Conditioning for Trail Runners, Updated

Why and how you should (and sometimes shouldn't) add strength work to your training

Hey, I have so many to thank for kind and supportive messages following last week’s post about bad news. Hearing from readers who reply to me privately via the email version of the post, or who share comments in the thread below, gives me support and motivation. You make writing this weekly newsletter matter, and you make me feel like I matter. But let’s focus less on feelings this week and get back to more practical advice. I’m excited to write about an adjunct to running that’s good for everyone, and anyone can do: strength training.

I hear from runner friends all the time—especially those of us on the other side of 50—”I should make time for strength work” or, “I need to get back to the gym.” They make it sound like a chore, and they’d rather be running (or skiing or doing just about any other recreational activity).

Because I’ve had a run-stopping injury since early November, I’ve rediscovered the gym. I rejoined to lift heavier weights and to have access to more variety of equipment than at home, where my dumbbells top out at 20 pounds. (Video below shows me using the gym’s TRX system for an assisted pistol squat.)

These strength and mobility workouts, incorporating guidance from a physical therapist, have been the biggest—maybe only?—upside to injury and make me want to keep at it even when I return to running on a consistent basis. (I’m easing back into running gradually and carefully now, up to five miles on non-consecutive days.)

When my weekly run mileage flatlined due to injury, my cardio fitness also tanked—but with gym work, my arm and core strength increased. Now that I can add more lower-body strength work without bugging the injury spot, my legs are getting stronger too. I’m also making use of the gym’s assault bike for low-impact cardio conditioning.

I hope my enthusiasm and guidance that follow might prompt you to restart some strength and mobility work, and/or enlist a physical therapist to address ongoing “niggles” that cause pain and unbalanced running form (i.e., favoring one side because something on the other side hurts, which can lead to a secondary injury).

I’ll try to spell out some recommendations to make conditioning as manageable and motivating as possible.

Three years ago, I wrote “Conditioning for Trail Runners: The Essentials,” and I stand by the advice in that post. But this past injury cycle sharpened my understanding of the best ways to integrate strength work into a time-crunched life and have it complement run training if you make running your priority (as most of us reading this do!). The main differences between then and now are (1) I advocate heavier lifting with lower reps, (2) I have a clearer idea of which exercises to do, and (3) a better grip on how to layer in the workouts and modify them over the course of a macro training cycle.

First, let’s clarify some terms. As I wrote in that earlier post:

Conditioning is an umbrella term I use to include strengthening exercises that use extra weight or bodyweight for resistance; mobility exercises for range of motion, muscle control, and balance; and drills and plyometrics, which are specific exaggerated movements, often involving jumping, that foster better running skills including agility and boost strength and cardio fitness. Physical therapy usually means a combo of customized strength and mobility exercises to correct specific weaknesses or asymmetry in your strength or movement.

Conditioning is different than cross-training, though a lot of people misuse the terms interchangeably. Cross-training refers to a different sport or recreational activity, such as cycling, swimming, or skiing. (Some people put yoga in the cross-training category, but I prefer to think of yoga as a form of mobility and light strength work, hence a type of conditioning.)

If you’re seriously focused on reaching running goals, I recommend you make some time for conditioning but drop cross-training in the interest of time management and to train specifically as a runner. But if cross-training brings you joy and makes you feel better, go for it. Or if, like me, you need to limit high-impact activity while managing injury, then cross-training with a lower-impact activity like a spin bike or Nordic skiing is beneficial for cardio fitness.

Why or why not make time for conditioning

Disclaimer: Conditioning is optional. You can become a darn good speedy runner without ever doing pushups or deadlifts, and working out at a gym probably won’t lead to significant improvements in your road marathon performance. If you’re a younger, less-injury-prone runner blessed with good biomechanics, and you want to prioritize high-volume training, then drills and plyos integrated into the warmup phase of a run workout, and some mobility exercises during cooldown to keep your muscles and joints limber, are probably all you need.

And if you’re so stretched by life’s demands that you’re barely running more than two or three times a week, and you’re sleeping only six or less hours a night, then skip it. It’s more important to get seven to nine hours of sleep nightly and prioritize cardio exercise to raise your heart rate several times a week.¹

But if you’re a trail runner who goes up and down steep slopes with technical terrain, which requires more strength, agility, and good range of motion; or if you’re an aging runner (especially female) losing muscle mass and bone density; or if you have persistent aches or weaknesses localized to certain parts of your body, then I highly recommend strength and mobility work along with sessions with a smart PT who specializes in working with runners.

Coach Jason Koop, whose guidance in Chapter 11 of his book Training Essentials for Ultrarunning (second edition) informs my thinking, is skeptical that strength training significantly improves running, pointing out that rest days can boost performance as much or more than gym workouts. Yet he writes about us older runners, “for aging athletes, strength training … is essential for general health and well-being. … As we age, we are all encouraged to shift some priority away from running time and toward moving heavy objects a few times a week.”

