For a distance runner, should I work out with my legs?

Question

I currently do upper body workouts(I gained 6lbs from doing so). I hear that lifting weights with your legs isn't good for distance runners. Would it help gain my speed.

I do feel that I lost a lot of speed, sprinting wise, doing distance running. Is this normal?

Answer 1

Lifting weights is good for your legs, it wont slow you down, or make you faster.

to keep your speed  , at least 2x per week after your distance run, do 6x200 at your best mile pace

Answer 2

Great questions.  Perhaps one at a time, here.

The first question you ask two ways, each way meriting, in my opinion, a different answer.

QUESTION ONE, VERSION ONE.  Is lifting weights good for distance runners?   If by this you mean using machines for leg extensions or leg curls, no.

Such machines tend to stress single muscles, leaving the "whole" of the leg unstressed, and not "working together."  

This has one detriment, and one opportunity lost.

The detriment is that single muscles become overstrengthened; consequently the opposing muscles, weaker than the strengthened, are "challenged" and subject to strain when you resume whole-leg (e.g., running) athletic activity.

The opportunity lost is developing all of the muscles in the whole leg to "strengthen together" and to "work together," something which is essential when it comes to the primary benefit of strengthened leg muscles:  speed.

What's worse, the types of stress most machines place on muscles tend to weaken the connecting tendons.  I think you can guess what that means:  increasing the risk of injury.

QUESTION ONE, VERSION TWO.  Should I work out with my legs?   If by working out with your legs you mean doing leg-strengthening exercises, perhaps using weights, or not, then absolutely.   If using weights, not initially, but gradually, and definitely.

There are several approaches "out there" which strengthen legs for coordination, injury-prevention, and speed.  Owen Anderson's Strength Trilogy (an online British journal article).   Power Running (a book).  Using SPRI bands.  Spinning (this last year this has been extremely successful for me).  Plyometrics.

Doing strengthening exercises with a "whole leg" approach will help you avoid some injuries (no guarantee on all of them) and gain strength, the latter which translates to increased speed.

QUESTION TWO.  FINALLY.  Is it normal to lose speed doing distance running?  Well, yes, and for a number of natural reasons.  If you like the typical distance runner are increasing your mileage without including in your schedule tempo runs, speed workouts, and interval workouts, then you are activating and stressing the slow-twitch muscles in your legs, and allowing the fast-twitch muscles to atrophy.  And you are not stressing all of the systems in your body - cardio, pulmonary, skeletal, muscular, other - to perform at higher speeds.

The real goal, isn't it, is to sustain a fast tempo over distance?  Which suggest that training should not be directed to simply developing endurance at low speeds, but endurance at fast speeds.  To achieve that, I'd recommend a solid, research-based program as is presented by Jack Daniels (his real name) in his book, The Running Formula.

You're on the right track in considering working out your legs.  Stay on it!

Regards,

Running_Dad

Answer 3

Upper body workouts are OK, even necessary for distance runners, but not so much that you gain six pounds! That added bulk is not helpful. Figure out how many steps you take in a 5K and multiply that times six pounds! Every thousand steps is 6,000 lbs.!

Also, upper body bulk harms flexibility, so you are less fluid in your movement.

Milers are often better sculpted (so to speak) than longer distance men, but that's because many of them are on the sprint side — having more of the fight/flight fast-twitch muscle cells and fewer of the hunt/peck slow-twitch muscle cells (think about turkey breast meat (white fast twitch for flying and attacking) vs. turkey leg meat (dark slow twitch for going around all day looking for food). The best long distance runners are specially genetically gifted to go far without tiring.

No, you are not going to lose speed by running long distance. A long distance runner can run a marathon in 3 hours, while a sprinter is lucky to to finish in 5 hours — if he finishes at all. Which one is faster over 26.2 miles?

But we compliment our long runs by adding speed work and interval work to keep our natural leg speed from deteriorating. A complete runner needs both (unless you are an ultramarathoner).

Some weight training is warranted. I weighed a gaunt 147 at my college cross country best, but was at 156 when I ran my best mile (4:21.3 at age 19) — more speed work and more weights.

Back then, we were advised not to do any leg lifting. That doctrine has changed a little over the past three decades, but my 4:21 would still place in conference (even with  conversion to the much shorter 1500).

Answer 4

You are right. lifting weights with your legs will make you slower for long distance becuase the muscles in your legs will be tired. yes you could lose sprinting speed from doing long distance, but you would be faster in 400m.