How to Run Faster with Strength Training with Dr Mike Young

Coach Chris Newport talks with Dr Mike Young, owner of The Athletic Lab and arguably one of the most educated gym owner’s on the East coast (and possibly beyond!). He works with several professional teams, high level distance runners, and the general fitness population. We talk about the benefits of strength training for endurance athletes and how there’s a “mountain of evidence” that it can make you run faster!

As a gym owner in the local area for over 12 years, we talk about the impact of COVID-19 on the fitness and gym industry and how they’ve been able to fare.

Mike talks about the benefits of strength training, which, for athletes is for injury prevention and performance enhancement. Since runners tend to be one of the most injury-prone athletic populations, it’s especially important for them. Plus, Mike talks about the direct relationship of neuromuscular strength training and improvement in running economy by 5% and running performance by 3%.

However, this is not “standard” strength training, where you may want to increase muscle mass or improve your 1RM (rep max). Instead, the “details” for appropriate adaptation are important.

Mike gives specifics on how to do this type of strength training, like focusing on quality rather than quantity.

He explains why:
–>it’s shockingly small how little you need to be doing this type of work (and actually how much time that is)
–>this should be intense, but not “vomit-inducing”
–>you should train with intent and be sure to minimize metabolic fatigue (aka getting overly breathless)
–>you should focus on high load (aka “weighted”) or high speed, but not both at the same time
–>you should be doing multi-joint exercises, with specific exercise recommendations
–>why running with ankle weights, doing arm swings with weights, or a “mind-numbing” number of crunches are NOT helping
–>tension and motor recruitment are crucial

Mike gives some examples of what these short workouts should look like and how they should be programmed throughout the week. He also gives examples of bodyweight movements that you can do at home and how to scale them.

He also suggests some simple equipment you can have at home that will help for added weight, like kettlebells or wall balls.

If you’re local (or visiting), visit Athletic Lab in Morrisville, where Coach Chris did her “can-an-endurance-athlete-improve-with-strength-training” experiment a few years ago. Did it work? Yes! She improved her “Fran” time by 45%, increased her pull up max by 167% and cut her triathlon time by 4%. Be sure to mention that you heard about us through the Find Your Edge podcast!

Check out Mike’s online programs for purchase, as well as their newly launched Coaching Academy here for anyone interested in sport science.

 

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