What about us ultrarunners who, in a peak phase of training, might devote twelve to twenty hours a week to running/hiking plus the added drive time to and from trailheads? How can we give more time and energy to conditioning during that peak phase of ultra training—and should we? I’ll touch on that when I share how I plan to modify my conditioning as I get closer to July’s Hardrock Hundred.

But first, some basic recommendations.

What to do for conditioning with limited time in a gym or at home

With so many possible exercises to do, how do you choose? I’ve narrowed in on a set organized by type of movement. When I set aside a half to full hour for strength/mobility, I do and recommend the following:

• At least a little bit of warmup to loosen up and raise heart rate (unless the workout immediately follows a run). I do dynamic stretches like leg swings, cat/cow for back, a few downward dog-plank-cobra vinyasa flows, followed by high lunge, side lunge, and runner’s lunge. Then a few minutes of vigorous movement such as jumping jacks, jump rope, or high-knee run in place.

• Any essential exercises assigned by your physical therapist. Fit these in.

Then you get to the heart of the workout, which involves at least one exercise from the following movement categories. The key, for the exercises involving weights, is to lift heavy-enough weights that you feel fatigue after about four to six reps and close to failure at eight to ten; pause, rest up to 90 seconds between sets, and do a few more sets. (Whereas I used to lift 12- to 15-pound dumbbells and do 15 to 20+ reps, I generally use 20- to 25-pound dumbbells now with fewer reps.) Tip: use the rest time between sets for beneficial static stretches such as rag-doll fold, yogi squat, figure-four.

These are the five categories, with examples of exercises. Proper form is key, so google and watch some brief YouTube videos on each exercise before attempting them, if you’re not working with a trainer.

1. Push: such as bench press, chest press, or good ol’ pushups (great to do when you only have bodyweight, not gym weights available, with the added benefit of working core while planking. I generally do five sets of 12 pushups with other exercises between sets. Challenge yourself to do some in the harder military style with elbows close to ribcage rather than sticking out; further challenge yourself by alternately raising and holding a leg to engage glutes during pushup.)

2. Pull: such as bent-over row (do these properly with both feet on ground, not the common mistake of one leg elevated on a bench), lat pull-down machine, or assisted pull-ups.

3. Hinge: such as double- and single-leg Romanian dead lifts (RDLs), kettlebell swings, or the simple “good morning” movement (good for beginners and those with weak backs). I usually do regular RDLs on both feet with heavy weight, then a set one-legged with a lighter weight in the hand opposite the standing leg to work on balance and proper pelvic alignment.

4. Squats and/or Lunges: Ah, squats & lunges, so many choices here! You can do bodyweight jump squats, a plyometric move, which also spikes your heart rate; goblet squat holding a heavy weight at your chest, reverse lunges holding weights, and the list goes on. If you have time for just one, I recommend thrusters (squat + overhead press with a barbell or dumbbells) to make it multifunctional with arm work, or wall balls (squatting with a medicine ball and coming up to throw it high above you to hit a wall, then catching & squatting down with it).

5. Carry: such as farmer’s carry or kneeling wood-chopper. These improve grip strength and also activate core. I challenge myself to do farmer’s carry with at least 25 pounds in each hand while walking up/down stairs.

If you’re a beginner and the list above feels overwhelming or intimidating, I recommend this quick New York Times tutorial (gift link) on strength-training basics that includes six exercises, one each from the list above plus an extra one in the squat category.

If you have more time, I recommend in this order of priority:

• additional ab/oblique/glute exercises that benefit running form and can help prevent injury

• exercises for hill-running strength, especially if you’re a flatlander training for a mountain race (e.g. weighted step-ups and step-downs, box jumps, and other eccentric quad exercises)

• static stretching and balancing yoga poses for flexibility and fall prevention

• self-massage with a foam roller and/or trigger-point ball for myofascial release (keeps muscles sliding & gliding and promotes flexibility) including arch massage and toe scrunching/lifting to prevent plantar fasciitis

How to fit conditioning into your run schedule

I follow the adages “some is better than none” and “don't let perfect be the enemy of good,” so however much you can add strength work during the week, bravo. Maybe you only have time post-run, while cooling off at a trailhead, for ten minutes of pushups, squats, and forearm planking. That’s a start and better than none!

If you do have wiggle room in your real life to add quality conditioning workouts, this is what I recommend (again, with credit to Koop for guidance):

• Schedule your heavy-lifting and most-fatiguing strength workouts during the week as far away as possible from your high-quality hard run workouts; i.e. midweek so it doesn’t jeopardize your key weekend long run. If you schedule a speed workout on a Tuesday morning and a long run on a Saturday, which is pretty typical, then you could do a conditioning workout on Tuesday following the speed workout (bonus: you’ll work your legs extra hard on that day, then take the next day as a rest or easy day for recovery), then a second quality conditioning workout on Thursday following Thursday’s run. You could add a third strength session on Monday, but focus more on upper-body (core and arms) and mobility so your legs get adequate recovery following the long run.

