DOI: 10.1249/mss.0000000000003685 ISSN: 1530-0315

Strength Training Improves Running Economy Durability and Fatigued High-Intensity Performance in Well-Trained Male Runners: A Randomized Control Trial

Michele Zanini, Jonathan P. Folland, Han Wu, Richard C. Blagrove
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ABSTRACT

Introduction

Strength training improves running economy (RE) in a non-fatigued state and performance after prolonged exercise at moderate intensity. However, it is unknown if strength training improves RE durability at marathon race intensity, or high-intensity performance akin to the final stages of a competitive race. This study quantified the effect of a supplementary 10-week strength training program on RE throughout 90 min of running in the heavy-intensity domain, and subsequent fatigued performance in runners.

Methods

Twenty-eight well-trained male runners (maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max) 58.6 ml·kg-1·min-1; 10 km 39:02 mm:ss) were performance-matched and randomly assigned to a habitual running-only control (E; n = 14) or supplementary strength training group (E + S; n = 14) that performed maximal strength and plyometric training twice weekly for 10 weeks. Before the training, participants performed a 90 min run at 10% Δ between lactate threshold 1 and 2 (13.1 ± 1.4 km/h, 79.7% V̇O2max). RE, quantified as oxygen cost (ml·kg-1·km-1), was recorded at 15 min intervals during the run, immediately thereafter, participants ran a time to exhaustion (TTE) at 95% pre-test V̇O2max (16.1 ± 1.6 km/h). The 90 min run and TTE were repeated after the training intervention.

Results

A large interaction effect of training x group x run time was found for RE (p = 0.003, ηp 2 = 0.13), with E + S improving vs E at 90 min (-2.1% vs +0.6; p = 0.04). For TTE, a large group x training interaction effect was detected (p = 0.004, ηp 2 = 0.28), changing by +35% in E + S and -8% in E.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that adding strength and plyometrics training to a programme of endurance running improved RE durability and substantially increased high-intensity TTE at the end of a 90 min run in the heavy intensity domain in well-trained male runners.

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