness and quality of life. A balanced combination of strength and running training, tailored to individual needs and goals, is the key to a successful and healthy running life.
Who is Medbase?
Medbase is the largest multidisciplinary sports medicine network in Switzerland and offers specialized sports medical services for athletes, clubs, and sports associations at all levels of activity in sports medicine, sports physiotherapy, performance diagnostics, and training consulting.
One reply on “Why strength training for runners makes sense even in old age”
Thank you for this article. It is very understandable for me and I will continue to train three times a week.