• As you ramp up run volume and get closer to your run goal (say, an ultramarathon), shift your conditioning to prioritize somewhat lighter weights with more reps; more upper-body and lighter lower-body work; and prioritize physical therapy for correcting imbalances/weaknesses, along with restorative mobility exercises (e.g. yoga and self-massage). You may have time and energy during a week for only one to two conditioning sessions, rather than two to three, and that’s OK. In other words, do the hardest, heaviest conditioning earlier in the season, farther away from your top-goal event.

• If you’re in peak training, feeling extra tired, and wondering whether to rest more or go to the gym, the answer is rest more and perhaps do some restorative gentle yoga, which can enhance recovery. (I’m a fan of the Yoga by Kassandra YouTube channel for gentle short yoga sessions.)

I am blessed with more time now because I’m running less and on non-consecutive days due to this injury. Therefore, I’m doing a quality strength/mobility/PT workout three to four times a week. This will be more challenging to fit in once I get back to running five or six times a week, ramping up mileage, and spending more time in the high country training for the 50-mile Quad Rock in May and the 100-mile Hardrock in July.

Between now and July, I plan three phases of conditioning: (1) now through February, continue heavy and concentrated conditioning sessions three to four times/week, each about an hour, integrating PT; (2) March - April aim for three conditioning sessions per week but likely shorter in time, lifting slightly lighter weights with higher reps (and at least one session at home to save the time it takes to go to the gym), prioritizing plyometrics and eccentric exercises for run strength, plus PT and core; (3) May through early July (peak training through taper), two sessions per week focusing on core, mobility, some arm work to maintain but not build muscle, and exercises that feel more restorative than fatiguing. During the taper, I’ll do only yoga and self-massage in addition to reduced running/hiking, because additional strength training at that point will provide no benefit on race day.

What I’ve learned and what I’m practicing from physical therapy

As described by Joe Uhan in this deep dive on knee pain, most “knee problems” are really problems involving the hips/pelvis and ankles/feet. In other words, to fix the problem, you gotta fix what’s going on above and below it.

As I wrote about earlier, it’s important to understand the bigger picture of biomechanics and how it may contribute to any weakness or pain with your running. My IT band problem, which got so severe that I partially tore the IT band attachment off the head of the tibia, stems mainly from problems with pelvis alignment. My PT is helping me “fix” my pelvis and strengthen weak muscles around it, such as the glute medius. I’m also working on my foot strike. The goal is to reduce, hopefully eliminate, the stress and torsion that my flawed form and weak muscles create around the knee area.

These two videos give a glimpse at the type of work we do together and demonstrate two worthwhile exercises; the first uses a resistance band to activate and strengthen the glute meds, plus improve posture; the second, called clock squats, works on pelvis alignment and balance while strengthening the hips, glutes, and quads.

Checking my form and working on balance—now I’m super aware of my pelvis, hips, and leg form. Here I’m trying to keep my hip bones level and prevent my feet and legs from rotating outward, as they’re prone to do.

A word about CrossFit

I anticipate comments below evangelizing CrossFit. I get it, because I gave it a try for several months about a year ago. I saw why the CrossFit community is so supportive and empowering. I loved the instructors at our local CrossFit.

But generally speaking, I recommend customizing your workout as described above rather than following CrossFit. CF’s Workout of the Day (WOD) may not be right or most advantageous for you as a runner, and it doesn’t leave room for the specific PT you may need to do. Additionally, CF’s WOD on any given day may concentrate on only a handful of exercises that don’t incorporate all the key types of movement. Nonetheless, I enjoyed doing it for a period last year and learned from it.

Some addictive ultra content

I planned to write about how and why I’m totally hooked on Jamil Coury’s bonkers month-long Chipotle endurance challenge to earn Strava’s local legend for a .22-mile stretch of Tempe sidewalk, and how he’s battling with another guy, who’s also a fascinating character, and creating compelling video recaps every day. They’ve been logging ultra distances on this sidewalk nearly every day (or at least 20ish-milers), blowing past 500 miles each. But this post is already too long, so see for yourself:

• Watch some of the recent videos on his Run Steep Get High channel. A good entrance point is this one, when he had 13 days to go, because he introduces his nemesis/buddy Kevin and gives context to what they’re doing. Then watch the recaps from each of the past several days. Also check out Jamil’s Strava and Jamil’s Instagram.

• Listen to this interview with Jamil on Singletrack Podcast about the Chipotle challenge, his leadership and growth of Aravaipa Running, and his new acquisition of UltraRunning magazine.

I’ve known Jamil and crossed paths with him for over a decade. He’s perhaps my favorite person in the sport and the hardest working. For some vintage shenanigans from him and his buddy Schuyler, read my 2017 interview with them in my mothballed blog and watch the hilarious Mountain Outpost videos embedded there.

1. The CDC and American Heart Association recommend a minimum of 75 minutes weekly of vigorous cardio such as running, which works out to three short runs of about 2.5 miles each; or 150 minutes of moderate activity weekly such as walking or swimming, which works out to five half-hour sessions.