Strength training for endurance athletes: fewer injuries and better performance
More endurance athletes are gradually recognizing the benefits of strength training and treating it as a fundamental part of their plans. However, many still focus almost exclusively on aerobic endurance, overlooking—or at best devoting little time to—strength work despite its potential benefits for performance and injury prevention.
Strength training can help correct asymmetries and postural deficiencies caused by high training volumes, thereby reducing injury risk. A meta-analysis published in British Journal of Sports Medicine (Lauersen et al. 2014) involving 26610 participants found that strength training reduced overuse injuries by up to 50%. More widely used strategies such as stretching or proprioception exercises on unstable surfaces, such as a Bosu ball, produced no benefits.
Strength training also provides important performance benefits in every sport, particularly endurance disciplines. In cyclists, a study (Aagaard et al. 2011) found that adding 16 weeks of strength training twice per week not only improved strength but improved performance in a 45-minute time trial by a remarkable 8%. Other authors (Damasceno et al. 2015) have reported benefits for running and swimming. Runners who completed two strength sessions per week for 8 weeks improved strength and endurance performance in both an incremental laboratory test and a 10 km race.
Despite this strong evidence, some athletes still avoid strength training because they fear excessive weight gain from muscle hypertrophy could impair performance. Many people deliberately pursue hypertrophy by training to failure and using high volumes. This may not suit endurance athletes, whose goal is not greater muscle mass but neural strength gains—better neuromuscular coordination with minimal hypertrophy.
Studies led by Spanish researchers including Dr González-Badillo show that lifting at the highest possible velocity while minimizing velocity loss within each set—avoiding fatigue and staying away from muscular failure—produces greater performance improvements, less muscle gain and less fatigue, supporting subsequent sessions (González-Badillo et al. 2017). In one study, Pareja-Blanco et al. (2016) compared strength training with a 20 or 40% velocity loss per set, meaning the set stopped farther from or closer to muscular failure. Training to greater fatigue, with more repetitions and greater velocity loss, produced smaller performance gains and more muscle hypertrophy.
In summary, strength training can improve endurance performance and reduce injury risk, proving more effective than commonly used strategies such as stretching. For the greatest benefits, perform the concentric phase at maximal intended velocity and accumulate as little fatigue, or velocity loss, as possible in each set. This helps avoid excessive muscle gain and supports performance in later sessions.
References
- Aagaard, P., Andersen, J.L., Bennekou, M., Larsson, B., Olesen, J.L., Crameri, R., Magnusson, S.P., and Kjær, M. 2011. Effects of resistance training on endurance capacity and muscle fiber composition in young top-level cyclists. Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sport. 21: 298–307. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01283.x.
- Damasceno, M. V, Lima‑Silva, A.E., Pasqua, L.A., Tricoli, V., Duarte, M., Bishop, D.J., Bertuzzi, R., Damasceno, M. V, Pasqua, L.A., Bertuzzi, R., Lima-Silva, A.E., Tricoli, V., Duarte, M., Bishop, D.J., and Appl Physiol, E.J. 2015. Effects of resistance training on neuromuscular characteristics and pacing during 10‑km running time trial. Eur J Appl Physiol 115(7): 1513–1522.
- González-Badillo, J.J., Sánchez-Medina, L., Pareja-Blanco, F., and Rodriguez-Rosell, D. 2017. La velocidad de ejecución como referencia para la programación, control y evaluación del entrenamiento de fuerza. Ergotech Consulting S.L., Murcia.
- Lauersen, J.B., Bertelsen, D.M., and Andersen, L.B. 2014. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br. J. Sports Med. 48(11): 871–877. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092538.
- Pareja-Blanco, F., Rodríguez-Rosell, D., Sánchez-Medina, L., Sanchis-Moysi, J., Dorado, C., Mora-Custodio, R., Yáñez-García, J.M., Morales-Alamo, D., Pérez-Suárez, I., Calbet, J.A.L., and González-Badillo, J.J. 2016. Effects of velocity loss during resistance training on athletic performance, strength gains and muscle adaptations. Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sport. (1998): 1–12. doi:10.1111/sms.12678.
AUTHOR
Pedro Valenzuela
Researcher in the Physiology Unit at the University of Alcalá and the Performance Monitoring Unit at the Sports Medicine Center (AEPSAD, Madrid High Performance Center).
Website: www.fissac.com
