I’m planning to do this strength routine twice a week.
3 sets of 10-15 reps for each of:
Squats
Deadlifts
Alternate between Lunges (walking or in place) <> Bulgarian Squats
Alternate between Hip thrusts <> Glute Bridges
Alternate between Single Legged Romanian deadlift <> Pistol Squats
For exercises 3-5 I was thinking to switch every two workouts.
I mostly want to be a stronger for the running, since occasionally I’ve been having some medial knee pains from running (biking might also been contributing).
That’s ok, but after doing this for a few weeks add some specificity; calf, glutes, hamstrings, quads, abductors, adductor etc. If you have access to a GHD (glute-ham developer) this provides an outstanding running specific strength exercise. Are you working out at a gym or at home? The single leg squats are very tough on the knees (single leg chair sit/stands are ok), so start out with low reps and not too deep. Be careful doing too much knee strengthening too soon, work up to 10-15 slowly.
I think that routine is better for building power on the bike than injury prevention for the run. You are targeting the largest muscles of the leg (hammy, glutes, and quads) which i have found has increased bike power; whereas injury prevention strength typically targets smaller, stabilizer muscles (though not exclusively)
Agreed with vonschnapps on soleus, adductors, abductors, etc; also on pistol squats and lots of loading which might cause an injury.
thank you! yes I’ll try to be careful with the single leg exercises.
I’m working out at a gym, unfortunately I don’t think we have a GHD machine there.
Oh and I forgot that i’m doing calf raises in a leg-press machine.
That routine is too much. No need to do 2 bilateral lifts, alternate the squats and deadlifts. Not the same but similar. Pick one unilateral lift. Posterior chain is important thus have one to complement the other lifts that day. (And though SL RDL and hip thrusts have become the IT lifts, the good ‘ol curl also has a place)
Also consider the planes of movement if pre-hab is a priority. Lateral squat/lunge, coppenhagen plank progression to target medial. And yes, lower leg is huge if we consider that the majority of propulsion comes from there. Yet, the aim should not just be strength but reactivity. 💪ðŸ¼
Your plan looks solid. A few minor changes I would suggest. Start with 3 sets of 10-15 reps and then after a month start doing 3 sets of 5-8 reps. The heavier you can go the more strength you will develop rather than hypertrophy and muscle growth. Also If you are in a gym I’d do hex bar (trap bar) instead of squats because the load on your back is so high with a back squat. I think the risk vs reward is not worth it.
If you have knee pain and are hoping this will solve your problems I would instead go to a physical therapist who can find the root cause of the pain. They will be able to give you the right strength plan. Also make sure your bike fit is professionally done, or up to date. Wrong saddle/knee position can cause problems like you state.
Your program might benefit from: Progressive overload from week to week, and recovery weeks, unless you’re usually operating at a pretty non-simulative intensity. (read: light enough to experience no soreness)Higher loads & lower volume: Fewer working sets and reps, at higher intensities, unless the goal is muscle size increases. If strength is the goal, warm up to heavier weights and do fewer reps. 2-3 sets of 3-6 reps is better.
(The above assumes good technique and progressing appropriately!)
If you have a Strava Premium account, they have an app - Recover - that is included. I began using it at the end of the summer, as I was having some hamstring issues. You select the area of the body you want to work on, and there is a ~20 minute routine that is primarily body-weight based for each specific area. For some of the movements, you have the option to add in free weights or something like a kettle bell. I’ve alternated the hamstring, glute & hamstring routines on a daily basis, and am feeling fantastic. Even after two weeks I felt great and my running was ‘normal’ again.
I’ve recommended this app to a few of my athletes who had some niggles or light injuries, and they are reporting the same thing as me on the effectiveness. Just another option to consider…
You can never go wrong with squats, just make sure you go deep and keep the weight heavy enough to get close to failure. I also think split squats (aka Bulgarian) and lunges are very useful.
Dave Roche (popular ultrarunning coach and former poster on this forum) has a leg workout that he calls “Mountain Legs”. There is a long version and an abbreviated version.
It is a quick and effective training addition to your run workouts.